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.
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…
How often have you heard something in a lesson that you don’t actually fully understand? For me, I would just smile and nod, hoping for the best. And all of a sudden my instructor would say, “Good,” and I really had no clue what I had done. In fact, there was a ton of riding…
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…
“Stop pulling on the inside rein! Let go of the inside rein!” How many times have you heard that from your instructor? I have heard it over and over again early on in my riding. But I never really understood what all the fuss was about. I felt like I NEEDED to pull it! But…
…And 4 Things You Should Be Doing Instead! Hands! Hands! Mind your hands! It’s a touchy subject. Have you ever heard that you are NOT supposed to use your hands very much when riding? Like a million times. But for many beginner and intermediate riders, learning to manage and quiet their hands can be a…
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…
Dealing with horse bucking behavior can a major pain, literally! When your horse tries to buck you off, it can be an unsettling event, especially if you fall off. The last thing you want is to end up with bruised confidence and a horse who has learned a new bad habit. Below we will discuss…
For non-horse people, and even beginner riders, a horse that is curling behind the vertical often looks ‘beautiful’ because their neck is so beautifully arched. But this is NOT a beautiful way of going at all! This is bit evasion and hind end evasion at its finest. The horse that curls under is avoiding proper…
Learn how to ride a perfect leg yield.
What is a half halt? Learn all about the half halt and how you can ride a good half halt!