Cowboy Dressage - California Horsetrader

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Cowboy Dressage Riding, training and competing with kindness leads to a popular movement from horsetrader staff reports

Debbie and Eitan Beth-Halachmy have interwoven dreams, passion and knowledge into Cowboy Dressage.

Blue Fountain Photography


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Cowboy Dressage competitions have a unique feel when contrasted with many traditional events.

hen pressed to provide a moment that spawned Cowboy Dressage, Debbie Beth-Halachmy had one memory for Jessica Black, author of the exquisite book, Cowboy Dressage (2015, Trafalgar Square Books). It was her husband Eitan’s victory pass aboard Holiday Compadre at the 1993 American Morgan Horse Association World Championships. “They wouldn’t let him leave the ring,” she said, recalling the standing ovation as the new Morgan Western Pleasure World Champion “jogged, trotted, cantered in zigzags with flying lead changes, galloped and stopped on a dime.” That day in Oklahoma sparked a passion to share her husband’s approach, an approach as unique as Eitan’s five decades of experience before that victory pass. Today, Cowboy Dressage is more than Eitan’s approach to training a horse. It touches the periphery around the horse experience, and its message is resonating. Since 2012, when Cowboy Dressage held steady its own course while another growing discipline, Western Dressage, took a slightly alternate route to align with the USEF, membership has swelled to 5,000. Debbie expects this year’s Cowboy Dressage World Finals Show and Gathering, scheduled Sept. 7-11 in Rancho Murieta, to have 1,200 rides—a 20 percent increase from last year. While Eitan’s gentle, patient philosophy of willing partners attracts participants, so do Cowboy Dressage innovations for developing better horse-human relationships. The association’s shows have an educational component, best exemplified by what will occur at this year’s Finals—an entire day, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., will be devoted to clinics and presentations. “The free clinics are a way to let people be part of the growth we are seeing,” Eitan says. “We keep adding more tests, more ways of See Cowboy Dressage, page 44

A World of Innovation Vision without Borders!

Inclusive, Not Exclusive • Many Divisions • Harmony and Partnership • Soft Feel

Finals Show and Gathering Sept. 7-11, 2016 Rancho Murieta Equestrian Center Wed., Sept. 7: Free Educational Clinics • How to Ride Challenge Cowboy Dressage Clinic with Eitan Beth-Halachmy, Lyn Ringrose-Moe, and Garn Walker. • Training the Young Horse - Is too Young too Much? Lecture with Dr. Robert Miller. • Appropriate and Legal Tack & Equipment Lecture with Garn Walker. • History of Western Tack & Equipment Lecture with John Brand of Buckaroo Leather. • The Gaited Horse and Cowboy Dressage with Dee Myers. • Cowboy Dressage Vaquero Style with Katrina Sanders. • Left Hip Body Clip Competition - Cowboy Dressage Art Show by Wahl Clippers. Body clip the right hip of your horse for a “grand prize.” Entries will be judged on originality, artistic quality, and depth and detail of art work. • More to be listed so check back often.

EVERiYs ONE WELCOME! One word describes it all, “EPIC!” With the addition of Top Hand, 2015 was a landmark event for Cowboy Dressage World. With approximately 1000 rides, with exhibitors from the UK, Australia and Canada and visitors from as far away as Poland, the gathering was impressive.

Thurs., Sept. 8: Top Hand & Musical Freestyle Preliminaries Fri.-Sun., Sept. 9-11: Cowboy Dressage Classes, Top Hand and Freestyle Finals RESOURCES:

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• Visit www.cowboydressageworld.com for everything Cowboy Dressage. Facebook: www.facebook.com/CDEducation • Become a Member of Cowboy Dressage Professional Association at www.cdwpa.com. • Follow the growth and events of Cowboy Dressage at Cowboy Dressage North America at www.cdwna.com. • Cowboy Dressage World E-learning program. Learn Cowboy Dressage online from anywhere in the world. Become a member today and receive educational programs, live broadcasts and much more. Join at www.CDeLearning.com.

Find all Cowboy Dressage Rules, Tests and Score Sheets, Call Sheets, videos and information: www.cowboydressage.com/competition. Please be sure to review Rules as changes and additions have taken place in the last 3 months.

