One of the common mistakes we face in dressage competitions up to the Olympic level are horses with a tendency to amble or amble completely….What is the cause of the ruined walk and where does the evil have it’s roots? Undoubtedly, in a hard, backward-operating hand that leads to an equitation where forced submission dominates … More Problems in walk 2
During a dressage clinic I once gave in Canada, I met a rider whose horse was ridden with a strong contact and constraint. The horse was pacing (losing the four-beat rhythm of the steps) in the walk. To improve the situation, I asked him to ride his horse in a shoulder-in at the walk. The … More Problems in walk
I ran across this video of a now rarely practiced form of classical Dressage performance. If you are not completely impressed by the time, training and communication it takes to do this, then you still have a lot to learn about horses and Dressage! This is a beautiful display of the art that Dressage can be, … More Ecole Portugaise d’Art Equestre – Long Reins
Most important is love of the horse. It is the leitmotiv that should underlie all our intercourse with this most lovable of creatures. A horse will overcome its inborn shyness and gain confidence, the fundamental condition of mutual understanding, with a man whose love it feels….Anyone who loves his horse will be patient, and patience, inexhaustible … More Love of the horse
I was watching some of the video from last week’s Dressage at Aachen, and I was struck by the almost manic nature of the top rides. It’s hard to imagine that there is any actual collection going on in these rides, with the speed at which they almost crash through all of the movements! Totilas … More Where’s the Fire?!
A sack of money alone is not sufficient to create a rider. In fact, nothing contributes more to facilitating the riding horse’s overuse and increasing the demand for its replacement. And so, the downward spiral of horsemanship is driven even deeper while causing the already high prices of horses to escalate more. One must have … More A Sack of Money …
Horse Crazy Once Again 