An Interview with Kim Herslow Dressage
Oftentimes horse owners and riders talk about their “heart horse”, who they love, connect or enjoy riding the most. For some that is their first horse, some their 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.. Some may even call multiple horses their “heart horse”.
Let’s face it, as a horse person and animal lover we all have big hearts. Did you ever wonder what makes that horse your “heart horse”? Maybe that horse is not determined by how much love we have for them, but how blessed we are to have a horse with that much love for us.
Kim Herslow’s “heart horse”, Rosmarin (aka “Reno”), had so much try, effort, and love for Kim. Although their journey together wasn’t nearly as long as they both would have hoped, Reno took Kim to the stars in 2015 with multiple personal bests to win Gold on the Pan American Games Dressage Team.
Kim Herslow, Steffen Peters, Sabine Schut-Kery,
Laura Graves
Introduction to the Equine Industry:
Kim’s passion for horses started at a young age. Growing up with her Dad at drag races, he had a huge influence on her driven and motivated nature that she then applied to horses. Her energy and commitment is a testament to her success through the hunter jumper ring, college, going pro, building her business, and training grand prix dressage horses.
Lessons and Love from Reno:
Within the first few minutes of sitting on Reno, who was 3 years old at the time, in Germany, Kim knew he was the one. She immediately fell in love with his presence, balance, power, softness, and most of all heart. As their partnership grew and grew through the levels, Kim and Reno found themselves chosen for the European Tour and later Pan American Games in 2015. Kim emphasized how much she valued her relationship with Reno on the ground. Whether that was grooming, hand walking, or massaging Reno in his stall, their relationship flourished and didn’t go unnoticed down centerline.
Just as with Reno, Kim prioritizes her personal relationship with her horses and truly believes that horses thrive when they have a one on one focused relationship with their rider. She feels that oftentimes “everyone is rushing and horses pay the price”. Kim encourages her clients to groom their own horses and spend quality time with them to know what they may need and how they may feel. “As a rider, you’re only as good as your horse”. Whether that be addressing relationship development, emotional, or physical issues, you must prioritize every detail of their well being to find success as a team. By spending the extra time with your horse on the ground you can learn to recognize small mannerisms that may reveal big messages.
Healthy Feed Changes:
It is our job as horse owners to make the best decision or necessary change for our horses, but sometimes changes come when we least expect it. After experiencing some supply chain issues with her old feed, Kim began researching. What could have been an easy switch to something similar turned into a whole new chapter for her and horses. After much research into non-GMO and no soy feeds, Kim began feeding Daily Dose Equine non-GMO real horse feeds and balancers this past spring and has seen incredible results. Their variety of feeds has allowed Kim’s horses from young, to old, to pre-cushings develop smoother toplines, healthier muscle growth, and a streamlined look.
Daily Dose Equine gets their Grade A oats from Canada, and barley in PA. Their expertise allows them to create balanced formulas for every type of horse as well as textured feeds to meet each horse’s need. Now sponsored by Daily Dose Equine, Kim finds confidence in knowing where her feed is grown and how it is produced, so her horses eat and feel like the best of the best.