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Garn Walker, world-champion horse trainer, judge, and Cowboy Dressage World principal.

getting yourself better, and so education is very important.” Another innovation at the Finals is the Cowboy Dressage Top Hand test, which will return after rave reviews in its inaugural run last September. Just as colt-starting events like Rode To The Horse test a hand’s ability with young horses, the Cowboy Dressage Top Hand tests a hand’s ability to connect and perform, but with older horses—and with attention to the manner of communication. “Eitan judged Rode to the Horse, and we respect everything they are doing,” said Debbie. “But we thought, ‘what about the master horseman? What about the guys who can show a 12-year-old that is still sound and can do some stuff. Where is their Rode to the Horse, a chance to show their A-game?’” It’s now at the Cowboy Dressage World Show Finals. Last year, 33 riders participated, ranging from unknowns to well-knowns like Richard Winters, Rode to the Horse wild card Trevor Carter and five-star Parelli instructor Dave Ellis. After a qualifying test on Thursday, scores are tabulated and the top 10 return Saturday night, unaware of their placings. The final five advance to a “mystery test” that riders receive just two hours beforehand. They draw for the top slots, and when finished, they draw again—and switch horses. “They do not get to practice,” Debbie says. “They get on that horse and they have to do a test. You can hear a pin drop.” The level of horsemanship is elevated, she adds, requiring absolute control of the feet. And when the top five ride the others’ horses, these top hands truly reveal their skill. “They rode those other horses better and kinder than they rode their own,” she says. “It proves exactly what we were trying to say. You can read that horse, figure him out, be kind to him, and get an incredible performance out of him. “Every one of these riders was really gifted,” she adds. “It was amazing. And people loved it. It’s not high adrenalin, but it’s still edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting excitement. Yes, you can push a horse to do that kind of stuff, but can you be soft?” Such an acute level of detail inspires participants, too. Even the dimensions of the court itself have been modified to accommodate the horse in its effort to perform. “We changed the measurements to suit the size of the circles that we are riding,” says Eitan. “Dressage has space in-between markers that do not fit the full reference point of a circle, so you kind of guess See Cowboy Dressage, page 48

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COWBOY DRESSAGE “When Dressage suits your needs, and a Stetson suits your lifestyle!” Learn from the Horseman who started it all… Eitan Beth-Halachmy Join Eitan at his beautiful Wolf Creek Ranch in Grass Valley, CA for a 5-day Cowboy Dressage Horsemanship p Course. Only y 5 riders are allowed in each school session al a llo lowi wing wing n ffor orr ““Up Up pC lo ose a nd dP erso er so ona nal” l iinstruction nsttruc ns n u ti t on on ffrom rom ro m Ei E tan ta n. n. allowing Close and Personal” Eitan.

Cowboy Dressage 2017 School of Horsemanship

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• Jan. 16-20 • Jan. 30-Feb 3 • Feb. 8-12 • March 1-5 • March 13-17 • April 19-23 • May 1-5 • May 24-28 • May 31-June 4 The curriculum is tailored to fit your specific needs. These schools do fill up each year, so reserve your spot early For details and registration visit: www.cowboydressage.com/school.html

www.cowboydressage.com • [email protected] • 530.346.2715

Photo credit: Lesley Deutsch, Blue Fountain Farm Photography

LRM Equestrian Lyn Ringrose-Moe Cowboy Dressage World-Founding Partner • Judge • Clinician Instructor tru uctor • Trainer • Coach • Travels Internationally y

Ima Big Star Photo credit: Blue Fountain Photography

Lyn Ringrose-Moe • (209) 747-0984

www.LRMequestrian.com Located at the Sliding J Ranch • 24860 N Tully Rd, Acampo, CA 95220

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San Antonio

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Cowboy Dressage

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Behind the sport’s growing momentum is a diverse group of dedicated individuals and companies. Here are some of them.

Buckaroo Leather Products, the dedicated staff holds dear the Cowboy Code of Ethics and it holds its business to those ethics. The greatest asset a business can have is its reputation for products of great quality, fair dealings and outstanding customer service, assuring long-term relationships with its customers. Buckaroo Leather Products believes it offers all of these qualities to its customers. Buckaroo Leather is the Brand to Demand, and they look forward to hearing from you. See ad on page 47.

tradition, held in high esteem and preserved as close to the original idea as possible. Without free thinkers and innovators, there would be fewer future traditions. When you approach a new idea that is not traditional ask yourself, “could this be a new tradition in the making?” We believe that Cowboy Dressage is a future “tradition.” Become a part of it and change your world. See ad on page 45.

