Beauty in the Basics: Key Lessons from the 2025 USDF Trainers’ Conference

Dressage superstars Christine Traurig and Monica Theodorescu and eight upper-level riders share main takeaways and personal insights from this year’s USDF Trainers’ Conference.

What’s the secret to ideal harmony in dressage—that overall beautiful, flowing presentaion of horse and rider moving as one? It’s all about the basics. This was the overarching theme at the 2025 Adequan®/USDF FEI-Level Trainers’ Conference, led by German dressage legends Christine Traurig and Monica Theodorescu.

“Christine and Monica provided a beautiful example of the way we should train horses by constantly commiting to the beautiful, classical principles of dressage,” said USDF bronze, silver and gold medalist J.J. Tate, who was among the eight upper-level riders participating in this year’s conference. “Then, simply let those ideas work for you and your horse.”

More than 300 dressage trainers and professionals from around the U.S. convened at Mary Anne McPhail’s High Meadow Farm in Loxahatchee, Florida, earlier this week seeking new training insights, continuing education and some welcome sunshine during the doldrums of winter. While The Sunshine State didn’t deliver sunny skies or balmy temps at this year’s event, attendees and riders left with fresh perspectives and new tools in their training repertoire to pass along to their horses and students.

J.J. Tate spends a moment with 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding Denali following his valiant efforts during their second training session at the 2025 USDF Trainers’ Conference. ©Alana Harrison

Both Traurig and Theodorescu advised riders to constantly ask themselves what they can do better to develop willing partnerships with their horses by being patient, clear and trusting the training system reflected in the ever-valid dressage Training Scale. The Training Pyramid, as its also called, starts with rhythm as the most basic quality and progresses upward to relaxation, connection, impulsion, straightness and finally culminates with collection. While this scale serves as the framework for training all horses and is generally sequential, the clinicians stressed that it’s not intended to be strictly chronological.

“You must always keep the Training Scale in the back of your mind. Sticking to the basics of this recipe for success in training horses always pays off. There are variations, but the theme is always there,” Theodorescu said. “Don’t try to cheat. True dressage knows no short cuts. And taking them is always at the cost of your horse’s well-being and your harmonious partnership.”

Polishing Perfection

After Paralympic rider Kate Shoemaker’s incredible contributions to Team USA’s best-ever performance—that included seven gold medals—at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, one wouldn’t think she and her rockstar mount 8-year-old Hanoverian mare Vianne had much to improve upon. But Theodorescu helped her refine key details, including achieving more collection, establishing a bigger passage and creating a more forward-thinking piaffe. “She really encouraged me to ride positively into the contact, which is something we’ve been working on at home—just trying to improve that last little bit to make it incredible,” Shoemaker said.

While Theodorescu quipped to the audience that the ride might provide for a boring critique due to Shoemaker’s high level of skill, she helped the Grade IV Para athlete polish the counter-canter for better collection and self-carriage. She also reminded Shoemaker to think of shoulder-in first while turning onto the long side to the half-pass and coaxed her into more collection in the canter half-passes.

Monica Theodorescu, the German dressage team’s current head coach, helped Paralympic rider Kate Shoemaker refine key details, including achieving more collection, with her mare Vianne. ©Alana Harrison

“I loved the way Monica put it. She was like, ‘Just put your leg on and do it.’ That clicked for me and honestly what made Vianne so special these last two days,” she noted. “Instead of being just a touch too light where you see every little aid, she was so harmonious and beautiful, and it was almost like I simply thought the aids and she felt them.”

Since 2025 is a non-championship year for Shoemaker and her powerhouse gray mare, she’s eager to get Vianne more secure in her grand-prix work and said she and many other Para riders are grateful that the FEI allows for adaptive equipment. Since her right ankle is paralyzed, she uses magnets in the sole of her boot and right stirrup to secure her foot in the stirrup.

“Without using compensating aids, I wouldn’t be able to compete at the FEI levels. This was the biggest game changer in my career because up until then, I was struggling to ride at Third Level,” she explained. “Without the magnets, I wouldn’t be able to do flying changes or the left-lead canter without my stirrup just falling off. There’s no other way for me to keep the stirrup so I can give the aids.”

Slow and Steady Wins with Young Horses

A number of riders brought young horses to this year’s conference and Theodorescu advised them and attendees to be especially careful about taking things slow with younger mounts and not to always ask for more. “Our horses offer us so much already, and breeding has become so specialized that these horses are able to give a lot even when they’re still young,” she said. “But you must take it easy. Your horse must have the time to mature and feel comfortable.”

