Dressage is a funny thing when we really think about it. Riders pay someone for their opinion on how well they are riding for those few minutes. And how well their horse is responding and performing for those few minutes. And yet, often when riders receive their marks, it can feel like harsh criticism! Remember, dressage is all about the…
You leave the arena on a long rein at A and to say you feel a little disheartened is putting things mildly… Dressage can be difficult, there’s no doubt about it, however what tends to stack the odds even more so against a good dressage score is the fact that many riders see it as ‘boring’; a means to an…
. Have you ever found yourself out on the trail needing to reverse? Or even in the arena, knowing that your horse reversing in a calm, quiet fashion would be a really useful achievement in that particular moment? You ask him to go back. However, rather than the smooth, no-fuss reverse you were imagining, it rather feels like you left…
You halt, salute, and exit the arena from your latest dressage test. Your best ‘free walk on a long rein’. Now, your thoughts turn to your scores; how well your dressage test went… That one circle may have looked a little more on the triangular side… But, on the plus side, you aced the canter leads each time and you’re…
Left – Right – Left – Right – Left – Right… The horse’s head turning one way and then back the other. Every single stride. A misguided attempt by the rider to achieve ‘on the bit’. Have you ever seen this? The horse looks like he is auditioning for the role of the bobblehead in the back window of…
You have finally managed to truly be able to dictate what lead your horse strikes off with, each time, in the canter. The shouts of ‘Wrong Leg’ following you around the arena are a thing of the past… However, now everything you have learned is being turned a little on its head when you realize that sometimes, you can indeed…
