Learn about various dressage movements. Learn how each movement benefits the horse.
One of the very BEST dressage exercises, hands down, is the turn on the forehand. Why is it the best? We will dig into that below. But the crazy question is, why is nobody doing it on a regular basis, or even ever??? Honestly, I have no idea because the turn on the forehand is…
First level dressage… A very very important level for sure, and usually one of the fullest classes at shows. In this article we will dive into the nooks and crannies of everything involving first level dressage. Know the Purpose of First Level Dressage One of the most overlooked concepts of first level dressage is, in…
So you’ve mastered first level and you are ready to take the next step towards second level. Congrats! One of the hardest parts about second level is the simple change of lead. This is when you ride from a canter directly to a walk without any trot steps in between and then back to a…
There’s nothing more exciting than to see a beautiful horse floating across the diagonal in an extended trot. When you watch top riders executing this movement, it looks effortless. And the truth is, it should be. And you wonder how you and your horse will ever get there. Perhaps you have a decent trot lengthening,…
So you know how to ride a leg yield, but you can’t help thinking that it feels labored and dull. You try so hard to push the horse over from point A to B, and you barely make it over in time. It sounds like you need to refine your leg yield! And I have…
Imagine you are riding along in a nice, peaceful trot. But when you ask for canter, your horse shoots off like a cannon and goes around a circle like a crotch rocket motorcycle navigating a sharp turn! Your horse just keeps getting faster and faster as he falls more and more to the inside, and…
The beautiful, elegant, ever-flowing free walk. It seems simple enough, but many riders have major problems during their free walk. In fact, there’s one particular problem that seems to creep up on almost everyone during the free walk, often costing them some serious points. Can you guess what the biggest, most common problem with the…
The 20 meter circle is one of the most basic fundamental patterns ridden in dressage. It appears in training level and first level with the trot, stretchy trot, and canter. Most riders ride the 20 meter circle each time they are on their horse, but did you know that most people get it wrong in…
Ah, the infamous, highly dreaded, “horrible, no good, very bad day,” stretchy trot! This very difficult movement is first presented in training level and is seen throughout first level in the dressage tests. It’s a movement that almost everyone hates and would rather skip. But this movement is all too important to be ignored. Once…
The shoulder-in can be a daunting new movement to learn! Sometimes it feels like you have to pull the horse’s shoulder over just to get in the right position, and as soon as you let go, the horse pings back to the original straight-ahead position. It’s hard to get a horse into the correct shoulder-in…