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Clinic with Fred Kappler, May 2-5, and Potluck on Saturday May 3 4/30/08 Please join us for another popular dressage clinic with Fred Kappler! Check the schedule if you are interested in riding or observing. You may drop in and watch at any time for no charge. Join us for social times at lunch. Don't miss our potluck starting at 6:30pm on Saturday, May 3. Clinics at Centaur Rising are always a fun, welcoming and social time. It's your opportunity to meet our "vibrant learning community"!
Horse Camp and Leadership Camp for 2008 4/30/08 We apologize for the delay in telling you about our plans for our youth summer programs in 2008. It's not because we've not been working on them! Dates and options are described here. We are very excited to announce our new Leadership Camp for 2008. We will also be offering our traditional Horse Camp. Our brochure and registration form can be accessed here. We hope you take the time to download and print this information. Don't delay. Sign up today!
Colorado Academy "Interim" Program 4/30/08 We have been working with Meg Hill of Colorado Academy to offer a week-long"Interim" program for their students on May 19-23. It will have a format similar to Horse Camp, modified for high-schoolers. This camp will be coordinated by Erin Smith and her sons, Jonathan and Colton. Welcome Colorado Academy!
Student Potluck 4/12/08 We had a great turnout for our special potluck! Our Board of Directors presented our plans for the summertime: kids' programs, horse shows and fund raising. Thank you to everyone who came. We had a lot of food and camaraderie. Our horse show volunteer signup sheet is here. Please let us know if you want to join the fun.
National Exposure 4/9/08 Dressage getaways to Centaur Rising will be featured in the upcoming newsletters for the following USDF organizations: the California Dressage Association, the Georgia Dressage and Combined Training Association, the Dressage Association of Southern California, the Houston Dressage Society and the Arizona Dressage Association. Many of these Group Membership Organizations (GMOs) have also generously featured articles about the work of Centaur Rising. Thank you for your support!
Paul Belasik Clinic 4/5-6/08 Our Executive Director and instructor/trainer, Kris Cooper, rode in a clinic with Paul Belasik, noted classical dressage trainer and author. The clinic was held at 8th Heaven, a new equestrian facility ten miles south of Castle Rock. Mr. Belasik stressed the use of core muscles to collect and support the horse. Kris' mount was her second-level horse, Weltmann.
Upcoming Dressage Shows 3/27/08 The Rocky Mountain Dressage Society (RMDS) has recognized three shows to be held at Anchorage Farm in 2008. The dates will be June 15, July 29 and August 24. These shows will provide a great opportunity for our students to get show experience right close to home. We have lots of students who have volunteered at RMDS shows in 2007. Their experience will help our own shows be a success in 2008. We hope you join us - as a participant, volunteer or spectator! Click on our prize list here. Our volunteer signup sheet is here. Please join the fun!
Riding Student Goals 2/24/08 Kris will be meeting with our riding students in the next couple of weeks to help formulate their goals for 2008. Our goal setting form can be found here.
Revised Plans for Horse Camp 2008 2/18/08 Our planning of Horse Camp 2008 has taken a new course. At present we are planning to scale back our traditional horse camp program. We want to make sure that the program stays in tune with our overall missions. Of primary concern is the development of leadership for our Horse Camp counselors. Our criteria for counselors can be found here. We will keep you posted of our plans. We do intend to provide a Horse Camp program for adults and mature young people. Click here for more information.
Piaffe and Passage Clinic 2/16-17/08 Kris participated in a seminar by Manuel Trigo in Castle Rock on the subject of piaffe and passage. Piaffe is the high school dressage movement in which the horse trots in place. Passage is a trot with maximum suspension (where all four feet are off the ground). Manuel helped us to understand how introducing piaffe to even young horses can improve their balance and collection. We learned how to know if a horse is ready to piaffe, how to prepare him and how to improve this movement. Manual recommends starting piaffe before passage. Kris' extensive work with her horses "in hand" has helped prepare them for these high level movements. She is anxious to practice (and share with you) what she has learned! You may read her notes here.
