Silverado Sunday Horsemanship Star Presenters The Double Dans signed out from EQUITANA 2024 surrounding themselves with fellow stars and – of course – an eye-catching stunt to boot.
After entrancing the crowd with absolute gems of wisdom on how to start a horse for liberty, with key foundations that transfer across all disciplines.

The Double Dans were keen to showcase the evolution of their horsemanship and again thanked the mentors who had been part of the journey that had got them to where they were today.

Dan James brought in a lovely little palomino on its first off farm outing to show how to start a horse for liberty. He talked through the process of the four major steps and underlined the importance of creating the partnership.

“It’s all about relationships,” he said.

The early ground work was crucial in setting the stage for the years to come.

“These baby steps are setting up correct posture and form for the future,” said Dan Steers. “It looks slow and tedious but without all the pieces in place you won’t get the end product and style you need.”

And there were plenty of transfers between work on the ground and under saddle. “It’s the transfer of cues,” he said.

The Dans gave a real insight into the transfer of those cues.

Joining the Dans in the main arena were fellow star presenters world no.2 eventer Tim Price, Germany based Australian dressage trainer Will Rogers, horseman Warwick Schiller, Aussie dressage great Brett Parbery, and Grand Pavilion MC Tim Dreverman along with mini Milo.

The Dans sat a horse on either side of a giant bean bag sat and stood the stars alongside them with Tim Price jumping a horse through the middle.

It was an entertaining and somewhat crazy end to the Double Dan Masterclass.