Bling Bling - For sale in Sweden, one of my favorites ! Lingh and Briar....

Dear Karin, here is a story about Blingh, Blingh in Sweden….

I will do my best, my english is not so good!!  Yes, I did take her to a foal competition. She did really well.  She got the points 9 9 6 6 8 7, ( you need to know what the Swedish points stand for! )

She was in a growth period then, that’s why she got the two 6. That day she was upright in her vertebrae (don’t know if this is the right word), she was also a little swollen in her knees.  The judges liked her a lot, they thought she was the most beautiful of all foals.

Blingh Blingh is a wonderful foal, she is smart and so easy to handle. She loves people, she is curious and is very sociable, I just love her.

The mother of Blingh Blingh is called Brindisi. The father is Briar and then comes Jaguar – Pompe. Brindisi is a pretty big mare about 174 cm. I have therefore in my choice of stallions for her looking for a stallion that is not so tall and with a lot of thoroughbred element. My choice was Lingh. !

I bought Brindsi when she was three years. She is a mare with a very good trot, canter and has great rideability.!

Congratulations to Breeder and Owner Ana Johansson ! We hope that your experience with Blingh Blingh is awesome !!!

INTRODUCING : BLINGH BLINGH

This is one horse that is very special to me – born on my birthday, the Lingh Stallion ‘Beau’ is now six years old and lives in Sweden. The latest video of him in work!

SWEETIE W KWPN 99.04161 ster 1999 zwartbruin 1.68m with owner Jan Lamers

Does my nose look like my mother's ?

Dear Karin,

Now finally I would like to you to imagine my little Lingh, who at 10:04:12
at 21:30 clock in Dinkelscherben, Bayern came into the world. My mare Goldika whom
I rode the Erolgreich (?)  to M-dressage. She had an injury, and then
I heard that Lingh comes to Germany.  There was no
question in my mind who would be the father of the foal…Lingh !!!.

In the winter the mother had kidney problems and we
feared for a few weeks the foal in her womb. But everything was ok, and together they
had a total lightweight, quick delivery and the little splendid guy was there!
He spent a lot of time trying to find the milk and the udder of mom,  she was a bit fishy!
With my help, he finally found what he sought, and from then on he was no longer
hungry.
Very quickly we found a name for him and he is named Lynox! He looks
really like his father, even the star is in the same place on the
face! I also think the facial expression is the same as Lingh, which is
fascinating.
From the beginning he was standing on his long legs, he shows very nice moves in
the gallop. He is totally approachable and friendly! He can be touched everywhere, using the
Creating Well halter and he leads very well. Meanwhile he is playing in the paddock with
his mother and he is growing tremendously!
My family and I have taken him full into our hearts.  WE want Goldika
to meet again soon with Lingh.A second foal by Lingh!
I hope that the photo is meaningful, but I will send you in a few
weeks.

Many greetings from Bavaria, thank you for your interest in the offspring of your
great stallion and see you soon,

Birgit

Thank you Brigit, I love this picture and I hope that many dreams and wishes come your way…

Viva La Lynox, best wishes, Karin

To my many friends I have loved and growled at...I will miss you all - thank you for sharing our great times all over the world ....

Photo by Gabriele Boiselle

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Pianosa - Show Jumper

Dear Karin,
We’re one of the Lingh breeders in Germany. Now we will tell you about the foal and send some photos too.
The colt was born on Friday, the 13th of April. A brown, noble colt, standing tall above the ground with a fine upper line and a beautiful face.
The brood mare is State Premium show jumper Pianosa, and she was born in 1992. She is a half bred mare of Pageno XX x Wettstreit. Her sister Lettina won the German championship for young horses.  More photos from Pia and her offspring you can see on my albums.
This foal is her 10th and now we’re breeding with Lingh again.

At your next travelling to Germany, we will happy if you visit us. We live near Birkhof.

best Regards,  Karin and Stefan

Just born....Up and running.....beautifully Hengstfohlen Lingh x Pageno XX geb. 13.04.2012

Dear Karin and Stefan – Stay in touch with me…your foal is beautiful !  Congratulations !!

