Mrs Catherine Respess

From Catherine:

"I spent years in the barn scribbling notes in my calendar or personal diaries. I even started a couple of blogs. The habit caught on from my high school work-study program that required a semester of observations about training my horse for course credit. I still have that journal and it’s great to look back on how much I’ve learned!

Over the years, my journals evolved from those disorganized scribbles and my observations began to improve. A whole new world of equine knowledge emerged for me. Even though my entries frequently help me track progress and make decisions about my horse, I thought there had to be a journal that could help me organize and delve even deeper into my training as a horsewoman.

After researching and experimenting with many styles of journals, I couldn’t find a perfect solution. I decided to create The Equestrian Journal as a way for you and me to strengthen our partnership with our horses, develop our awareness, and fulfill our potential."

Background:

Horses remained a constant in Catherine’s life as her ministerial family was relocated regularly. Switching trainers opened Catherine to many styles of riding and instruction, cultivating a passion for learning. Dressage, in particular, held a strong attraction, and by high school, Catherine moved to her trainer’s dressage training and equine importation facility. Catherine began riding 10 horses a day - gleaning her education from the wide variety of talented horses - green to Grand Prix. Upon graduating from high school early, Catherine moved to Wellington, Florida in order to train, compete, and sell horses before attending college at Emory University.

At Emory, Catherine worked with other students to launch the university’s first equestrian team. As the team developed and began competing, Catherine was elected Captain. Her senior year, she proudly earned the club's highest awards - 1st in Regionals, 2nd in Zones, and finally, 10th in the Nation in 2004.

After college, Catherine returned to the warmblood importation business for 2 years. Always one to crave a challenge, Catherine began playing polo for fun and quickly found herself teaching lessons and tuning horses for optimal play. A critical moment in her riding career, polo allowed Catherine to cultivate a more intuitive feel for dressage principles. With her new appreciation for balanced power, coordination, & lightness, Catherine started Red Mare design + equestrian in 2008. As reputed, red mares are often strong willed and challenging to train. The patience and creativity required to train such an animal permeates Catherine's approach to all projects.

Catherine has been fortunate to train with many Dressage Masters, including, but not limited to: Jessica Jo Tate, Charles de Kunffy, Mary Wanless, Bent Jensen, Betsy Steiner, Tina Konyot, Heather Blitz, Laura Klecker, & Stephanie Mosley.

A yoga enthusiast, Catherine incorporates breath work & visualizations to the practice of Dressage, creating a deeper connection to the horse. Each training horse is evaluated physically & emotionally, often receiving massage, stretching, and Kinesio taping as part of a session. Long-lining also plays a strong role in Catherine's program. Journal writing is key to processing observations and experiences from the various components of a training program.