Trips to Florida are not a rarity in my family. I have grandparents and great-grandparents that have lived down there for many years.
It wasn’t until about 9 months ago that I realized that there were more then just hunter and jumper trainers in Wellington. Surprisingly, the number of fantastic dressage trainers in Wellington is very high. Some names you may have heard of are Laura Graves, Caroline Roffman, Mikala Gundersen, etc.
I first decided to ride in Welly when my Dad asked me where I wanted to go for spring break in April of 2016. The thing that popped in my mind was riding down there. He gave me the go ahead and so I started to make my lessons. Of course I needed to find a good trainer and facility to ride at. Lauren Knopp at IDA Farm was immediately my choice. I have looked up to her and her accomplishments since I found her on instagram in November of 2015. As soon as I could, I sent her an email about everything and she was so kind in her responses.
That trip was one for a lifetime and I knew that I would keep coming back. Lauren was so inviting and kind to me. So, of course when I was given another opportunity to ride in Wellington, I chose Lauren.
This year, I was coming down with my Mom to Fort. Meyers to visit my great grandparents on her side. When given to chance to choose two places I wanted to go, I decided on Disney World and Wellington. Disney because it’s Disney and why not? And Wellington to visit one of my favorite people.
When we arrived at IDA, I was lightly raining but nothing to really be concerned about. So, we proceeded like usual and tacked up, ready for our ride. Over the course of about 15 minutes, the rain went from trickling out of the sky, to hurricane like wind and lightning. At first, we thought that Kenny would be fine but, he became spooked at a very big and loud lightning strike. By then, we decided to hop off and wait out the 45 minute storm.
Since Kenny was still a bit spooked, Lauren allowed me to ride one of her horses, Red. During my trip in April, Red came to Lauren for resale, so it was bittersweet to be able to see and ride him. After just one ride, I was in love. He is super sweet and so forgiving in the saddle. With some great trot work and amazing canter work, it truly was a ride to remember.
Big thanks to Lauren for being so welcoming and furthering my education with horses. You can find her information on her website laurenknoppdressage.com.
Until next time preps,
Sydney
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