Thank you to the attendees, volunteers, and organizers of VADA’s “L” Education Program!

We kicked off the first of three sessions on December 14th with more than 75 attendees and demonstration riders. Participants drove from up and down the east coast and flew from Texas, Colorado, and Washington state to join faculty member Debbie Rodriguez for two days of classroom education and demonstration rides. The weekend focused on the criteria judges use to develop consistent scores and how the horse’s gaits and movement affect the scores awarded.

Our first weekend would not have been a success without the generosity of Renee O’Leary, who hosted the live riding portion of the weekend at her beautiful Old Raptor Farm. Special thanks and appreciation goes also to the seven demonstration riders who hauled in from near and far in spite of cold, snowy weather to showcase nine horses at various levels. Demonstration riders are the backbone of the “L” Program. We couldn’t do this without you!

Our next session takes place in February, again in the Charlottsville area with classroom learning and new demonstration horses and riders. “B” Session focuses on understanding the criteria for the gaits, movements, and figures in Training, First, and Second Levels, and gives attendees the opportunity to practice judging movements from various tests.

If you are interested in attending one of the two remaining weekends of the “L” Program, we have a few seats open for auditors. Please contact Kat Sepka at krsepka@gmail.com to reserve a spot!