Welcome to Capriole Farm.
Capriole Farm is a premier equestrian facility located in beautiful Buck Valley, Pennsylvania which is an hour west of Frederick, Maryland, an hour north of Winchester, Virginia and only 35 minutes west of Hagerstown, Maryland convenient to Interstate 70. We are focused on the classical training of horse and rider with an Olympic size indoor riding arena with excellent footing, spacious rolling paddocks and safe well ventilated stabling designed with the rider in mind as well as excellent farrier and veterinary care.
Capriole Farm is also a breeding farm of World Class Oldenburg horses. We have exceptional mares that we breed to world famous stallions to produce horses of the highest quality with good temperament and high ride ability and trainability as well as beautiful and correct conformation and superb movement for the amateur or professional Dressage, Hunter or Jumper Rider.
We have produced two stallions, one of which we stand here at Capriole Farm. The spectacular Sandro Class by Sandro Hit and out of our fabulous mare World Class. This tremendous mare also produced the remarkable stallion Don De Marco who is by Donnerwetter, the sire of the great stallion Donnerhall.
Our devotion and dedication to producing the highest quality horse also includes every aspect of their care and proper upbringing. With proper nutrition and correct handling and training, we give our young horses the strong foundation that will help you to achieve your goals in your riding career.
We invite you to come and experience for yourself the beauty and serenity of Capriole Farm and find the horse of your dreams as well as learning to be the best rider you can be.
Paul Belasik is a highly respected international rider, trainer, writer and teacher, and an avowed proponent of classical equestrian ideals.
A graduate of Cornell University, Belasik has ridden and trained horses and riders at every level in dressage, from young horses to beyond Grand Prix. He also has had extensive experience training and competing in eventing, which encompassed the early part of his career, before turning solely to his first and true love of classical dressage. Belasik has sought wisdom from great riding masters such as Dr. HLM van Schaik and Nuno Oliveira, and his wide-ranging studies include the concepts of Zen Buddhism and martial arts.
That there is still a thirst for 'the wider picture' is evident in the reception given to Belasik's trilogy, Riding Towards the Light, Exploring Dressage Technique and Songs of Horses. These books have already gained Belasik a large and appreciative international following. In these books he proved himself unique among equestrian writers in that he has the ability to weave the academic, the artistic, the spiritual and the physical into an enthralling narrative with universal appeal. Whether the reader was a novice, one-horse owner or an international trainer there was something to think about, something to be gained from every page.
In 2002, Belasik produced a major work-Dressage for the 21st Century-that covers all aspects of riding and training and marries a genuine adherence to classical principles with modern thinking. Drawing analogies from a wide range of arts, science, and philosophies, and firmly grounded in the works of the equestrian masters, this is nevertheless an extremely practical book that takes the reader from early work with the young horse to the airs above the ground. The beautiful photographs demonstrate that not only is Belasik someone who can teach it, he can do it as well. In 2009, his sixth book-A Search for Collection-was published. In a review for Dressage Today magazine, Mary Daniels wrote, "This book is a tour de force, topping what else he has done, as it is so deep and encompassing as much as a philosophy of living one's life authentically as it is about training horses to the ultimate level of collection."
Paul Belasik gives clinics, lectures, and demonstrations internationally, and trains a wide cross-section of clients at his Pennsylvania Riding Academy at Lost Hollow Farm, where in particular, his celebrated short courses concentrating on the rider's position have brought him acclaim from students from all over the world. Belasik has helped all levels of riders from all around the world for over thirty years. They are a diverse group as members of various national and international equestrian teams, a North American Endurance Champion, Handicapped champions, as well as riders of various levels with no interest in competition. His training methods focus not only on the practical, physical point of view, but also with a keen eye toward the artistic, scientific, and philosophical components of horsemanship as well.
Sandro Class has been licensed for breeding with the German Oldenburg Verband (GOV) and the RPSI. He has completed his 30 DAY Stallion Performance Test at Silver Creek Farm and received very high scores. Look for him next to compete in the 5 Year Old FEI Young Horse classes. His first foal crop resulted in 100% Premium foals. Sandro Class is on his way to becoming an outstanding stallion for the United States.
After winning his 3 Year Old Colts/Geldings Class with a score of 81.7%, Sandro Class went on to win Reserve Champion in the Colt Championship Class and also won for the second time this year the Born in the USA Award.
Sir Sylvester won his 2 Year Old Colts/Geldings Class with a score of 79.3% and was Reserve Champion in the Colts Championship Class the first day of showing. Then on the second day he was second in his 2 Year Old Colts/Geldings Class with a score of 78.1% and then won the Colts Championship Class and the Young Horse Championship and was Reserve Grand Champion of the show.
Sandro Class won his 3 Year Old Colts/Geldings Class both days with scores of 75.8% and 81.4%. He was 3rd in the Colts/Geldings Championship Class and was the winner of the Born in the USA Breeders Award.
Sir Sylvester at Dressage at Devon where he placed 3rd in the Yearling Colts/Geldings Class. He was awarded the 2007 USDF All Breed Dressage Sport Horse Breeding Reserve Champion in the Oldenburg Horse Breeders Society NA Division of the GOV.