We are celebrating Plus Size Riders throughout the month of July on YourDressage! With that celebration, we have partnered with SmartPak to offer three awesome prizes for the readers and writers of Plus Size Riders Month. Learn how to enter here!
Here, a trainer shares how she actively makes her barn an inclusive space for all riders.
By Elena Flaharty
As a United States Pony Club Alumni with an H-A Certificate, my background is in eventing. In my late twenties, I made the switch to straight dressage. Since then, I have had a few different horses who have truly shown me what dressage is about – patience, harmony, dedication, passion, methodology, philosophy, emotion, grit, and hard work!
Together with my 2009 German Sport Horse gelding, Royal Chrome, we earned the opportunity to compete in multiple Great American Insurance Group/USDF Region 7 Dressage Championships. We even managed to win some! In 2019, we made the trek from California to Lexington, Kentucky, and competed in the US Dressage Finals Presented by Adequan®! We took home the third place sash in the Third Level Freestyle Championship Open.
Royal Chrome and I have competed through Intermediate-1, and I am currently training my wonderful Dutch Warmblood mare, Layla-Amanda, in hopes of competing with her in the small tour next year!
As a rider, I was always concerned that my size would distract from my riding, or worried that judges wouldn’t score me as well as my smaller counterparts. But I truly have not felt that ever to be the case. In fact, I feel as though it’s been the opposite: I have been included in many opportunities, with the only focus having been my riding and partnership with my horses.
In my current program, our focus is on horsemanship and the relationship with horses. I don’t allow any negative body talk in my program, and my clients know it. Occasionally, there will be a slip-up, but when this happens, the person is reminded of our outlook on body positivity. We always strive to be the best to our horses, and to each other.