I watched this foal at the Gala ! Well balanced, sweet and strong...congratulations Christine

Thank you Christine, keep us informed and send us stories !!!

Dear Karin Offield,
I am writing you today because I want to introduce you to MY little Lingh.
I saw him two days after birth and fell in love with him.
His mother I have already successfully ridden M-dressage.
I think he is the earliest of Lingh foals this year. He was born in mid-February.
His breeder is from Bernd Biedermann Merklingen named because of the city.
My little horse Lingh was presented at the spring Birkhof Gala.
I am happy to write you and send a few pictures every few weeks.

With best regards,
Christiane

Liebe Frau Offield,
ich schreibe Ihnen heute, weil ich Ihnen MEIN kleinen Lingh vorstellen möchte.
Ich habe ihn zwei Tage nach der Geburt gesehen und verliebte mich sofort in ihn.
Seine Mutter habe ich bereits erfolgreich M-Dressur geritten und so beschloss ich
ihn zu kaufen.
Ich glaube, er ist das früheste Fohlen von Lingh dieses Jahr: geboren Mitte Februar.
Sein Züchter ist Bernd Biedermann aus Merklingen/Weil der Stadt.
Mein kleiner Lingh wurde anlässlich der Hengstvorstellung von Birkhof dort
vorgestellt.
Gerne schreibe ich Ihnen und schicke alle paar Wochen ein paar Bilder.

Mit herzlichen Grüßen

Christiane Fritz-Lange

By Janine Holmes

On January 20 and 21, Serenity Farm proudly hosted Karin Reid-Offield as the clinician for the first clinic in the ADA Winter Clinic Series. Karin is a regular clinician at Serenity Farm and so the line-up of riders consisted of some familiar faces as well as some new ones. It was fun to see the great improvement in the horses that had worked with Karin before and also wonderful to watch the transformation of horses that had not worked with Karin before. I truly wish I had taken video to compare the first and last five minutes of each ride. One would have thought there were months of training between the two. Once again, this proves how important it is for us to have a ground person with has a keen eye for what the judges are looking for. Without that, bad habits can form since things go unnoticed and uncorrected.

Participant Kim Nobel: “Karin put us right at ease. The focus of our lesson was to do a dance, not just the geometrical movements. Between Karin and my training with Janine Holmes, we’ve thrown away the spurs and are learning to communicate subtly. It’s all about making the dance beautiful!

I’m enjoying the ADA winter clinic series. It’s a great opportunity to meet fellow horse enthusiasts while trying new trainers and their techniques.”

While enjoying summer time grilled burgers’ for lunch, Karin engaged in numerous discussions with riders and auditors. Questions were asked and answers given, stories were told and experiences shared. Everyone benefitted from Karin’s overseas experience and the wisdom she gained while living with Anky van Grunsven. All agreed that Karin was easy to understand, that what she taught made perfect sense and that given time and tremendous discipline, we too can have that upper level seat and mind set even when doing Intro Level!

For information: Link for Serenity Farm  Link for : Karin Reid Offield

Karin Offield’s Tool Box Symposium is now available on EquestrianClinics.com. This is a tremendous teaching opportunity for all disciplines. Each month a new clinic from the Tool Box Symposium will be posted for members of EC.com to view, so join now!

Tool Box Videos

Currently in Premium Videos: Beth Baumert on Half Halts and Karin Offield on Connection.

Check out the articles in the October and November 2010 issues of Dressage Today.

Press release for the Tool Box Symposium listed below:

“Unbelievable quality of instruction and presentation. Very inspiring;” “Couldn’t have been organized better” were some of the comments given by instructors, riders, and auditors in response to the inaugural Dressage Tool Box Symposium held in 2010 and hosted by Bay Harbor Equestrian Club. Sponsored by Karin Offield of Harbor Springs, www.lingh.nl, and Barnby Notes, the symposium gave attendees a unique opportunity to advance their skills in horsemanship and share openly the “tools” that will advance their skills as dressage teachers and riders.

