Tessa Holloran - Equestrian

WEEKEND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM (WEP)

When I was about 6 years old, I went to my first D4K Weekend Educational weekend in Connecticut. It snowed, in fact it snowed every year, but my mom still took me and my sister--except the one year it was so bad they cancelled. That was my introduction to Dressage4Kids. I didn't even own a dressage saddle for a while, but every year I went to all the keynote speakers and my sister and I picked the classes we wanted to see while my mom went to her own. The huge horse skeleton was always a highlight. As I got older I started to appreciate just how special the keynote speakers were! If you think a four loop serpentine is hard imagine climbing Mt. Everest! It was so interesting, there was so much to learn. Way more than just dressage-- it was about care, grooming, trailering, floating teeth, fixing tricky hooves, and inspiration. Each year we started to see familiar faces and caught up on what we were doing with our horses. It is really a fabulous program. In 2019 I will return to WEP and speak at two sessions, one about WIT and one about the Festival. So glad to share my experiences with others and hope to inspire even more D4K participation.

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YOUTH DRESSAGE FESTIVAL (YDF)

In 2013, when I was 9, we ventured to our first D4K Youth Dressage Festival (YDF) at HITS in Saugerties, NY. It was by far the furthest we had traveled to a show, the furthest my mom had ever driven the trailer, and it felt like what the Olympics might look like. The showgrounds are huge. We had a written test, an equitation class, and our dressage test. It was a lot, but so exciting. Miss K and I placed 3rd and got a bronze medal for our division, they had an awards ceremony and it was really special. We returned the next year and I stepped out of the arena, finishing last in my division. A tough lesson for sure. In 2015 I had moved up to my mare “Beau” and we were the Overall Champion of the show, it was one of the most memorable times of my life. As the winner I was invited later that fall to the Central Park Horseshow where I attended a meet and greet with Charlotte Dujardin and had a front row seat to her masters class. In the 2017 YDF I was Champion for the FEI Childrens Division and Bronze in my Second Level Division with Beau.

 

Then in 2018 I competed the FEI Junior Team test for the first time. Tigger and I were the Overall Champion of the show (only the second rider to repeat the win in the 20 year history), I was also high score for Equitation and High Score for FEI Junior. It was an unbelievable weekend. So thankful to all the volunteers and sponsors who make it so exciting. Every year I also enter the handler class and I also look forward to the tack stall decorating!

 

TEAM- Training, Education and Mentoring

I’m also a TEAM member (formerly EDAP) and clinic regularly with Lendon throughout the northeast. We’ve gone to Rhode Island, Maine, and New Hampshire but Lendon travels nationwide to offer these clinics and they are now adding more guest instructors in order to offer more dates. The TEAM schedule is like a mini WIT program usually with fitness, lectures, and lessons. And, you have to braid and wrap until you pass! At every clinic you revisit your long and short term goals and spend hours auditing the other lessons. 

 

WINTER INTENSIVE TRAINING (WIT)

I have also been a member of the Winter Intensive Training (WIT) Program in 2017 and 2018. Everyone calls us "WITees" because it's easier. This is a truly remarkable program in Wellington, FL that requires a lot of hard work and gives you amazing opportunities to meet the very top names in dressage, audit fantastic trainers, and even watch international Olympians at the Global Dressage Festival. It involves fitness, self care for your horse, lessons 5 days a week, lectures, field trips, written tests, and volunteering. Everyone must also interview someone during the program, thanks to WIT I got to spend an hour speaking to both Laura Graves and Alison Brock- wow! The experience is unlike anything out there. I could write a whole book on this, so message me if you want to know more!

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COURTNEY KING-DYE HORSEMANSHIP CLINIC

I had a great experience at the 2017 Courtney King-Dye clinic. There were so many

familiar faces and I couldn’t have asked for a better group of girls to spend my week

with. I chose to clinic with Ali Brock and Scott Hassler and they were amazing. That

week was probably some of the best lessons I have ever had and I still use the

exercises that they had me do in my rides today. Scott really helped me use my seat

a lot more in my riding and gave me tips and how to help me improve when I am

schooling on my own. Ali helped me get my horse really supple and through her back more, lifting her shoulders and focusing on less of her head placement. In addition to lesons, you audit everyone, attend lectures, we had field trips and you bunk with the other riders in a big sleepover which was really fun. I was fortunate to return again for the 2018 Scott Hassler Horsemanship Week and again worked with Ali Brock and Scott Hassler. We also learned from Michael Barisone. Tigger and I had fantastic lessons and really enjoyed our week.

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SCHOLARSHIPS

D4K also offers scholarships and I have been fortunate to receive three awards over the years to further my training. The first award was used toward a week of Junior Dressage Camp with Nancy Later in Ashby, MA. The second award was for the Courtney King-Dye Horsemanship Clinic at Hassler Dressage in Maryland where I got to ride with Scott Hassler and Olympian Ali Brock. And the most recent was to add in some extra lessons with my new horse to get a good foundation before leaving for Florida. D4K is very generous and does not make it super complicated to apply.

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SO GRATEFUL

If some of my story sounds like a fairytale, it sometimes feels like it. For example, I have now met, learned from (even ridden with a few) 14 Olympians from the USA team and other countries- I never dreamed I would experience something so special. But it was all possible because of D4K and the tireless direction of Lendon Gray. That is my very personal involvement in D4K for 7 years, more than half my life. That’s how well I know D4K, Lendon, and all the volunteers who make it all work, event after event, year after year. I wanted to somehow give back for all I was able to do. My family helped me put together a t-shirt fundraiser where we were able to give back about $2,000 to the scholarship fund. I hope to stay involved with D4K until I age out and then I hope to have time to go back and volunteer. 

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20+ YEARS STRONG

Dressage4kids is dedicated to developing the young riders, any rider, with any horse as long as they have the passion and discipline to work hard. 2018 marked the 20 year anniversary- congratulations all!

 

Please visit www.dressage4kids.org for the full story and calendar of events.