August: Riley Whittaker, Norwell, MA

Hello, I am Riley Whittaker, a Western Dressage youth competitor. I earned the WDAA Youth Educational Scholarship, made available by a grant from US Equestrian.   I used this scholarship to be a participant in the Sean Patrick Horsemanship Clinic at Mountain Lane Farm on October 4th-6th. I brought my 6-year-old Oakley to Temple NH for a long weekend experience. In this clinic we worked on groundwork, softness, haunches in, turn on the forehand, lateral work, leg yields and many other important things to help further my horsemanship.   I improved on slowing down and correctly teaching the basics, along with helping my horse further with new teaching aids. By receiving the chance to participate in this clinic, I was able to create a stronger partnership with my horse and create better teaching aids. This is important as a Western Dressage competitor as I was able to harmonize with my horse better and learn new techniques to further myself and my horses’ advancement through the levels.   I want to say thank you to the WDAA Educational Scholarship for this amazing opportunity!

Riley Whittaker - Whit Acres Farm