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Cavalletti Croft

Professionals and amateurs combine to provide lovely sport horse options for riders of all ages and levels. Located in Indiana.

22/05/2026

Rebecca Jones and Excuse My Frence raking in the Take2 points at Tryon International Equestrian Center yesterday. Second Stride, Inc. graduate

18/05/2026

Sometimes it really is Rainbows and Butterflies! Thank you to Grove Station for letting us haul in and school on this lovely Sunday. We love a good field trip!!!

14/03/2026

When you start the day schooling with Thing 1 and Thing 2....you begin to wonder...if you do have a type!

16/02/2026

A fabulous weekend at our first show of the regular season! Derbies, Classics, Medals oh my.... New horses, new heights, new skills unlocked! Bring on 2026! The year of

25/01/2026

Lovely IEA show today, hosted by Carolina Ridge . High School Team were Reserve Champions! Middle School Riders Lucy and Mackenzie qualified for Regionals. What a great group of riders this new team is turning into; hard working; thoughtful and a joy to work with! Going Places!

18/12/2025

REACH OUT TO US FOR MORE INFO. HORSES AVAILABLE IF YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR OWN!

15/11/2025

When trainer Geoff Case watches riders flatting their horses, he sees a lot of the same thing: people lapping the ring, zoning out, and missing a huge opportunity. “It’s one of my biggest pet peeves,” Case said. “People just go around the outside, staring off into space. That’s not riding. That’s exercise.”

In Case’s eyes, flatwork isn’t just something to do when you’re not jumping—it’s where you actually become a better rider.

To Case, a good flat session should feel like a jumping round. “You should be riding lines, bending, adjusting your rhythm,” he said. “Every step is a chance to make something better.”

He encourages riders to ride patterns and turns with purpose. “Don’t just stay on the rail,” he said. “Use the whole ring. Make a circle, ride across the diagonal, do transitions in different places. Ride like you’re setting up for a jump.”

That kind of thinking builds skills that directly transfer to the show ring. “When you ride with that much attention, the horse gets sharper, you get straighter, and suddenly your distances show up easier,” he said.

The flat, he added, is where you learn timing, balance, and control without the distraction of fences. “If you can’t organize yourself between the jumps, you won’t do it over them either.”

For Case, good riding starts with details: straightness, rhythm, transitions, and connection. The riders who stand out to him in the warm-up ring are the ones who treat flatwork like an art form, not an afterthought.

“You can tell the difference between someone who’s just getting around and someone who’s actually training,” he said. “It’s in the way they ride their corners, how they prepare for a transition, how the horse looks in the bridle.”

That difference shows up in competition. “When you’re in the ring, it’s too late to be figuring those things out,” he said. “If you’ve already practiced being precise on the flat, it’s automatic when you’re showing.”

Case also pointed out that judges can spot the riders who do their homework. “Even in a jumping round, you can tell who spends time on the flat,” he said. “Their horses are balanced and adjustable. It’s obvious.”

Many riders, especially less experienced ones, rely on the rail for security or spacing. Case urges them to break that habit. “The rail becomes a crutch,” he said. “You stop steering, you stop thinking. You let the wall do the work for you.”

Instead, he suggests riding off the track, staying a few feet inside the rail to keep both you and your horse accountable. “When you come off the wall, suddenly you have to ride,” he said. “You’ve got to keep your line straight, keep the horse between your leg and hand, and make the turns yourself.”

At first, this can feel uncomfortable, but that’s exactly the point. “It’s supposed to feel different,” Case explained. “That’s how you know you’re actually doing something.”

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2025/11/15/get-off-the-rail-creativity-and-focus-in-flatwork/
📸 © The Plaid Horse

18/10/2025

When a round goes poorly, it’s tempting for riders to shrug and say, “I’m just not talented enough.” The idea that natural ability separates the great riders from everyone else has been around forever. But Geoff Teall argues that this belief is not only false—it’s dangerous.

Most riders have fallen back on the excuse of lacking talent at one point or another. It’s an easy way to relieve pressure when things aren’t going well. As Teall puts it, “Lack of talent is a great stress reliever. It allows you to say things like, ‘I didn’t do that right. It’s not because I’m not trying hard, it’s because I’m not talented.’”

The problem with this mindset is that it creates a false barrier to improvement. If talent is all that matters, then there’s no point in trying harder or practicing longer. You either have it, or you don’t. Teall dismisses this as a “ridiculous excuse.”

In Teall’s philosophy, “talent is so unimportant when compared to interest, when compared to desire, and when compared to hard work.” A disciplined rider with modest natural ability will almost always surpass a gifted rider who lacks focus and consistency.

This is because riding, at its core, is about repetition, discipline, and refinement. Correct position, independent hands, balance, and feel aren’t bestowed at birth. They are developed through hours of practice. Riders who commit themselves to mastering the basics methodically are the ones who end up achieving the most.

Discipline, in Teall’s view, is the great equalizer. It’s not glamorous, and it doesn’t make for dramatic breakthroughs overnight. But it’s what keeps riders drilling the fundamentals, fixing bad habits, and returning to the saddle day after day, even when progress feels slow.

Discipline also shows up in the rider’s mindset. A disciplined rider doesn’t let frustration boil over in the schooling ring. They don’t look for shortcuts or gimmicks. They know that equitation isn’t about doing flashy things, but about doing the simple things, like keeping a steady pace or following softly with the hands, better than anyone else.

Teall emphasizes that “drive and determination are enormously leveling factors.” This is particularly encouraging for the average rider who may not fit the ideal body type, have limitless financial backing, or possess the innate “feel” that others seem to show.

A rider who truly wants to improve—is willing to put in the work—will often outpace a peer who relies only on raw ability. The sport rewards persistence. Every hour spent practicing correct position, every lesson spent refining basics, builds toward the rider’s long-term success.

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2025/10/15/talent-vs-hard-work-what-really-creates-great-riders/
📸 © Heather N. Photography

11/10/2025

:

Is there a thing your instructor is always telling you? It’s possible she’s always telling it to you because you’re not fixing it, or you’re not fixing it enough. Is she always telling you to shorten your reins? Try focusing on making them TOO short. Is she always telling you to go more forward? Try going TOO forward. And do you always pop your elbows out? Try and bury your elbows into your ribcage, and take your hands too far apart. What feels like too much to you might actually be the right spot, because feel lies to us all the time. And worse case scenario you overcorrect, and then your instructor can rein you back in.

(But your instructor will be delighted to work on something else, because I’m sure she’s tired of repeating it!)

26/09/2025

Starting our morning with a Derby Clinic at South Carolina Equine Park. Rebecca Jones and Excuse My French ready to put in the work! ( Second Stride, Inc. ).

Address

421 Piedmont Hwy

29673-8542

Website

http://www.cavalletticroft.com/

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