I just wanted to say thanks so much for all the wonderful comments! I really appreciate the support. Star is not the ideal GP dressage horse and people have voiced that opinion to me. But it has been a wonderful journey and I have learned so much from training him from the beginning. I really encourage everyone to have high goals, as you never know what you might accomplish! Jillian
Serious Two fingers up to the people who told you that Star is not an ideal dressage horse as well as a serious showcase for the versatility of haflingers! This just proves the point that they can turn their hooves to anything as well as being opinionated! You have done a lovely job with that horse. Jill.
Hi! Thanks for the wonderful compliment. Star has lots of "go" and that is what I really feel you need for the upper levels in dressage. I feel personality and willingness play as big a part as confirmation. I think that with dedicated training to dressage, a lot more haflingers could go further than they generally do.
I have a western working Morgan that I am schooling at Prix St. Georges. It is really difficult at times but you have inspired me to keep going. Thank you. :)
Such a cute little guy!! Great job! Such a fancy haflinger. This proves any horse can do dressage. I thought he had a cute little passage and I really like the pirouettes!
You should take extra pride in bringing a horse along that is not the ideal prospect. You both look fantastic and put others to shame. It is amazing what one can accomplish with faith and hard work. You horse doesn't know that some folks don't see him as ideal, he knows you see the potential in him and he rises to your expectations. Good for you! I loved watching you both.
Proof that you don't need a warmblood to compete in grand prix dressage! Your horse is adorable and fun to watch :) Hopefully my Half-Arabian and I can reach this level, we recently started doing dressage
I own a haflinger that is just starting dressage, and you are an inspiration. All of those people who say that haflingers can only pull carts and do very little dressage, well, they are wrong. GO HAFLINGER!:)
Hi: Thanks so much. I use a wide RD Collegiate. They are discontinued and I got mine off of e-bay several years ago. You can still find them once in awhile. It's definitely hard to find saddles that fit Haflingers. Jillian
AMAZING!!! I know how its not always easy to get the right marks with a horse thats not the typical dressage-horse, what percentage did you get for this wonderful ride? greetings from austria :)
You have done a fantastic job! Such an inspiration, my haffie is similar in confirmation to Star Wars and now at age 5 starting to have more "go" but I don't think I have the talent or determination to get where you are, I only have the very modest goal of Beginner Novice eventing at this point. My gelding is also from TOF.
I really want to start in par dressage, just shows I should slowly start getting my highland ready for the parlympic dressage team! Who needs WB's when you can have amazing ponies!!! Well done :-)
Love the music choice! I've shared it on the Haflinger Society of Great Britain facebook page as a bit of inspiration for those competing in Dressage to Music at this year's Breed Show!
I have always envied dressage riders for the absolute connection with their horse and fluidity of motion that they and the horse display; I agree with the other commenters that this is total proof that you don't need a big warmblood to compete in grand prix dressage. It's also proof that Haflingers can do so much more than pull and do low-level dressage. And by the way- he is absolutely a STUNNING horse!
Hi: Thanks for the compliment. Not sure what you are asking. Are you asking what type of training I did; how many years? Star was green broke when I got him at the age of four and I did all the training myself with instruction from different trainers on the ground. He is turning 16 this year.
What a wonderful team. Do you feel that he represents what many Haflingers could do with time a training, or do you think he is an exceptional example of the breed? Have you worked with other Haflingers for comparison. He is quite lovely and you are an excellent rider, and I apparently an outstanding trainer too. Inspirational!
You can do dressage with every Shetland Pony, if you and the pony are talented, you have a good coach and if you can motivate it! It doesn't matter how tall your horse is, dressage is about communication and trust! It's so sad, there are still people thinking in these stereotypes! I know many people with ponies, and they are succesful in dressage!
What saddle do you ride in? I have been working with a saddle fitter but I still haven't found one that fits both of us. I have a Duett being shipped to me for trial but would love to hear what you ride in. Also I loved the article in Dressage Today:)
Hey ! can i ask a questiom ? What kind of dressage saddle do u wear on your haflinger ? im having one 5 yearold my sielf , but im having a hard time finding saddles , You guys are doin a great job !!! really inspiering ;0) greetings from Norway :0)
Da soll nochmal jemand mit Vorurteilen gegenüber Hafis kommen.. Dem schlag ich das Video um die Ohren xD Haflinger sind halt echte Allrounder ^^ und die Stelle mit den Galoppwechseln im Takt ist ja mega cool *-*
My friend told me you should ride a Halflinger and i'm like NO! there ponies I want to ride a horse! But,then I see how tall and beautiful a halflinger is and now i'm like : I WANT ONE! I'm the kind of person who will love there horse until they die because I would never send my horse to horse slaughter for any reason no horse deserves to die like that
