Calendar of Events - New England Dressage Association

Join the NEDA moderators and Jaralyn Gibson to discuss contact, what the horses are saying, and how to listen to the horses from the rider and judges' perspective.

​A life-long rider, Jaralyn was fortunate to learn from some of the best, who put horse welfare first and taught the highest standards of horsemanship. Jaralyn has developed her training approaches over 40 years of effort, education, competition and practice. 

Jaralyn’s focus on dressage began as a working student with US Team rider Arlene “Tuny” Page  in 1994 and 1996 in Hamilton, Massachusetts.  Jaralyn has been coached by many talented trainers thereafter; William Warren FEI*** judge (2004-present), Conrad Schumacher (2005-present) and Scott Hassler (2010-present). Jaralyn’s  early teachers include Lainey Johnson, for whom she cleaned stalls to earn rides on school horses at beloved Mainstone Stable and who is today her best friend and mentor.  Also the exceptional coaching staff at Skidmore College from 1991 to 1995, where Jaralyn was a member of the National Champion Varsity Equitation Team.

Jaralyn has earned all USDF Medals with Distinction; Gold (2011), Silver (2007) Bronze (2005) and the Gold Freestyle Bar (2012). Jaralyn has helped more than 80 clients since starting her full time training business in 2007, with many long term, invested relationships. Jaralyn loves helping students earn their USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals, and setting annual goals from learning to sit the trot to qualifying for Regional Championships. While the bulk of her clients have been adult amateurs and professionals, Jaralyn is particularly proud of her young riders and working students. 

Prior to being a full-time trainer,  Jaralyn  had two rewarding careers and during both she trained and competed horses for clients.  Using her BA in Government from Skidmore, Jaralyn worked for NOW-NYS, Inc. as Director of Governmental Affairs, helping to manage and lobby for the 30,000 member women’s rights organization from 1997 to 2000.  Jaralyn intended to pursue law school, with acceptances to multiple institutions, but was recruited by the founders of SmartPak Equine, LLC in 2000 and joined them as the fourth employee as Marketing Manager. After 6 amazing years growing this start-up, Jaralyn resigned as the Vice President of New Business Development and launched her full time training business, Finesse Dressage LLC, based in Poolesville, MD in 2007.

 Finesse Dressage has evolved into a boutique training stable, with a farm in Loxahatchee, FL at White Fences for the winter and southern Virginia in the summers.  Jaralyn and her life-partner (and farrier!) Joseph Hubschman have an amazing son William and family time has become an important aspect of everyday life with the horses since William’s arrival in 2018.

The NEDA Know How webinar series runs every Thursday evening from 7:30pm-8:30pm in January, February, and March. NEDA members can access previously recorded sessions under the "multimedia" dropdown in their member portal.

Shannon Dueck is a lifelong equestrian who moved to New England from Vancouver in 1997 to get closer to great dressage opportunities. She has represented Canada internationally at the Pan Ams, WEG and the World Cup on self-trained horses, and coaches internationally as well. She now resides in Loxahatchee Florida where she runs Dueck Dressage Training and is lucky enough to count Carl Hester as one of her coaches. Shannon's sessions with NEDA Know How are always incredibly thorough and highly rated- she last discussed this topic with our membership five years ago, but it wasn't a recorded session. We are grateful that she's willing to return again to discuss this with us, and hope you're able to join!

The NEDA Know How webinar series runs every Thursday evening from 7:30pm-8:30pm in January, February, and March. NEDA members can access previously recorded sessions under the "multimedia" dropdown in their member portal.

Shannon Pratt-Phillips, PhD, received her Master of Science from the University of Kentucky and her Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Guelph, focusing on equine nutrition and exercise physiology. Pratt-Phillips joined the faculty at North Carolina State University in 2006, where she currently teaches equine nutrition in the Department of Animal Science. She is the director of the Distance Education Animal Science Programs, which includes the Master of Animal Science program, and her field of research focuses on glucose metabolism, insulin resistance, obesity, and laminitis prevention and management in horses. She is also the owner of Phillips Equine Nutritional Services, a consulting service.

The NEDA Know How webinar series runs every Thursday evening from 7:30pm-8:30pm in January, February, and March. NEDA members can access previously recorded sessions under the "multimedia" dropdown in their member portal.

A student of Lendon Gray in college, Lauren competed three times at the North American Young Rider Championships, earning Team Bronze in 2003, and Team Gold in 2005, placing as high as fifth individually. She was also successful in the U25 ranks, qualifying three horses for the National Championships, including one made completely from scratch, all before her 25th birthday.

With a semester while in college spent working for 3 time Olympic Gold Medalist Monica Theodorescu and her Olympian father Georg, Lauren knew horses were more than just her passion – they were to be her career. Upon graduating from Sarah Lawrence College with studies in Public Policy and Urban Planning, Lauren spent a year as a working student for several exceptional trainers, including Olympic Bronze Medalist Carol Lavell, before setting up her own business in Marshall, Virginia in the fall of 2007.

Lauren currently rides with Olympic Bronze Medalist Allison Brock.

In addition to riding and training, Lauren has become a popular social media figure. She is an extremely popular blogger for national equestrian magazine The Chronicle Of The Horse, and writes regularly for magazines like Dressage Today and Practical Horseman. She also has an avid following on Facebook and Twitter, and is particularly gifted at promoting her sponsors in creative ways, through marketing campaigns both online and at her Virginia and Florida locations.
The NEDA Know How webinar series runs every Thursday evening from 7:30pm-8:30pm in January, February, and March. NEDA members can access previously recorded sessions under the "multimedia" dropdown in their member portal.