If you hang around the classical Dressage crowd for any length of time, you will hear someone say something to this effect: “Horses already know how to do the movements, in the field; training only consists of teaching them to do them with a rider added.” It might also be slightly modified to include “on … More What is the goal of training?
We interrupt your regularly scheduled program … I promised that my next post would be more information on sculpting the equine body, but I confess that time has not been in abundance this week, so that is still in draft. However, having just spent a lovely day listening to Christoph Ackermann teach, I wanted to … More A Day With Christoph Ackermann
A Facebook friend recently posed the question as to why so many people enjoy watching today’s competition, and don’t see the ugliness and the damage done by the training methods being used. Why do they not seek the beauty that many of us in the 50-plus age group grew up with? The answer is simply … More Eye of the Beholder
If there is one thing that can stir horse people up, it’s a discussion on technique. I don’t care what discipline you are in, as soon as you start to discuss technique or method, opinions are strong, and dismissals frequent. It is true that some techniques or methods have little to recommend them. Anything that … More Principle above technique
I write often about the parallels I see between art and classical Dressage. It was a sensibility that began to take root while I was studying art, but was truly entrenched during my years of training Dani. As we grew together in skill, and I watched her change her whole form through the work, I … More The divergent paths of art and sport
The goal is to elevate the horse to a level of strength and elegance it would never reach on its own, improving Nature to the point of “Art”. Charles de Kunffy
Horse Crazy Once Again 