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Unequivocal, irrevocable trust is hard to earn and easy to lose. Once lost, it’s even harder to gain back. Having said that, we need to stop and define exactly what we’re looking for from our horses. I am the first to admit that, while I believe I relate
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A guy came down my center line some years ago all decked out in his top hat on a Friesian exuding cadence and displaying a high, arched Second Level frame. He then proceeded to ride a very elegant Intro test which garnered something like 80%. My obvious question after his
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If you live in the Pacific Northwest or maybe London, you might as well stop reading right here. My suggestion will not translate to your world. If you live in a land where the sun shines at least occasionally, however, take advantage of it in the following manner. When riding
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I figure this year I will probably judge 1000 tests. Taking into account all the levels, that means I will probably give at least 20,000 separate marks. Some judges will do far, far many more rides. With all those opportunities there are bound to be some mistakes. Despite his
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(“. . . how unfair that is!”) If your personal bubble is sufficiently opaque, if after your test ride you go right back to the barn and feed carrots till the rest of the class is over, the following probably doesn’t apply to you. If you watch other rides and score them
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Not unlike the cicadas hatching out, every four years we are treated to a new set of dressage tests to complain about, habituate ourselves to, and then act like they’ve been this way forever. With some cycles there are big changes, but if the older ones were generally satisfactory,
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So the WEG is over. If you watched it streaming or were there live, you saw some wonderful horses and great rides. There was much to emulate. One word of caution: nothing exists in a vacuum. So if you were taken with how quietly everyone rode, don’t make that
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There’s one truism in dressage – if you wait around long enough, you’re always going to find someone with the opposite opinion of what you’ve been led to believe. When you are young and/or starting out, the only thing to do is hitch your belief system to
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Stat! It’s what the surgeon in the OR shouts immediately preceding something like, “Get the mop!” So you might think that this is one of those blogs that harps on making your horse sharp, quick, and attentive to the aids. But in this case, NO! This “stat” is short
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Roundly Critiqued Lest you think I am disparaging the work of other instructors, be assured I am pure of heart. As Kim Carnes would say, “As pure as New York snow.” That said, I’m surprised how many riders will tell me they went to a clinic and spent the
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Recently on one of those community Facebook pages someone posed the question “What’s the most important quality to establish in your horse?” If you discount the glib, knee-jerk clichéd replies, it’s a question that defies a single answer given the huge variation from one horse to the next
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Our horses have to put up with more than unclear aids, unbalanced riders, mosquitoes, and our whimsical travel plans for them. At times what they are able to endure shocks even us. At one show the dressage court was placed within a high fenced enclosure. There was enough room for
