½ Price Special!!!

Ride-A-Test and Lessons at Fairhaven Farm

 With Mary McGuire Smith

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Price:  $35 plus $10 horse rental if you don’t own/lease your own horse.  (Mary usually gets $80 a lesson in Florida .)  

What’s a ride-a-test?  In a ride a test, you enter the dressage arena and ride whatever test you’ve signed up for.  The judge sits at C and judges you as if it were a dressage show complete with score sheet.  After you’re finished, she will enter the arena and go over your test scores with you.  You and the judge spend the next 20-30 minutes doing a few exercises to improve the test scores.  After which, you leave and reenter the arena to re-do the dressage test.   You are re-scored and hopefully, your scores improve!  

If you don’t want to do a ride-a-test, you can opt to do a 45 minute lesson.  

Who is Mary McGuire Smith?  Ms. Smith was initially introduced to dressage as a working student in Germany , working under a Berieter and international competitor and trainer in Three Day Eventing.  After returning to the states she and her husband opened their own breeding and training facility in Florida , which gives Mr. Smith an in depth knowledge of young and green horses.  Over the years Ms. Smith has audited the entire USDF Judges “L” Program, completing everything except the final testing as well as auditing all the USDF Certified Instructor’s Program divisions – riding, longing horse and rider and teaching.  She is a regular face at all the USDF Sport Horse and Breeders Seminars as well as being  recognized by the National Association of Equine Appraisers, specializing in Arabian and Warmblood Appraisals.   

 From 2001-2006, Mary studied in Europe every summer to gain a greater understanding of the riding and training of FEI level horses, and studied under Herr Egon von Neindorff in Germany (the last German master of the classical dressage, including airs above the ground), Stephan Kiessewetter and Christianne Bocholt of the International Dressage Academy in Germany, Coralie Baldrey of Portugal, the masters at Kobilarna Lipizza in Slovenia ,and Joaquin Orth of Mexico (1996 Olympics), among others.  

She currently trains most consistently with Michael Poulin, 2-time Olympic Team Bronze Medalist, (one of the most successful U.S. dressage trainers of our era) and regularly participates in clinics with Klaus Balkenhol, Harry Boldt, Arthur Kottas, Ingrid Klimke, and Christoff Hess of Germany, Ron Smeets of Holland, and Heather Bender,  and Robert Dover, among many other international riders and trainers.   

Mary’s philosophy is a solid foundation in the training scale, and a steady and committed plan for rising to the highest level of horsemanship through Dressage Training, with an ever-present eye on the happy, steady development of the horse to the highest level of athleticism.  

Mary’s students have competed at the local, state and regional levels and have garnered hundreds of wins in dressage on every level, but Mary’s philosophy is true and correct horsemanship, and the classically correct development of your horse, whether you compete or not.