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Shana Ritter with the Lipizzan Stallion, Maestoso II Catrina. Photo by Amelia Gagliano. |
Shana Ritter with the Lipizzan Stallion, Pluto Ambrosia III, in the trot. Photo by Thomas Ritter. |
Shana Ritter with the Lusitano/Arabian Mare, Farrah, in the trot. Photo by Thomas Ritter. |
Shana Ritter on the Oldenburg Gelding, Andre, in the Trot. Photo by Scarlett. |
Our First Lipizzan Foal... Sorria. Out of Sophia Dahlia by Maestoso II Catrina. Photo by Shana Ritter. |
Shana Ritter with the Lipizzan Stallion, Maestoso II Catrina, in the Trot Halfpass at the Longrein during our 2007 Open House Performance. Photo by Amelia Gagliano. |
Shana Ritter with the Lipizzan Stallion, Pluto Ambrosia III, in the canter. Photo by Thomas Ritter. |
Shana Ritter with the Shagya-Arabian Mare, Satori, in the Trot on the Beach. Photo by Thomas Ritter. |
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Shana Ritter
My classically-grounded equestrian perspective offers me the ability to guide each horse and student with a thoughtful, conscientious, yet pragmatic approach. Proving that classical dressage can be successful in the showring and that good riding/training is good riding/training regardless of what it is called, my career highlights have included many High-Point Score awards, ODS Championships, a USDF Regional Reserve Championship, and numerous Horse of the Year/All Breeds Awards. I am also a USDF Bronze and Silver Medalist.
My Teachers:
I have ridden with a small selection of the highest-regarded classical instructors of our time, including:
Egon von Neindorff - of the highly esteemed classical riding institution, Reitinstitut Egon von Neindorff in Karlsruhe, Germany
Thomas Faltejsek - senior student of Egon von Neindorff
Dorothee Baumann-Faltejsek - senior student of Egon von Neindorff, highly-esteemed classical side-saddle rider, and esteemed author of "Im Damensattel: Eine Reitlehre für die Frau" - Olms Press.
Various Riders of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, Austria, including but not limited to Arthur Kottas and Herwig Radnetter.
Charles de Kunffy - prolific author and clinician, of the now defunct Spanish Riding School of Hungaryand my husband, Thomas Ritter.
I owe immeasurable gratitude to each of these (and the four-legged) teachers for guiding me so supportively and carefully in my education. Of these, I owe Thomas RItter the greatest credit for completely reshaping the way I view the training process and my understanding of how training shapes the body and mind of the horse. I have come away from each and every lesson with him amazed, enthused, and embracing another piece of this intricate puzzle. As well, I also owe my husband, Thomas Ritter, huge credit for longeing me ad naseum until I had attained a supple, elastic, and effective seat. He has been a formative influence on my own education and continues to be a huge source of support, feedback, and intellectual stimulation.
Training:
Although I accept horses of all levels into training including some “correction” training horses, I especially enjoy training a horse from the beginning. I feel it is an honor to be the first person to sit on a horse and introduce to the horse the first concepts of dressage. Even more so, I feel it is especially rewarding to continue the training of the horses I’ve started. I feel it is just as important to develop a horse emotionally and psychologically as it is to develop the horse physically. You must teach the horse how to learn, how to understand, and how to think with the rider. We don’t want our horses to be robots and “order-takers” – this can only result in mechanized trick-riding. We want our horses to be active participants in their training. We develop the horses systematically, concentrating on correctness and basics. This is the foundation for all of the horse’s training, and continues to be our focus, whether the horse is just beginning its training under saddle or is well into Grand Prix.
Lessons:
My teaching is well-rooted in classical tradition, with a special emphasis on a correct, supple, and effective seat – the cornerstone for fine riding. Longe-lessons have always been a strong focal point in our lesson program, and we believe strongly in the benefits of a comprehensive longe-lesson program for the best development of a rider's seat and education. Unfortunately, we have disbanded and sold our wonderful team of schoolhorses, due to rising costs. Each of these horses had their own invaluable talents for teaching the student how to ride with finesse, accuracy, and understanding. These horses have gone on to enjoy teaching their new owners the nuances of Classical Riding.
Clinics:
I teach a number clinics each year. Some of which are in conjunction with my husband, Thomas Ritter. Our students are spread throughout the United States, including New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Florida, Texas, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and more. We’ve also taught clinics in Canada and Norway. We have had students come to ride with us from all over the United States and abroad, including Germany, the U.K., Sweden, Norway, Canada, and more.