She warned that if you ask for too much too soon, you might lose contact, get a swishing tail (or other negative body language) or uneven steps because the horse isn’t trained thoroughly enough in the basics. “Always stick to basics and be happy with small improvements, step by step, like going to school,” Theodorescu added. “These horses are going to school and one day they like to learn more and another day they’re not ready to learn more. Go slowly.”

She pointed to Christopher Hickey’s 7-year-old Hanoverian gelding Saskatoon OMF as a prime example of a young horse who might be willing to offer more than he’s actually ready for. “Body-wise, he looks really mature already, so you might think OK, let’s go for the passage or more collected pirouette work,” she noted. “But that is likely too much, especially if he’s already offering a lot.”

Christopher Hickey worked on improving 7-year-old Hanoverian gelding Saskatoon OMF’s suppleness and confidence before asking for more challenging movements. ©Alana Harrison 

Theodorescu had Hickey, who’s ridden in many previous conferences and is a USDF bronze, silver and gold medalist, ride down the quarterline and then leg yield to the rail to get Saskatoon moving forward in rhythm and to improve his suppleness and confidence.

Shoemaker has also learned the lesson of working slowly and steadily with young dressage horses through her partnership with Vianne. She doesn’t ask her for too much at any one time, because she knows the mare will always give her all—even though she doesn’t turn 9 until this summer.

“I remind myself to slow down and take it step by step. Vianne is doing amazing and I want to ensure she has a full, long career. But most importantly, I want to show people the harmony we have,” she said. “And if that means it takes us another year to get into the grand-prix arena that’s OK. Because when we do, I hope to present a picture of harmony because that’s really what dressage is all about—the harmony and how it changes the horse for the better when they become elastic, through and happy. And that’s my goal for her.”

Relentlessly Seek Suppleness

Heather Bender, USDF bronze, silver and gold medalist and a Certified Instructor through Fourth Level, was excited to work with Traurig and Theodorescu because of their emphasis on the foundation and basic principles of dressage. Bender rode her 9-year-old KWPN Keisha B at the conference and said she’s working on improving the mare’s suppleness.

“I’ve been doing this long enough to know it all comes down to basics—your bending, suppleness and the ability to go forward and back,” she noted. “‘Keish’ tries so hard, but she lacks the suppleness we need, so it’s something we’re constantly trying to improve.”

Christine Traurig, chef d’equipe of the USEF dressage team, encouraged Heather Bender to practice exercises that help control the outside shoulder with her mare Keisha B at the USDF Trainers’ Conference. ©Alana Harrison

Traurig explained that the horse’s hind legs cannot develop more pushing power if suppleness isn’t cultivated first and transitions can help improve relaxation and suppleness and ultimately allow the horse to release his back and engage his hind end.

“Once you’ve completed the process of gymnasticizing the horse to get him supple, you can then start influencing the placement of the horse’s hind legs. Like it says in all the smart books, you have to be able to place the shoulders in front of the hind legs,” she said. “And once you get that alignment you can influence the placement and effort of the hind legs—how they’re coming to the party and contributing in a quality way for forward propulsion and engagement. This is logical for the horse and evolves nicely.”

Bender said the transition and gymnastic exercises Traurig provided helped emphasize achieving the right amount of flexion with the right amount of tempo. “That’s really what we needed—just that degree of refinement. Keish is more of a rectangle right now, and I’m trying to teach her how to become a box as she moves up the levels,” she explained. “So, I’ve been using a lot of exercises to help control the outside shoulder. Christine really pushed me back into doing shoulder-in and bending and reminded me to be relentless about the better bend.”

Bender, too, believes in taking her time with her young mare, and at this stage in her long and storied career, the lifelong dressage rider says she’s focused on enjoying the moment with her talented mount.

Traurig and Theodorescu praised both Bender and Keisha B for a job well done. ©Alana Harrison

“We’re just going to see where we go. I’m not trying to win the world, but I continue to be out there for everyone who has dreams. I want people to recognize that even as we get older, we can still do this. We can stay fit. We can ride,” she said. “And with the amount of education and experience I’ve gained over the years, I understand that my self-worth isn’t the centerline. And that gives me more room to breathe and make better decisions in that moment with my horses and my riding.”