Still Learning 2/15/08 Even though Kris has been sick, she has been learning a lot. She read Gerd Heuschmann's new book Tug of War. Dr. Heuschmann is a German veterinarian who has treated the results of incorrect training. He explains how many modern horse training methods are in violation of classical principles and how they do in fact physically injure the horse. So much of this substantiates what Kris has been doing to improve the health of her horses through proper training. I'm sure she will tell you more about it as you take your lessons! Kris has also been very much inspired by Linda Kohanov's new book, Way of the Horse, Equine Archetypes for Self-Discovery. Kris was a participant in a clinic with Kohanov in June 2006 where she found the author most compassionate, intelligent and insightful. Kris has summarized the forty insights of this new book. If you are interested, you can read about them here. Linda has done much to help us understand why horses are so valuable in our lives and that there are so many lessons to learn from our horses. It really inspires us to take more riding lessons! If you are interested in a synopsis of more of Kris' recent reading, "Why We Need Horses", click here.
Congratulations to Paula Massopust 2/4/08 Paula Massopust is proud new owner of Mr. Chips, a 14.2 hand ten-year-old Arab/Appy cross gelding. Mr Chip's team took second place at first level at the Pony Club Nationals in Louisville, KY, last year. We welcome Mr. Chips as our newest boarded horse.
Strategic Planning Meeting 2/3/08 Centaur Rising's Board of Directors held an all-day strategic planning meeting. This meeting will be helpful in setting the course for 2008. More to come later....
Clinic with Fred Kappler 1/21/08 At a potluck at Anchorage Farm on Saturday night, January 26, 6:30pm, Fred Kappler talked about his trip to Paris in November to the "Quatre Ecoles" performance. It was the first time that the world's four great schools of classical horsemanship had performed together. These included the schools of Portugal, Spain, France and Austria. Thank you to Fred for sharing his great videos!
News from Former Students 12/19/07 Claire Filkins and Lindsay Dolan are home from their pre-vet studies at Colorado State University. Claire was here to ride her mom's horse, Filou, saying how much more supple and responsive he's become. Lindsay Dolan's coming to see us on Friday. She says " Kajie looks the best he has looked in a long time". Beth Somers e-mailed us from Maine saying that Solo Bravato's doing great too. Both Bravato and Kajie will be 25 years old next month! Derek Trask is on break from the Colorado School of Mines. We are very proud of our former students who are doing so well in college.
News from Houston 12/18/07 The Houston Dressage Society has asked permission to print some of Centaur Rising's articles. We'll update you on what appears when.
Centaur Rising in the News 12/13/07 Rocky Mountain Dressage Society has published Are Horses Good for Kids? in their December newsletter, "The Centaur". This article was based on Kris's presentation last March to the American Youth Horse Council. The same article was published in Apples 'n Oats, headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We have complimentary copies of this magazine in the arena. Please take one!
Congratulations again to Claire Filkins! 11/10/07 Claire Filkins, former student at Centaur Rising (now in college at Colorado State University), won the coveted Rocky Mountain Dressage Society "Horse of the Year" award for Junior/Young Riders at training level for 2007. She was riding Rhythm and Blues (RaB), a horse trained by Kris over the winter, and owned by her mother, Karen Filkins. RaB's medians are such that he could have placed top ten in the nation, but there were some errors in the recording of scores by show management that prevented this from happening. RaB earned six scores over 70%. We are very proud of both Claire and RaB! Note that Donntano, also trained by Kris, won the same award in 2004 with Audie Shushan aboard. It is a tribute to Centaur Rising to have our two students' names forever etched on this traveling trophy!
Published Articles 11/10/07 Apples 'n Oats based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, will publish our Are Horses Good for Kids? article in November. Our local Mountain Connection will feature The Annie in My Eyes in December. The Midwest Dressage Association, headquartered in Michigan, will publish the following articles over the next few months: Fountain of Youth (in Nov), Hearing a New Voice, His Horse His Trainer, I Hate Dressage, Teaching Pre-schoolers Dressage, Are Horses Good for Kids?, Teaching Teachers and The Electronic Horseman. The Georgia Dressage and Combined Training Association in Atlanta will run I Hate Dressage in December. A big thank you to Carol Eilers, Jacque Scott, Debbie Paton and Don Faso for their support of Centaur Rising!
Centaur Spotlight 10/19/07 Our first electronic newsletter has been released! Enjoy it here.