Showing
Our showring successes, as a result of training based solidly in classical principles and methods, has been a delight. I always believed that good training is good training, regardless of whether it is labeled as “classical” or “competitive”. In the past, I typically shunned the showring, preferring the quiet, meditative training work at home. But in 2003, I attended a horse show as a spectator with a student. That day I decided to put my training “to the test” and conservatively entered a few shows and did admirably well with my young Oldenburg/Thoroughbred gelding, Andre. These good experiences provided the impetus for a number of very busy (and subsequently very successful) show seasons. We have been very well-received, regardless of whether we are showing baroque horses, warmbloods, or non-typical dressage breeds. Keeping true to our classical standards, we proved that classical training can still be successful in the showring. I have brought numerous horses along from start to FEI. I have received numerous Regional, State, and USDF Championship Awards, and I am a U.S.D.F. Bronze and Silver Medalist.
A few select highlights:
2008 - Maestoso II Ambrosia "Aramis" (Lipizzan Stallion) - made a successful debut at Intermediare I
2008 - Maestoso II Shama II "Shama" (Lipizzan Stallion) - made a successful debut at Prix St. George
2007 - Pluto III Ambrosia II "Merlin" (Lipizzan Stallion) - made a successful debut at Intermediare I
2007 - Pluto III Ambrosia II "Merlin" (Lipizzan Stallion) - USDF All-Breeds 3rd Place at Prix St. George and USDF Region 6 High Point Lipizzan Award.
2007 - Maestoso II Shama II (Lipizzan Stalion) - USDF All-Breeds Champion at 3rd Level.
2007 - Conversano Mima (Lipizzan Stallion) - USDF All-Breeds Champion at 3rd Level Musical Freestyle and Reserve Champion at 3rd Level.
2007 - Pluto Ambrosia III "August" (Lipizzan Stallion) - USDF All-Breeds 3rd Place at First Level.
2005 - Pluto III Ambrosia II "Merlin" (Lipizzan Stallion) - USDF All-Breeds Champion at 2nd Level and Reserve Champion at 3rd Level.
2005 - Maestoso II Shama II (Lipizzan Stallion) - USDF All-Breeds Champion at 1st Level.
2004 - Sedonna (Lipizzan Mare) - ODS Champion at 3rd Level and USDF All-Breeds Champion at 3rd Level
2004 - Pluto III Ambrosia II "Merlin" (Lipizzan Stallion) - ODS Champion at Training Level, USDF Region 6 Reserve Champion at First Level, USDF All-Breeds Reserve Champion at Training Level and 3rd Place at First Level, NWAHA High-Point Champion at 71.923%.
2004 - Maestoso II Shama II (Lipizzan Stallion) - ODS Champion at Pas-de-Deux, 3rd place at USDF All-Breeds at Training Level, Letter Perfect High Point Champion at 72.692%, Summer Champagne Classic High-Point Young Lipizzan Award at 75.385%, Spokane Sporthorse High-Point Lipizzan and Training Level High Point at 81.153%.
Regardless of whether I am training a young horse, preparing a horse for the showring, or rehabilitating a horse with soundness or behavioral issues, I follow the classical principles and methods I have been taught by my teachers. I approach the training of the horse holistically, taking into account not only the "body" of the horse in the physical and biomechanical issues that the horse may have, but also the "mind" and "spirit" of the horse by addressing the way the horse THINKS about the training. Just as it is one of the most important things for a student to learn "how to learn", I believe that it is important to help guide the horse to learn "how to learn" by teaching the horse to view the training process in a friendly and helpful manner.
I take my time in the training of the horses, and I have found that by taking the time that is needed in the early stages, and not rushing the horse along in his training, in the end we save time because we don't waste time. I believe that "short-cuts" only lead to long detours to the real goal. It is the horse that dictates the training schedule and not an arbitrary calendar of human expectations. It is our task, as the trainers and guardians of our horses to listen to the horse.
Breeding
In 2000, we started with two mares. One was an Arabian mare, Fanci, who was bred to a Shagya stallion. The other was the Lipizzan mare, Sophia Dahlia, who was bred to our Lipizzan stallion, Maestoso II Catrina. The resulting foals were Satori and Sorria. Satori is now a fun and adorable riding horse. Sorria has produced three Lipizzan foals of her own and has proven herself to be an extraordinary representative of the Lipizzan breed. Each year since 2000, we have bred 1-5 mares. In 2008 our mares produced five beautiful Lipizzan foals, whose evaluation scores ranged from 83%-89%. Our most recent foal was born in June 2009, a gorgeous representative of the Dressage-type Lipizzan... Pamina out of the mare, Primablanca, and sired by a stallion I trained and showed through Interediare I, Pluto III Ambrosia II. What a reliably gorgeous cross this has been!
In order to dedicate our time and efforts into our training, we have shut down our Breeding Operation. We have immensely enjoyed the successes and joys of breeding and raising Lipizzans.
You can contact me by email at shana@artisticdressage.com.
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