Ah, yes. Those rather innocuous-looking tools used throughout every discipline be it hunters, jumpers, western and even (shocking!) Dressage. The simplest directions for use are as follows : fold them in half length wise and throw in the nearest trash can. Seriously. If you are reading this article because you wish to know how to …

It is merely a myth… and one excuse for Rollkur / Hyperflexion. This question is raised frequently – how to soften and flex a horse who is stiff in the neck. There is a problem with the question however, because it assumes that addressing the horse’s stiff neck will actually correct the stiffness. In reality, …

The word Dressage can be translated from French to mean “training” and although it has lost some of its credibility thanks to competition, the original intentions are invaluable. Even if you strictly ride western and loath the sight of any english discipline you can benefit from incorporating the fundamentals of Dressage into your riding and …

Have I ever ridden in a bitless bridle? Yes. Have I ever ridden bridle-less? Yes. Do I recommend or do either regularly… no. And here’s why. One of the most difficult things for a rider to learn is how to use their hands properly. Wait, no. Let me restate that. THE most difficult thing for …

As a once-upon-a-time-ago student of Competitive Dressage, this term is very familiar. As a student of Classical Dressage this term is foreign. But why? Do you know what “on the bit” means? Can you put it into words? What does being “on the bit” do for you and your horse? What does it lead to? …

In a perfect world the horse is connected to us through the reins, meaning that the contact we’ve established on the reins serves as the ultimate communication tool. There is no tension, simply touch and with it the power to execute energy through the horse at a moments notice. What this means for us as …

This topic not only keeps showing up in front of me, but is something I feel could use the help of all possible until it has been fully recognized and eradicated. Besides, I found that there is a petition to impose a 2-finger noseband looseness rule to the FEI, which would prevent riders from crank-noseband …

It isn’t because I love picking on competitive Dressage, it is because it is prevalent in competitive Dressage since it is right in front of us, that I can point to the examples so easily seen. False forms of collection abound in every arena however, and it isn’t because it is more fun to fake …

The movement of the piaffe, or trotting in place, is one long considered to be a movement achieved only through the mastery and ultimate refinement of aids coupled with the correct training structure to develop the horse. Piaffe is often seen performed in a myriad of venues; dressage competitions, horse fairs and demonstrations, circus, trick …