YourDressage

Readers flocked to YourDressage to get their daily dose of dressage in 2025. These are the 25 most viewed stories of last year – what was your favorite?

A Region 8 adult amateur shares the story of the rescue mare who won her heart, and has become her greatest partner in both dance and life!

By Kara L. Stewart: Overcoming fear with a brain-based approach. Part 2: conclusion. Reprinted from USDF Connection.

By Kara L. Stewart: Overcoming fear with a brain-based approach. First of two parts. Reprinted from USDF Connection.

We check in with Elyse Hart and her horse Bob. They recently returned to the FEI ring, with a better understanding of each other and a stronger partnership!

By Natasha Rombeck: In January 2007, I became paralyzed on the right side of my body from the neck down. The cause, we found out later, was Multiple Sclerosis.

After meeting a Mustang mare at the therapy center, Johnny suggested I should look at adopting a Mustang. He mentioned that it would be a good thing for me as, just like humans with trauma, Mustangs have trust issues and some trauma too. The groundwork and the connection you are getting through the process of developing a relationship with a Mustang would help me in my healing journey. 

It’s a feeling that many riders are all-too familiar with: you're standing on the mounting block with a pit in your stomach, heart pounding, trying to slow your breathing. Maybe it starts before you get to the mounting block, when you swing the saddle over your horse’s back. Maybe it starts far earlier than that, on the drive over to the barn. No matter the timing, many equestrians struggle with riding anxiety at some point. Some find a way to address it and move on, while others spend years trying to reconcile the sport they love with the fear that holds them back.

In two weeks I will celebrate 6 years sober. I am in awe of that. I hope I never stop looking at the gifts that every single new day brings with extreme gratitude.