For any of you who have ever ridden dressage in a show, you know all about the layers you're required to wear.

First of all your have an under-layer. The show shirts are just so thin that you can see right through them. I always wear a layer underneath my shirt in case the show officials decide to wave the show jackets.

The second layer is your show shirt. This is my favorite layer. It's light and simple but, I think we should lose the buttons! They take forever to do up.

The next layer is your puffy and annoying stock-tie. This layer always makes me crazy. You attach your stock pin to it. The tie is the same color as your shirt and in my opinion, is an unnecessary layer. You could always just attach the pin to your shirt collar and not have to worry about the stock-tie.

The final layer is the dreaded show jacket. It's black and heavy. You always have to wear them unless it's too hot outside. (This usually means it's so hot that you could get heat stroke.) Or, if you have my kind of luck at your next show, you'll ride your test and as soon as you finish riding the show officials will decide to wave jackets due to the heat. It seems like I always end up wearing mine.

Now, to top it all off you have to tuck your show shirt into your stiff white full-seat breaches.(Who ever thought of white riding pants must have never actually dealt with horses that get dirty.)

The show jacket however, hangs over the pants and doesn't have to be tucked in. After you're all dressed and you go to get on your horse and you have to deal with tight pants. Before I get on I bend at my knees and stretch my pants out as much as possible. Then, I lift my foot into the stirrup, and I fling my whole body up and land as softly as possible in the saddle. I'm getting better and my pants are getting more flexible. But, I do have to cheat and stand up on a bucket every once in a while. It's a good thing that these strict dress rules only apply to dressage.

From women's bras to lingerie to swimwear, everything follows the fashion bug. Since long, women have closely followed fashion jewelry and avoided places where wholesale handbags or shoes or clothes have been sold. However, this is the age of novelty. That means stop going to sunglass hut to buy only the top-branded sunglasses and experiment.

These are photos from Keiki's second dressage training session.

Keiki's one of our ranch horses. We adore her. She's never done dressage, but she's so smart and talented, we wanted to see if she liked it. She picked up on things really fast. We worked on shoulder in, spiraling out, general suppleness, leads, etc. She seemed to really like it. She has beautiful movement. We think she was proud of herself. We know we were! (Thanks Cara, for all the help!)

While leaving for golf vacations, people often forget all about golf shoes. However, now thanks to golf clubs, not only can you buy your golf things from there, but you baseball bats as well as basketball equipment too.

Our past few dressage lessons have been so great. Moon has been so good! I think we're on a roll. I hope so, because we have a show this weekend and if his dressage during the show is like what we've been doing at home I'll be so happy.

Also, I just have to pass this on. Our new trainer, Kestas is from Lithuania. He has a friend named Ugne who has been helping out at our barn this summer. She has ridden all of the horses, including Moon, and the other day she said, "Moon is just so lovely. I love riding him."

Yep, that's my baby!

Image by FlamingText.com

We saw this show over the weekend. It was incredible. We actually sat on the floor, in seats that were about 5 to 10 feet away from the horses. The horses were gorgeous.

The Lipizzaner Stallions are on their 37th Anniversary Tour in 2007. In 1970, Producer Gary Lashinsky created a new family arena attraction, starring The "World Famous" LIPIZZANER STALLIONS.

Many horses and riders were brought from Europe to perform in this unique family oriented arena attraction. Over the years, twenty-three million people throughout North and South America, Great Britain, Europe, Australia and Hawaii have seen this internationally acclaimed spectacle.

2007 represents the 37th Anniversary season of The Lipizzaner Stallions. All new music, choreography and routines have been incorporated in this anniversary edition with a major emphasis on the historical background and foundation of the Lipizzaner breed, from its original breeding and use as a horse of war to a horse of nobility and aristocracy to a living form of equestrian art. The show emulates the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, Austria, in its presentation of Lipizzans, and maintains a traditional as well as entertaining performance similar in many ways to what you would see at the Spanish Riding School of Vienna.

Also included in the performance is a segment called the "Airs Above the Ground." These are the spectacular leaps and maneuvers, once used by riders in saddle to protect and defend themselves on the battlefield, which are now preserved as an equestrian work of art. When you see the Lipizzans perform, it is like stepping back four hundred years and viewing one of the greatest equine ballets in history.

The Lipizzan is a rare and unique breed; its history and culture is known worldwide. The Walt Disney movie The Miracle of the White Stallions, depicting General George S. Patton saving them at the end of World War II from certain extinction, created an even greater world-wide interest in the Lipizzaner breed. Had it not been for Patton, there would be no Lipizzans today.

Although the Lipizzans star in this presentation, the ancestral forefather of the Lipizzan, the Spanish Andalusian, is featured in a high school presentation with special wardrobe themed to traditional Spanish music.

Not only is the Andalusian shown in saddle, but also in a unique presentation where the rider performs all the maneuvers of the Grand Prix Olympic level dressage on the longline, while walking behind the horse and guiding him through his paces.

The current tour features 12 to 14 stallions performing selected maneuvers as described above in an exciting presentation.

The conclusion of the performance of The Lipizzaner Stallions is the traditional Grand Quadrille, featuring six to eight Lipizzaner Stallions with their riders performing an intricate, equine ballet, exhibiting maneuvers through the highest level of dressage. The Lipizzans prance, march and intricately weave their way across the floor to the music of the Masters in a spectacular ballet of four-footed white dancers.

Harkening back to time when the horse was a symbol of grace and majesty, the Lipizzaner Stallions are truly a great experience to be enjoyed by the entire family. One does not need to be a horse lover to enjoy "The Equestrian Treat of the Century"!