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Cowboy Dressage World

Could Cowboy Dressage be a new tradition in the making? All traditions begin as an idea, often an unconventional one. The idea is practiced by a few, then is practiced by a few more until it becomes popular and widely used. It stands the test of time, and this original, unconventional idea is now a

A World of Innovation, Vision Without Borders It takes courage to live your dreams, and the goal of Cowboy Dressage World is to help make dreams a reality. Horsemanship is an arduous journey, and a good relationship with a horse is an endless endeavor. There

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“Have Court, Will Travel” Providing Instruction in Cowboy Dressage & Natural Horsemanship • Developing Versatility, Soft Feel & Lightness

Nonny Largent recommended Cowboy Dressage Professional Trainer/ Clinician Wyatt Paxton a Cowboy Dressage World Partner/ Cowboy Dressage Court Specialist/ Clinician

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Members of the Cowboy Dressage World Professional Association

Private & Group Clinics/ Lessons California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington Contact us to reserve dates at your facility. The schedule is filling fast for 2017!

Nonny Largent (530) 949-8096 FaceBook Nonny Largent

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Wyatt Paxton [email protected] (530) 784-8000 FaceBook Wyatt James Paxton

Cowboy Dressage

are highs and lows, frustration and joy, disappointment and achievement. Horses can stir all our deepest emotions. They heighten our senses and test our patience and knowledge. They can bring us peace and safe haven. Horses call to us, and for many, the call penetrates to the depth of our very being. Cowboy Dressage World wants you to experience it all. Open your heart and mind and saddle up and ride! Cowboy Dressage is inclusive, not exclusive, offering many different divisions—all of which focus on harmony and partnership, as well as “Soft Feel”. The most important rule: Be kind. The Finals Show and Gathering will be held Sept. 7-11. The event will include a full day of educational free clinics on Wednesday, Sept. 7. Popular Top Hand and

Musical Freestyle preliminaries will be held on Thursday, Sept. 8, and three full days of Cowboy Dressage classes will take place Sept. 9-11. All are welcome. See ad on page 43.

LRM Equestrian Foresee Horse Company • Moorpark 805-990-1130 • foresee_889@yahoocom facebook.com/ForeseeHorseCompany

Lyn Ringrose-Moe grew up in the Central California foothills of Mariposa County. As a child, she was always impressed with the California stock horses at the County Fair where she rode her Shetland/Welsh pony, Pancho, in gymkhana events. Lyn has always been a cowgirl at heart and has always loved horses of all kinds. While attending Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, Lyn was introduced to dressage and combined training (eventing). She competed in eventing, but finally settled on the sport of dressage where she successfully competed, trained, and coached to the FEI levels of the sport. Lyn also com-

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pleted the USDF “L” judges program. Lyn has trained and competed on many breeds of horses for competitive dressage, and she has coached many riders successfully up through the levels. When Lyn first learned about Cowboy Dressage, she felt she had finally come home. Her two favorite words combined into one discipline. Lyn has competed in dressage, working cow horse, combined training, show jumping, and western pleasure. She has also participated in cutting, reining, and team roping. She has worked with or trained most breeds of horses (and mules) and finds beauty in all of them. Lyn has a deep respect and love for horses and always strives to give the horse See Cowboy Dressage, page 49

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Camaradie and connection, with a long-range purpose.

The Cowboy Dressage Partnership on the Ground tests give young riders and amateurs, like Anna Borden and Ti One On, a chance to showcase their progress.

