March/April 2024 Issue

Page 6 March/April 2024 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN Melissa Ashcraft is the Owner/Head Instructor of Transitions Equestrian Center in La Porte, IN. Melissa is a USDF Bronze and Silver Medalist and is currently competing for her Gold Medal! She is a Grand Prix dressage rider that traveled for 5 years as a main performer with the “World Famous” Lipiz- zan Stallion Show performing throughout different parts of the world. The international staff of riders performed with 15 Lipizzan Stallions in front of up to 10,000 people executing precision drills, long lining and classical Airs Above The Ground. Melissa is a very successful instructor/competitor and often travels across the U.S. and to Australia teaching all disciplines and levels. Her training methods are a combination of classical & natural horsemanship. She is known for getting the most out of her students and horses by creating a fun, laid back yet effective environment. Melissa is an extremely diverse trainer, clinician, and competitor and offers beginner to advanced riding instruction and training in Dressage, Jumping, English and Western Pleasure/ Equitation, Driving, Western Dressage, Reining, Natural Horsemanship and Trick training. The last 6 years Melissa has been performing with two Friesian trick trained stallions named Prodigy and Dolci Vita. Prodigy, of Majestic Friesians, is a very talented 9 year old Dutch Registered trick-trained Friesian stallion, bred by Lori Brock of Majestic Friesians in Big Rapids, MI. Prodigy has an incredible lineage out of his sire Tsjalke 397 andWietske, an imported ster mare, and in 2005 he earned the Reserve Premeium Champion at the Keuring. Prodigy and his trainer Melissa were honored to perform in Ohio Equine Affaire Fantasia, Chicago’s Noble Horse Theater, Michigan State University and the Valparaiso Stallion Expo and numerous other exhibition performances across the Midwest. Prodigy’s portrait was painted by the infamous Elise Genest and was fea- tured in her baroque calendar. He has also been in four Special Edition Bullet Ford Mustang calendars and recently starred in a “Tribute to the Friesians” featuring Lori Brock’s breeding farm Majestic Friesians. For the next 3 years the movie will be airing on RFDTV and HRTV Nationwide in 42 countries! Quick Fixes to Raise Your Dressage Scores in the Ring (Thurs., 5 pm, Large Arena) Solving Dressage Position Problems & Riding Transitions (Fri., 1 pm, Large Arena) Breaking Down Dressage Maneuvers & Exercise s (Sat., 11 am, Large Arena) Dressage 101; Intro to Grand Prix (Sun., 11 am, Seminar Hall B) Advanced Trick Training; Sit, Bow, Rear, Spanish Walk (Sun., 1 pm, Equine Arena) Theatre Equus Performer (Fri & Sat., 8:30 pm, Large Arena) – separate ticket required Carl Bledsoe and his wife, Tammy, reside in Talking Rock, Ga. where they train horses and teach horse owners. Although Carl works with all breeds of horses, gaited horses are his passion. Carl grew up in the Tennessee Walking Horse show world. For years, he trained and showed the incredible breed – many of them champion and world champion horses. Over time, he realized just how much the horses had to sacrifice for these titles which prompted him to make a fundamental change in his approach to horses and he hopes to compel others to make a change as well. Rather than shortcuts, gimmicks and subjugation, he believes in classical training with a true understanding of the biomechanics of the horse as well as the rider and is an advocate of purity of gait for the long-term health of the horse both physically and mentally. Carl believes in education and under- standing by having compassion and empathy for the horse and approaches each horse as an individual by asking himself, “What’s in this for the horse?” This has taught him how to become a better trainer and teacher for the horses, but it has also taught him to be a better husband, father and friend. For this, he is eternally grateful to what he feels is one of God’s greatest creations, the HORSE. Carl & Tammy conduct clinics and attend expos sharing his story of progression from the show ring to now teaching and training with the best inter- est of the horse as his primary focus. They hope to prove just how wonderful, versatile and extremely talented the Tennessee Walking