Rocky Mountain Dressage Society (RMDS) Championship Show 9/30/07 Claire Filkins, former student at Centaur Rising, won third place in the Training Level Championship for Junior/Young Riders. She was riding Rhythm and Blues (RaB), a horse trained by Kris over the winter. Claire earned two scores over 73% at this show. Also showing in Third Level Championship classes were former students Nic Sigler, on RaB's half brother, Royal Diamant, and Brooke DeVore on her mother's horse, Abraham. Former student, Christina Rudman, won the Prix St. Georges Championship for Junior/Young Riders on the horse, Oebalia. This is the same horse that Christina qualified for the North American Young Rider's National Championship show. Full results of the RMDS show can be found here.
In the Denver Post 9/28/07 The photo of long-time student, Linda Baur, could be found on page 2B of the Denver Post. Linda was enjoying the aspens on the Colorado Trail near Kenosha Pass. She was riding her horse, NT El Duque, a 22-year-old gelding, that Jim and Kris Cooper showed at halter, in western pleasure and stood as a stallion at Anchorage Farm. It's great to see them still "out and about" - especially at this beautiful time of year! By the way, Linda got her start showing Arabian horses on Two Blankets, below.
New School Horse 9/25/07 Meaghan Quigley, a former riding student at Centaur Rising, is now a college student in Wyoming. Meaghan has generously donated her throughbred mare, Reluctant Review, to us to be used as a school horse. We are taking "Bonnie" on a trial basis. So far, Bonnie has been very sweet and generous with our students. We are indebted to Meaghan for entrusting her beloved horse to us. Meaghan also gave us an unbelievable cache of tack and equipment. Bless you, Meahan, for your generous heart. We know you miss Bonnie, but we are proud that you are advancing your education!
8/15/07 Two Blankets, an icon at Anchorage Farm for 25 years, left our world on August 15, 2007. His memory lives within all of us. Two Blankets took over 100 students into the show ring for the first time. He was shown
He carried people on over 100 trail rides in the National Forest including
He was shown several times each in the following venues:
He gave lessons to over one-thousand students. He gave confidence to countless timid riders. He launched many students into a lifetime of loving horses. Even in his final days, Two Blankets enjoyed taking little kids on trail rides with Kris walking along side. He continued to be an adopted horse during Horse Camp 2007 where he gave lessons and trail rides. (And he wasn’t always the slowest one!) Two Blankets’ generosity and influence were boundless. Please help us honor him. Send your tributes and memories to info@CentaurRising.org. We’d love to include your thoughts in Two Blankets amazing legacy. We’d love to hear from you! Please look here for Lindsay Dolan's wonderful tribute to a beloved friend.
7/4/07 In June Kris Cooper and Karen Filkins traveled to Topanga Canyon, California, to look at a new horse for Karen. Our destination was Mill Creek Equestrian Center. We were a bit nervous. Mill Creek is the home of Mette Rosencrantze. Mette was twice a member of the Swedish National Dressage Team and had just won the Grand Prix Invitational on her horse, Basquewille, at the World Cup in Las Vegas, April 20, 2007. Mette was the trainer of the horse we were looking at - Le Filou. Filou, a Westfalian, had been imported from Germany in 2003 as a Prix St. Georges horse. We are happy to say that Karen did purchase Filou. We are even more proud to say how well Karen is riding Filou. Kris was thoroughly impressed with Mill Creek Equestrian Center. Mill Creek has been in Topanga Canyon and owned for over thirty years by Cory Walkey. Cory's voice continues to boom out over the grounds as she teaches her group lessons. Every student, every parent and every employee was so friendly toward us. Mill Creek is home to 31 high-quality school horses. It was amazing to watch Mette Rosencrantze training with the back drop of young riders learning in just the next arena! Talk about inspiration!
Published Articles 7/1/07 Evergreen Newspapers sent a photographer and a reporter to cover our Little Kids Camp, June 12-14. Here is their article. The Mountain Connection also featured Centaur Rising in July. Take a look here!
Articles 6/3/07 Our Executive Director and Board members have been submitting articles for publication in both local and national publications. As they are printed, we will let you know where to find them. In the meantime, we have provided links for you to preview the articles below. If you have feedback of any kind, please let us know. If you know of a publication that might like to feature our articles, please let us know about that too. Am I Too Old to Learn to Ride? My Evolution as a Horse Person Special Challenges, Special Rewards Teaching Pre-schoolers Dressage Teaching Pre-Schoolers to Ride The Evolution of a Horseperson Where Do You Buy Your School Horses?
