Every single one of us needs to be nurtured by an inspirational equestrian from time to time. Riding horses, whether you are conscious of it or not, is an art form – and like all artists there is something to be said for inspiration in order for us to be at our best. In our …

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 …

Is this a new wave of me being positively impressed upon by equestrians? It must be my lucky month because I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a fantastic horsewoman just before September rolled in and now I can count my lucky stars and say that Manolo Mendez may also have won a place in my …

If you haven’t been ‘in the know’ regarding the latest assualt on horses and the sport of dressage thanks to Patrik Kittel aboard his horse Stanic at the World Cup Qualifier this will hopefully fill you in a bit more. Rollkur has been an issue written about on this blog fairly regularly, but until now …

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? …

Perhaps fitting, yesterday was my birthday, and I was born in the year 1984… the same year that Reiner Klimke scored the Olympic Gold Medal aboard his Westfalian gelding, Ahlerich. Here is a tempting video, highlighting their victory lap at the Olympic Games. [youtube UbLXpW5-DG0] And, in case you weren’t privy to the show live …

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 …

What are the purposes of enclosing the horse’s mouth in Dressage or English riding? The employ of a tightened caveson, or flash, or other arrangement of noseband in the riding of the horse has long been purported as necessary to help the horse accept the pressure on the bit. To help develop the horse’s mouth. …

Much has been written on the subject of hyperflexion of late. It seems that since the initial public outcry for it’s abusive effects, a multitude of evidence has since been designed to prove just that in every media – web, print, video and audio. There are seminars, there are lectures, books and so on. They …