Horse, as well as all of the other gaited breeds, truly are. Carl has been a guest speaker at the Sound Horse Conference in 2014, a guest speaker representing the Tennessee Walking Horse in 2019 at the Equus Film Festival, a gaited clinician in 2018 at Equifest and the featured gaited clinician at the 2020 Horse World Expo, 2021 Georgia Horse Fair, 2022 Southern Equine Expo and was a guest judge for the Appalachian Trainer Face-Off. Carl was also the featured gaited clinician at Equine Affaire in Ohio in 2023. Carl & Tammy are, above all, advocates for the horse and are looking forward to continuing to educate fellow horse lovers and encourage you to always ask yourself, “What’s in it for the horse?” Recognizing Differences in Your Gaited Horse (Thurs., 3 pm, Equine Arena) Understanding the Biomechanics of the Gaited Horse (Fri., 6 pm, Round Pen Arena) Riding in Rhythm With Your Gaited Horse (Sat., 1 pm, Large Arena) The Importance of a Solid Foundation for Gait (Sun., 3 pm, Large Arena) Growing up in the ‘60s on a small horse farm in central Florida, Julie had a connection with horses from a young age. Little did she know that her childhood affinity would blossom into a remarkable career with horses. Now an internationally renowned trainer and clinician, Julie is a rarity in that she has ridden and trained extensively in multiple disciplines, both English and Western, working with multiple breeds. Her focus is on classical horsemanship and developing the horse and rider’s relationship. Following a successful run as a youth rider on jumping horses, Goodnight headed west to fulfill her dreams of skiing, mountain climbing and white-wa- ter paddling. She galloped her way through college on the backs of Thoroughbred racehorses, graduating from the University of NewMexico with Magna Cum Laude distinction. After graduation, Julie moved to southern Colorado, where she started her horse training business in 1985. It wasn’t long before Goodnight was known for having a special touch with horses and a gift for teaching people. Her reputation grew, and she began traveling the world to share her unique approach to horse training. In 2008, Julie began producing the popular TV series, Horse Master with Julie Goodnight, a how-to horse training series that aired weekly on RFD-TV for eleven years. After producing and starring in 260 episodes, Julie has now set her sights on sharing the magical world of horses with a broader audience, through 2Horse Productions, an equine, nature and adventure lifestyle production company. Julie is a member of the prestigious Horse & Rider team, and she offers guidance to horse enthusiasts in articles and through clinics and appearances worldwide. Goodnight is a frequent contributor to top horse publications such as Horse & Rider and Horse Illustrated, and the author of a syndicated col- umn reaching more than 20 regional horse publications monthly. She also produces a monthly audio podcast on horse training, offers online educational programs and her On-Demand Videos are among the top go-to training tools for horse owners everywhere. Goodnight travels both domestically and internationally to teach horsemanship and she was named Exceptional Equestrian Educator by Equine Affaire – one of only three such awards ever given. Goodnight is spokesperson for the Certified Horsemanship Association, an organization focused on promoting safety and excellence in horsemanship, and she holds their highest level of certification, Master Clinic Instructor. Goodnight and her husband, Rich Moorhead, a ski-industry professional, reside near Salida, Colorado. In their spare time, they enjoy skiing, boating and riding cow horses. Ride 'Til You’re 90 (Thurs., 2 pm, Large Arena) Overcome Fear of Horses & Riding (Thurs., 5 pm, Seminar Hall A) Spice Up Your Ride; Fun Exercises to Improve Your Riding (Fri., 2 pm, Large Arena) Horses Are the Journey, Not a Destination (Fri., 5 pm, Seminar Hall A) Find Your Dream Horse (Sat., 11 am, Seminar Hall A) Presence in the Show Ring (Sat., 3 pm, Large Arena) The Natural Ride; Improve Your Skills (Sun., 2 pm, Large Arena) Melissa Ashcraft Carl Bledsoe Visit Melissa Ashcraft at the Bon Cheval CBD booth 324 Julie Goodnight Visit Carl Bledsoe at the Carl Bledsoe Horsemanship booth 418, 419 Visit Julie Goodnight at the JulieGoodnight.com booth 319, 320