Dressage at High Prairie 6/3/07 We are proud to say that many of our students are generously donating their time to work at the "Dressage at High Prairie" show. Thank you all for "pitching in". I'm sure you'll have fun and learn a lot too! Donate By Shopping on Line! 5/4/07 We have recently been added to the giveline shopping network. Please click here. Giveline donates an average of 16% of the revenue from the purchases made on its website to the charity of your choice. If you are in the market for a book, video or gift for someone; please check out giveline. You will find prices very competitive with other major shopping sites. It won't cost you more. If you click on the icon below, you will automatically donate to Centaur Rising as part of your purchase. What could be easier?
New Brochure for Schools 5/1/07 Board member Marcy Newman has recently distributed a new brochure, "Is there a horse lover in your house?" to local schools. This brochure mentions research recently completed for the American Youth Horse Council. Thank you, Marcy!
"Colorado Community Treasures" 4/5/07 We have just received a shipment from the Morgan and Chase Publishing Company. As "Your Guide to the Best of Colorado", these beautiful new "coffee table" books will take you on a tour of some of the classiest dining, lodging and shopping in our beautiful state. Our own Centaur Rising is featured on page 581! If you buy one of these beautiful books at the riding stable, ALL proceeds will go towards the support of our summer Horse Camp programs!
Board Development Meeting 3/17/07 Christy Vines, of the Vines Resource Group in Redlands, California, conducted a strategic planning meeting with the Board of Directors of Centaur Rising. We are very honored to have Christy commit her expertise to our cause of working with kids and horses. Thank you, Christy!
American Youth Horse Council Presentation 3/10/07 Our Executive Director, Kris Cooper, made a presentation to the American Youth Horse Council's "2007 NATIONAL YOUTH HORSE LEADERS SYMPOSIUM" in Denver. The title of the presentation was "Youth Involvement with Horses: Future Success in Life". If was based upon interviews with former horseback riding students. You can view the presentation's visuals here.
Jill Hassler-Scoop 10/31/06 We are so saddened to hear of the death of the very first financial supporter of Centaur Rising, Jill Hassler-Scoop. Although we never met her in person, Jill had the hope and trust in what we believe in. We will therefore treasure this and her many other contributions to the equestrian world. Please follow this link to Lendon Gray's observance of this remarkable horsewoman. Jill asked that we "maintain a positive, up-beat, non-judgmental and compassionate attitude towards each other." We appreciate very much the confidence she bestowed on us. It's "words to live by!" Fred Kappler Clinics 5/5-8/06, 9/30-10/2/06 Fred Kappler of the Bootjack Equestrian Center in Lake Linden, Michigan, joined us for a recent four-day clinic. This is the eleventh year that Fred has offered clinics at Anchorage Farm. Fred combines both German and French methods of training acquired through a lifelong commitment to dressage. Fred takes regular lessons with Frank Grelo, a student of the late Nuno Oliveira. He has also worked extensively with Dominique Barbier, another student of Nuno Oliveira. Business Partners 4/4/06 We are very excited to welcome our first business partners: Trafalgar Square, publishers of Horse and Rider Books; and Wild Horsefeathers. Please check out their links on our "Links" page. Thank you to these companies for showing their support for Centaur Rising. We hope you do the same by choosing to purchase your books and gifts through THEM! We also wish to recognize Lisa Kolb of Acorn Internet Services for her advice in "search engine optimization". Dinner with Debbie McDonald 3/22/06 Jim Cooper, the husband of our Executive Director Kris, surprised her with his purchase of a dinner with Debbie McDonald. This dinner will benefit The Breast Cancer Foundation. It is limited to ten special guests. Who is Debbie McDonald? She is rider and trainer of the "best dressage horse in the history of the United States", Brentina. Brentina also happens to be the "aunt" of our own dressage star, Donntano. Stay tuned for Kris' report of her dinner with Debbie and her auditing of Debbie's clinic, May 20-21, 2006.