Correctness is Key

Tate, who rode 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding Denali owned by Cackie Vroom and Dean Wright, has learned the importance of emphasizing correctness in all of her work. “You have to do the work and the work must be correct. But if you stick with it and give your horse the time to learn and understand and get stronger, then you can develop that foundation and confidence,” she said. “And that will make everything easier as you move up.”

Tate appreciated the renewed focus on correctness and basics in her work with Denali at this year’s event. ©Alana Harrison

Tate noted that Denali was one of her more challenging young horses, but firmly believed in his potential. “I’ve always felt like if I could only break his code, he might be one of my most straightforward, uncomplicated grand-prix horses. And I’m starting to see little glimpses of that,” she said. “Like I tell my students, you have to keep chopping the wood, and Denali is a beautiful example of how that works. Working with Monica and Christine—the absolute best of the best—and having that same thread of committing to proper, good riding and just keep chopping at the wood was incredible. You never know what might happen.”

USDF bronze and silver medalist Hannah Irons also rode a young mount at this year’s conference—5-year-old Westphalian gelding Ein Traum owned by Irons Sporthorses, LLC. Traurig helped her get “E.T.” more soft and supple in his body to improve his forward motion and get him more in front of her leg.

Traurig helped Hannah Irons get her 5-year-old Westphalian gelding Ein Traum more supple and in front of her leg. ©Alana Harrison

“When he’s behind the leg and isn’t supple, it’s like you’re just kicking against a block in the font. So once I get him more through his poll he could be a little more self-going and willing,” Irons explained. “Christine has developed so many young horses for this country, it was really good to get her opinion on where he is now and looking toward the future and what basics we need to develop collection down the road or what would be your piaffe transition down the road.”

Additional Takeaways from the 2025 USDF Trainers’ Conference

  • The pre-existing condition for the half halt is that the horse unconditionally and willingly responds to the leg to take energy into the half halt. The closing of the fist is the net that captures the energy in that moment. This neutralizes the effect of contact in half halt and recycles the energy back through the topline and into the hindquarters.
  • There are many roads to Rome. Choose the one that’s right for your horse. This requires a little bit of trial and error because every horse is different.
Amy Bradley rode her horse, the loudly colored 8-year-old Oldenburg gelding I Spy. ©Alana Harrison
  • Always consider your horse’s age and stage of training and adjust your expectations. Submission is willingness to cooperate, but what creates the willingness to cooperate? Obedience. All of this must be done in relation to the horse’s age and stage of training.
  • Ride forward but don’t run. Your horse must be active but also relaxed. Push to help your horse achieve more overtrack without getting faster.
  • It is your responsibility as a rider to address your horse’s strengths and weaknesses. Every horse has a soft side and stiff side, and it’s our job to deal with that. Always start with the easier direction to make it more comfortable for your horse. 
Neve Myburgh rode her 7-year-old DSP mare Firiet. ©Alana Harrison
  • Put your horse in front of the leg. You can’t do half halts or movements—or anything—if your horse isn’t in front of you. To that end, don’t push all the time or give too many leg or spur aids. If you use the leg all the time, the horse thinks, “Does she mean it or not? I don’t know. It doesn’t matter.” Instead, give a little impulse with your leg and then open your legs. Take your legs away and keep them long.
  • Be consequent. In other words, from precise and correct aids, your horse should give you a precise, correct response. Don’t discuss or argue the point. Instead, repeat it until your horse understands. 
  • To straighten your horse, think of putting him in alignment from the poll to the tail, and keep his neck in the center of his shoulders.
  • Remember the specific role of each rein. The inside rein indicates direction, the outside rein executes direction.
Olivia LaGoy-Weltz rode Mary Anne McPhail’s 10-year-old Hanoverian mare Fade To Black at this year’s conference. ©Alana Harrison
  • Do not underestimate the value of a 20-meter circle. The work toward half pass actually begins on the 20-meter circle. This is because you are dictating the placement of the forehand in front of the hind end.
  • The horse should consider the exercises easy and keep the joy and eagerness throughout his training. For that reason it is paramount that when we teach the horse lateral movements, we thoroughly prepare him and ask only for a few steps at the beginning. This is to ensure that he doesn’t lose his balance and get tense, but instead experiences something positive on which we can build in the future training.

For More on the USDF Trainers’ Conference:

  • To read more about the horse-and-rider combinations who participated in the the 2025 USDF Trainers’ Conference, click here.
  • For a behind-the-scenes glimpse of this year’s conference, click here.
  • Coming soon: Watch the full conference for top tips and training exercises from Traurig and Theodorescu on EQUESTRIAN+.
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