A Showcase of Skill at the Combined Training Horse Show

Candace Regal has been a horse trainer her whole life and has trained at the IEC for 35 years. Her specialty is dressage, eventing, and natural horsemanship. In addition, she has been a pony club instructor for a year. Regal was a jockey from 1979 to 1981. As one of the first female jockeys, she raced at prestigious racetrack venues such as Churchill Downs and Keeneland, Kentucky. She also raced in Ohio.

The classes held at the event included classical and western dressage and stadium jumping. “The purpose of the show was to introduce horses and riders to a horse show experience,” says Regal. This event proved to boost confidence in horse and rider alike and increased the training level for the pairs. Ribbons were awarded to those who placed, and some were awarded for participation.

Western Dressage contestant and San Diego Country Estates Resident Loralei Everard turns 15 in March and has been riding her entire life. This was her first dressage event, and she liked how calm and mellow it was. She added that dressage is the French word for training and is all about balance, bend, and connection with your horse. Her class was judged, and it was a test of straightness, bend, and circles.

A dressage routine, often called a test, is a choreographed series of movements performed by a horse and rider in a rectangular arena. The routine is designed to showcase the horses’ training, athleticism, and obedience, as well as the rider’s skill and precision. “It’s arena geometry,” says Everard. She added that you can memorize the routine or have someone scribe it to you. During her test, Regal was calling out the letters and directions that Everard was supposed to go. The dressage arena at the IEC is a standard large arena, and one of the movements requested was a 20-meter turn with a working trot and salute to the judge.

English dressage rider, 16-year-old Olivia Quinn, has been riding for 4 years and has trained in dressage for a year. She has participated in a few shows here and there. After her dressage test, she gained a different perspective when she received feedback from the judge about letting her horse carry itself independently.

Regal appreciated the congenial atmosphere at the schooling event; she says it was very positive. She has two more events planned, including Western Dressage on May 17 and Driven Dressage & Cones on September 13.

Regal wants to thank the judge of this show, Alicia Cross, as well as Lauren Munos, IEC Trainer with Letters & Lines Equestrian, for helping set up jumps and helping with the course.

The event was not only a test of skill. For some, it was a day of small victories—mastering a challenging transition or achieving a more balanced connection with their horse. For others, it was an opportunity to get comfortable under the watchful eyes of a judge and learn from constructive and kind feedback. For all who attended, it was a celebration between horse and rider, built on trust and patience.

Photos by Tiffany Pressler.