NT Granada 3/19/06 We received an e-mail from Lindsay Kasch, our student 1992-93. Lindsay was just nine years old when her mother purchased a horse from us. Her name was NT Granada. Granada was 3/4 sister to Moracco and half sister to Senador. They were all born in the same year. Lindsay has since owned "Nada" continuously for the last fourteen years. The pair was highly successful (generally unbeatable) in Arabian hunter pleasure. When Lindsay "grew up" and moved away to Las Vegas, Nevada; "Nada" was still by her side. Unfortunately, Lindsay's news was not good news. Her beloved mare passed away. This is what Lindsay said: "I know that she will always be with me.... Thank you so much for all that you guys did for her and most of all for giving me the opportunity to have such an amazing animal. She really was my best friend and she has meant more to me than I could ever begin to explain." You can e-mail your condolences to Lindsay at ntgranada@hotmail.com.
3/19/06 Brooke DeVore, our junior dressage trainer, has been preparing two of the Centaur Rising horses, Donntano and Weltmann, for the 2006 USEF/USDF show season. Brooke showed both horses at second level in the Junior/Young Rider Division at the Rocky Mountain Dressage Society Winter Wake-Up show at Colorado Horse Park on March 18-19, 2006. This is a United States Equestrian Federation High Performance Qualifying show. On Saturday, Wally's scores of 69.2% at second level test one and 68.9% at second level test two were the highest Jr/YR scores of the day! Congratulations, Brooke & Wally!
Steffen Peters Symposium 2/24/06 Congratulations to our three students and former students (all students for five years or more!) who were accepted to ride in the Steffen Peters and Janet Brown Foy clinic "Dressage through the Levels". Only five juniors were accepted. Three of them got their start with Centaur Rising's founder! Steffen Peters is a bronze medal Olympic rider. Janet Foy is an internationally rated judge. We are very proud of our demo riders: Claire Filkins (alternate) at training level with her mother's horse Rhythm and Blues, Brooke DeVore at first level with her horse Wild Magic LHF and Christina Rudman at fourth level with her horse, Releve. Congratulations! We are very proud of you.
Lindsay Dolan 2/17/06 Congratulations to Lindsay Dolan for winning the junior-owner-to-ride trail class at the Scottsdale All Arabian Show on Friday, February 17, 2006, with her top-ten trail horse, Karas Kajie. Congratulations for also earning a 67% in her first dressage test with her new horse, Sabre. Lindsay also won the Hunt-Seat Equitation Championship at the National Western Stock Show in January of this year – not bad for her last year before pre-vet classes at CSU!
News from "C-Man" 2/17/06
We received the following note from Wendy DeRosia, who purchased Cinnamon Royale from us in 2003. “I just wanted to email you briefly and let you know that C-Man and I are doing well again. We are back to riding regularly and he is doing great. I really do think that we were meant for each other and I am happy that I did not let him go during the tough health times. I think that during that time, he and I developed such a bond, that now when I ride him the history/connection we have is really remarkable. He has and continues to help me so much, and even days where I can't ride him, just brushing him and hanging out with him helps a great deal.”
Spanish Riding School 2005 American Tour 12/11/05 On December 11, 2005, Kris was privileged to see the final 2005 performance of the Spanish Riding School from the fifth row in Houston's Toyota Center. The School was honoring the 60th anniversary of the liberation by the US Army of the Lipizzaners from the Russian Army. Ironically, just days before Kris's long-time hairdresser, Walter Katzer from Vienna, talked about his own personal reminiscences of being forced by the Russian Army to treat injured war horses at the end of World War II. It was an honor to see the results of correct dressage training as demonstrated by the Spanish Riding School. This is something to which we must all aspire.
Eckart Meyners Seat Symposium 7/31/05 Kris Cooper, Centaur Rising's founder and President, was very much inspired by the July 30-31 clinic with Eckart Meyners and Hannes Mueller, the head of the German Academy for Professional Riders. Kris and her husband, Jim, had met Mr Mueller and visited his school in Warendorf in 2002. American dressage riders were very much honored to have these two distinguished gentleman work with them. Eckart Meyners, a sports physiologist, is a consultant to the German Olympic Dressage Team. Mr. Meyners has developed a "Program for Better Riding" series of books that discuss his exercises and philosophies. It was astounding to see how improved rider suppleness was able to drastically improve the movements of the horse. This is all the more proof that we must work on ourselves before we can expect to bring out the best in our horses! Brooke DeVore was chosen as a demo rider on her horse, Wild Magic LHF. Congratulations, Brooke!
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Centaur Rising, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is located 20 minutes southwest of metro Denver near the Rocky Mountain foothill communities of Conifer, Bailey, Evergreen, Morrison, Golden and Pine, CO.
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