 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
California Riding Magazine • August, 2010 Susann Regalmuto Dressage |
Photo: Erpelding Photography Native German Susann Regalmuto has had success upon success in the 12 years since she based her dressage training business in California. She has taken riders and horses, Warmbloods and Baroque breeds, to all levels of accomplishment on their respective competition circuits, and made her mark on the International Lusitano and Andalusian Horse Assn. as a member of the show committee. Throughout that time, Regalmuto used the German Training Scale as the basis for gratifying progress and fun for her students and their horses. That resume would be enough for some. However, Regulmuto is a staunch believer in the power of education. That is why she invested the considerable time, effort and money necessary to earn her second United States Dressage Federation Instructor Certification, this one confirming her ability to train horses and riders through Fourth Level dressage work. The USDF’s rigorous Instructor Certification program is not as well understood as Regalmuto would like it to be. Having earned certification as a “reiterabzeichens” in Germany, she knows first hand how closely the USDF’s program is modeled on Germany’s, and to winning effect.
To achieve USDF certification, prospects must “demonstrate that they have the knowledge and the skill to teach classical dressage,” Regalmuto explains. The process includes three intensive workshops on lunging, riding and teaching, a mock exam and then the final. The teaching final entails instructing one group and two private lessons. One of the privates is with an unfamiliar horse/rider pair. The examiners want to see, within 45 minutes, the candidate take a strange rider through a warm-up and lesson plan in which the horse and rider’s improvement is evident at the end, Regalmuto explains. The candidate and the student discuss goals at the lesson’s start. One of the candidate’s many tests is to assess whether those goals are suitable and, if necessary, revise the plan. “The USDF wants instructors who do not simply produce riders with winning scores, but also those who can think about training and feel the results and effect on the horse,” Regalmuto summarizes. The importance of the training scale for horses working at any level is the USDF program’s major emphasis. Unlike Germany, the U.S. does not require equestrian professionals to obtain any formal education or certifications, but Susann has always considered it essential, for her own growth and that of her students and horses. The trainer typically limits her training program to 10 horses, enabling highly individualized instruction. She is particularly excited about one of those horses, a 4-year-old Swedish Warmblood mare named Amelie. She owns the mare in partnership with Carol Reid of Pembroke Farms in Albuquerque. In Regalmuto’s view, Amelie is a great example of Pembroke’s mission to breed athletic sport horses, with trainable temperaments, from Sweden’s top mare lines. It starts with great brood mares, in Amelie’s case, through her dam Ackera, and continues with letting the youngsters grow up at a natural pace.
“They breed and raise their young horses in lush, green pastures with lots of room to run around, grow and mature at their own pace,” says Regalmuto. The Pembroke horses are bred primarily for dressage, but most are also terrific jumpers. Amelie has a “double diploma” in dressage and jumping, reflecting high marks from the Swedish Warmblood registry for abilities in those disciplines. The mare’s upbringing is evident, Regalmuto relays. While visiting a competition at the busy Los Angeles Equestrian Center recently, Amelie was unfazed by the activity and stayed tuned in to whatever Regalmuto asked her to do. The pair will make their competitive debut this month and the trainer has high hopes for Amelie’s career. Regalmuto is thrilled to have found a spot at Middle Ranch in the Los Angeles area’s Lake View Terrace. “Quality wise, I have not seen a better training facility anywhere in the Los Angeles area,” she observes. Two outdoor dressage courts, a covered arena with full mirrors on the 20-meter side and excellent shredded rubber footing that is meticulously maintained are amenities specific to dressage. Room to roam on the property and off, on trails in the adjacent Angeles National Forest, provide great spaces for relaxed riding, while grass paddocks and open spaces offer more opportunities for horse and rider down time. The fact that most trainers have been at Middle Ranch for many years is testament to the facility’s top-notch appeal.
Success on both the Open dressage circuit and the many divisions offered on the Spanish breed shows continues to be a unique hallmark of Regalmuto’s program. The victories of the Andalusian/Arab cross, Fuego Amor, at the IALHA Surf and Sand and CDS San Diego Chapter show in June speak volumes. She earned a 69% and 72% in Training Level Tests 2 and 4 at the CDS Open Show and cleaned up in the breed show. On that stage, she was overall champion in Dressage Suitability, and took top three placings in English Pleasure, Movement and Halter in both Open and Amateur divisions. “What this shows is that it doesn’t matter what the breed is so long as you put the correct foundation on them,” Regalmuto asserts. Versatility is a trademark of Baroque breeds and that trait flourishes in Regalmuto’s open-minded training environment. Regalmuto lent the Friesian mare Yara for the aforementioned June competition, in which the pair did very well in their Dressage Suitability and Period Costume classes. “I like mixing up the fun,” Regalmuto says. She is pleased to report that the Spanish breed and Open dressage worlds are interacting and she would like to see more of that. The athletic abilities and wonderful temperaments of the Spanish horses make them great prospects for professional and amateur dressage enthusiasts, a point that Regalmuto and her students have demonstrated many times over the years.
For more information on Susan Regalmuto’s dressage program, visit www.susannregalmuto.com or call 951-515-7133.
|