Dressage is the systematic training of the horse to increase it’s suppleness and athletic ability. As an Olympic level competitive discipline, dressage displays the beauty and grace of the horse and rider in partnership as they perform what appears to be an effortless mounted ballet. On a more fundamental level the foundation of dressage will benefit any rider who desires to communicate fluidly and bring out the best performance of their horse.

This inaugural clinic was open to all dressage instructors. Offield stated “the purpose was to share the diversity and range of ideas from dressage instructors; to show and tell the technical skills. The manner in which we teach and learn as students takes years by experience. As riders we learn in varying amounts every day. As instructors we are constantly examining those “lightbulb moments” to see why a certain “lesson” was suddenly learned. It’s like looking at life – but on a horse.”

Instructors with backgrounds as diverse as equine and human biomechanics,, therapeutic riding (NARHA), Centered Riding, and US Dressage Federation Gold Medalists from national competition participated. Also participating were several USDF certified judges and instructors. Each instructor taught 2 lessons focusing on a specific dressage fundamental or movement to mounted students who indicated they needed an additional perspective in refining their understanding of that particular skill. The riders were asked to list the lessons that they needed to learn.

Karin Offield, as moderator and inventor of the Symposium model was able to craft the lessons program to fit the needs of both the instructors and the riders. The auditors played an active part in the program too by changing their observation vantage point from lesson to lesson. When asked “What is the reason behind hosting a Tool Box Symposium?” Offield replied, ” I am talking about getting a region together to introduce, to discover, and to work together so that all of our instructors skills and tools, our clients horses, and our dressage tests are better. For all of us to meet the instructors in our region is super. What better way than this to make sure that we are all training our horses in a modern, respectful and intelligent manner!”

Special guests from Michgan State University attended. As experts in their fields of teaching and learning, Dr. Hilary Clayton, BVMS, PhD, MRCVS, professor and McPhail Chair in Equine Sports Medicine; Karen Waite – Equine Extention Specialist; and Narelle Stubbs – research associate and Physiotherapist from Australia and England helped us see the subjects more clearly. “It was fun and very enlightening.”

Local participants in the Harbor Springs area included Nancy Williams riding her rescued Thoroughbred Trakehner cross, Dreamer who won the group’s heart for his wonderful work ethic and athletic ability. Karin Offield also rode William’s little gelding in a session on developing the canter pirouette. Prix St. George competitor and USDF “L” judge, Kim Aikens from Petoskey instructed. Young riders Suzannah Simon from Charlevoix and Miles Hayes also wowed the crowd. Other participants came from around Michigan and as far afield as Connecticut, Illinois, Ohio, and Virginia. There were 55 attendees.

The symposium goals were twofold; one, that all participants go home with new “tools” added to their collection of both teaching and riding skills and two, that the program serve as a model for additional Tool Box Symposiums to be held across the country. Unlike many European countries, the United States does not have a regional national training center program for dressage riders and young horses. Offield hopes that by creating the Tool Boxes this need can be addressed and a 2 year pilot program of National Training Centers can be initiated across the United States. The choice of Bay Harbor Equestrian Club was an easy choice for Karin, “It has all the amenities a person could want to hold large events and be educationally proactive. The staff at Bay Harbor were terrific. We were in good hands. “

For more information on the selection of a facility as a site for a future Dressage Tool Box Symposium in 2012 and 2013 please contact Karin at info@offieldfarms.com. The Tool Box was designated a USDF University accredited program and the organizers and participants were very pleased with their support. For more information on the USDF University please click on this link:http://www.usdf.org/education/university/.

Anna and her cousin Ina on a spring day at Birkhof

Character, rideability, and conformation are desirable in choosing your stallion. As Lingh begins his second season of breeding in Southern Germany at Gestut Birkhof in Donzdorf we are proud to show you this video !

