In this week’s Dressage Today Podcast sponsored by Purina, we talked to Amy Bradley Swerdlin. During her podcast debut, new co-host Stephany Fish Crossman joined Aviva to interview Amy, who was the 2024 Grand Prix Champion at U.S. Equestrian’s Dressage Festival of Champions last August in Wayne, Illinois. The USDF bronze, silver and gold medalist also earned her gold and silver Freestyle Bars and is a USEF “R” Dressage Judge.
Like many of us, Amy got her start in horses through Pony Club and gravitated toward dressage early on in her riding career. After taking a hiatus from riding during college, she returned to the sport with enthusiasm.
We talked to Amy about her journey with Quiliuete, who’s been her partner from his birth to Grand Prix excellence and everything in between and asked her about the challenges of managing a breeding program while also maintaining a competition schedule. The dressage powerhouse was also candid about how she learned to overcome competition nerves with solid training, humor and simply understanding that horses are horses and every day can be very different.
Additionally, Stephany and Aviva chat about what’s been happening in their lives, including Stephany’s first Rider Retreat and Aviva overcoming her own show jitters. They also discuss the latest L question from a reader regarding the judge’s comments about her pony’s poll being too low, and Aviva provides several excellent ideas to consider.
About This Podcast’s Sponsor: Purina
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