Cowboy Dressage Continued from page 44


where you are going rather than riding it. We changed it and made it very suitable, more user-friendly—a short-stride, more compact, to do the things that you do on a ranch.” Eitan, Debbie and partners including Lyn Ringrose and Wyatt Paxton are excited about plans in 2017 to add a new walk-walk division. “There will be no jog, and there will be no lope,” says Eitan. “You simply go in there and you walk. The foundation is the walk, but the industry never really put emphasis on something so important. We’re looking

forward to seeing a good response.” Debbie adds that the division will lead to improved horsemanship. “In our commitment to educate, if you don’t have a walk, you don’t have a lope,” she says. “In the show industry it’s a transition gait, not judged. People will learn to walk, and they are going to be better lopers.” Eitan offers additional detail. “In classicial dressage, a walk used to be called the Queen of Gaits,” he says. “Something happened to the queen. She kind of didnt make it. “In the horse show industry, the walk is the gait between the gaits—they take two steps on a walk and they pick up the jog. They take two steps and they go back to

Lyn Ringrose Moe (left), Cowboy Dressage World founding partner, and Garn Walker, a Cowboy Dressage World principal.

the lope. But you never see the horse really being educated to have a good walk.” Attention to little things gets big results, he adds. “In the walk—those are the things that sometimes you skip, you dont look into,” he says. “But when you adopt a new way of looking at horses with a different perspective, you can see what we have missed in the last 50 years. It’s the simple things, not the complicated. Everyone wants to come in and change leads, but can they walk first?” Eitan’s insight and innovations, Debbie’s drive to enact them, and a dedicated village behind them, have fueled the Cowboy Dressage movement. More online: http://bit.ly/607b_cdress

“We changed (the court) and made it very suitable, more user-friendly—a short-stride, more compact, to do the things that you do on a ranch.” –Eitan Beth-Halchemy

Cowboy Dressage Cowboy Dressage Continued from page 47

the benefit of the doubt while helping many riders/horses achieve harmonious, successful relationships. Lyn currently enjoys a busy clinic schedule teaching Cowboy Dressage and training judges for Cowboy Dressage, traveling throughout the U.S. and Canada. She rides training horses, teaches lessons, judges and competes in Cowboy Dressage. She helped co-write/edit the Cowboy Dressage tests, is a partner in Cowboy Dressage World, is the instructor/ judge mentor for the Cowboy Dressage Judge’s Training Program, and is a recommended judge for Cowboy Dressage. Lyn resides at the Sliding J Ranch in Acampo with her husband, John Moe, their two dogs, a horse, and a mule. See ad on page 45.

requests such as tail flaps and extra leg straps are welcomed. Since Sierra makes its products to order, all items can be made for other animals, including goats, pigs, sheep and llamas. Sierra DogWear, a division of Sierra HorseWear, makes indoor and outdoor coats for dogs of all breeds and sizes as well as orange safety vests, harnesses, collars and leashes. In 2014, Sierra HorseWear became a sponsor of the Cowboy Dressage World Finals show as a way of showing its support and respect for this fine discipline. This year, the company will award a custom-made, fully-embroidered trophy day sheet to the fifth place overall high-point in show horse and rider. See ad on page 49.

Wy-Not Cowboy Dressage Sierra HorseWear 800-456-7408 www.chaskit.com

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Sierra HorseWear makes a full line of blankets, shells, sheets and hoods for horses of all breeds and all sizes. Since Sierra offers a choice of exterior fabrics and linings, each customer can order the blanket or sheet best suited to their climate and conditions. Name embroidery is available and special

Wyatt has ridden in clinics with Garn Walker, Eitan Beth-Halachmy, Buck Brannaman, Les Vogt, Lester Buckley, Nonny Largent, and Craig Cameron—some, several times. He became a huge Morgan horse fan when his wife introduced him to them, stating that “Morgan horses pick you, you

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don’t pick the horse.” Wyatt first started in Cowboy Dressage when Eitan asked if he would help set up courts for him. He was hooked by the “soft feel”, and the “everything right for the horse” mentality that resonated with his morals. One of the most rewarding feelings for him was coaching the Welcome Ring for Cowboy Dressage. Words cannot express the faces, tears of happiness and smiles of people when they feel the change in their horses. Nonny Largent began her professional equine career training and showing Quarter Horses in Northern California, and continues to do so. She has a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science (emphasis in Equine Science) and was the coach at California Stete University, Chico, from 1990-1992, coaching team and individuals to High Point Western Team and High Point Western Rider for Horsemanship, Hunt Seat Equitation, Hunter Under Saddle and Western Pleasure. Lonny judges for several different organizations, and is now a Cowboy Dressage Recommended Judge. She is fair and knowledgeable, and always willing to help the exhibitors in a friendly manner. See ad on page 46.

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