Lingh and Ina Casper ready for the Spring Stallion Show at Gestut Birkhof 2012

Lingh and Ina Casper preformed at the spring Stallion Shows in front of eager breeders waiting to see this years 50 Year Celebration of the Family Casper. They were not disappointed. Congratulations Ina – Job well done !

Gestut Birkhof - 50 Years of Service to Breeders around the World ! www.gestuet-birkhof.com English is spoken !

Lingh is ready for the show !

Film and video to follow !

Thanks to Sidelines Magazine for a terrific story about Lingh,  the Win a Ride on Lingh Contest and our winner Hannah Allescher. Cut and Paste the link above and enjoy.

Going to jail for a cause !

Equestrian Aid Foundation’s Mission is to build a membership based organization to assist anyone in the equestrian world suffering from life threatening illness, catastrophic accidents or injuries by providing direct financial support for their medical or other basic needs.

Our pledge is to treat our recipients with dignity and respect while promising our members and sponsors the highest level of fiduciary responsibility with their dues and donations.

The tables.....

the choices of food .....

It was a fantastic event - Congratulations to the planning and doing committees !!

the waiters and food service.....

Gold Rush - The Best Event of 2012

The size of the event this year....both sides of the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center were tabled, The silent auction was superb, and the Tetrathlon featured dressage, jumping, reining, polo AND the SUPER BOWL !

The EAF History:

In 1996, six time Olympic Dressage rider, Robert Dover, together with R. Scot Evans, Gene Mische, Mason Phelps, Jr., Robert Ross and Kim Tudor established the 501(c)3 Equestrian AIDS Foundation (EAF). Their first board directive stated that EAF would provide direct support to equestrians living with HIV/AIDS. And provide they did, helping equestrians in need for the past 10 years.

Although we have grown and expanded, the Equestrian Aid Foundation, as the organization became known as in 1996, has always prided itself on how we deliver service. Financial support from EAF is provided directly to the petitioning equestrian or their representative. Funds donated to EAF are used to provide various essentials that may include medical needs, health insurance, food and housing, transportation, physical therapy and more.

Equestrian Aid Foundation’s Mission is to build a membership based organization to assist anyone in the equestrian world suffering from life threatening illness, catastrophic accidents or injuries by providing direct financial support for their medical or other basic needs.

While there are costs related to running any organization, EAF strives to minimize operating expenses through in-kind donations of office space, graphic design and other administrative costs whenever possible.

If you’ve shared the thrill of watching stadium jumping, awed at the athleticism of man and horse as they do intricate cutter routines, cheered as your favorite dressage rider makes her horse dance around the ring or just enjoyed watching equestrians on TV not knowing much about their sport but able to appreciate the sheer beauty of it all, please donate to the Equestrian Aid Foundation family. Take pride in knowing that your generosity today will ensure a brighter tomorrow for an equestrian in need.

Wide pathways for horses with super footing, narrow walkways for pedestrians lead out to the huge arena's, one area is large enough for three dressage courts.

I was lucky to arrive in Wellington at the most exciting time ….the opening event of the Global Dressage Festival. I am a huge proponent of the project and Mark Bellissimo is like a huge circus master that will bring all these dreams to life. He reminds  me of Ulf Rosengren in Sweden at Globen.- we cannot fault this man for lack of “try”. His words  are…..”The critical economic driver for the success of the “top” sport is sponsorship. Without a strong sponsorship model there’s no meaningful top sport in this country, and there’s no financial model for the riders. There needs to be more productive collaboration between the top riders and organizers in an effort to create “personalities” in the sport and a more engaging and marketable product that attracts media interest and corresponding sponsorship. We’re investing in this future, but it’s a long, slow process.” So we challenge Mark to make Sponsorship a top goal toward making the Global Dressage Festival a success.

The stabling is permanent, with peaked ceilings for air flow, large stalls and cement aisle ways.

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10x 12 stalls, no visual to horse next door, end stalls have a side window, and a small window gate allows the horses heads to be out, but there is no latching ability.

So...close your eyes and imagine yourself walking down the path toward the international flags.....The Global Dressage Festival show grounds are waiting for your arrival !