Fundamentals and movements of dressage. Contains many sub-categories such as fundamentals, movements, showing, horse problems, rider problems and more.
Explore fundamentals like being on the bit, having independent aids and riding your horse forward into the bridle. Other topics include the half halt, transitions, and the training scale.
Learn all about the various movements in dressage. Understand what they really do for the horse. Topics include the leg yield, shoulder-in, haunches-in, medium and extended gaits, circles, loops, and more. And there is a good variety for both beginners and advanced riders.
Also explore tips and insights for showing. Learn how to ride a test with ease. Break down each movement for a better understanding.
Trouble shoot all your problems with articles about common issues. Quick fixes for both horse and rider.
“Aids” are absolutely essential when dealing with our horses. Effective aids are the means by which we train our horses to do basically everything. Also known as cues, aids can have a tremendous amount of positive influence on your horse. When used correctly, aids can be used to get your horse to do almost anything,…
Imagine that feeling we all get when you want your horse to stop, or transition down a gear, and you just know in your mind that it’s gonna be difficult. It’s gonna take some effort, and muscle, to transition down. Pulling on the reins is the only option you have to muscle your heavy horse…
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…
What is the most important aid you can choose to use while riding? The leg? Your seat? The whip?…Or maybe your voice? While the above aids are very important and highly effective, there is another, more important aid, that many riders overlook. Attitude Yes, your attitude really is an aid, and quite possibly, it’s the…
Reading your horse from up in the saddle is one of the most valuable skills you could ever learn. So many times, riders often just hop on and go for a ride, opting to be merely a passenger. While there are many instances where “enjoying the ride” is completely ok, it is far better for…
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…
Over the years, as I’ve grown as a rider and learn more and more about how everything connects, I have come to realize that there is ONE major ingredient that hails above all else. One simple concept can aid in the improvement of all the other fundamentals and intertwine to complete the package. It’s the…
The fast, rushing horse. The horse that just runs and runs and won’t stop. Many people will tell you that this type of horse is full of energy and can’t contain it. It might be true that he is full of energy, but the ironic part is that he is being lazy by not using…
Hind end engagement is one of the most important elements, or ingredients, for creating fabulous movement in your horse. Impulsion is often sought after, but your can’t get proper impulsion without engagement. Think of engagement as a compressed spring. When it compresses, that is engagement. When you release the energy and it springs up, that…
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…