OUR THEORY ON TEACHING
I would say that most of us who have taken up dressage all started at the same point. They saw beautiful riders on beautiful horses doing beautiful things. We may be novice riders or we may be old western riders, but the dressage bug bit and it bites hard.
From then on we are consummed We eat, drink, sleep, talk it, and live it. I have been at it a long time and it is always the same. It is a passion.
I am not saying it is a bad thing, I am just saying God help those who live with us. We are never the same. I remember coming home and giving blow by blow description of my dressage lessons (which were mainly going around and around in 20 meter circles) to my husband. His eyes would glaze over and I never noticed as I danced around doing this kind of cross over and that kind of flexion. Did I feel foolish? NO! I was learning dressage. After many years the confusion had set in and the passion was still strong, but there was something wrong. I wasn't getting it. It being the big picture. It was getting more confusing. I was feeling very inadequate. It is like building a house without a blue print. Where do you start?
It took me many years and many mistakes to understand how to get to the big picture. I had to actually start training at the Grand Prix level when the light bulb went off. It was an epiphany. I GOT IT. I am not saying it was the end of my understanding, more like the beginning. I don't think you ever quit learning this sport. But it did lead me to a path that I feel can help others to see what it is all about.
So I have put together a plan that is very much like a blue print for riding. We start with the very basics and we build a solid foundation.
It is basically an A to Z plan. We break it down to the simplest parts and incrementally add pieces. There are many tools to help. Visuals, hands on, and lots of theory.
Are you ready to get started? Let's go!
The actual plan consists of the following work. It is done with the classical pyramid of training. The harmony of the horse and rider are the most important part of the work.
- biomechanics of rider
- biomechanics of horse
- test riding
- geometry in the tests
- moving off of pressure
- halt
- half halt
- leg yield
- lengthening
- shoulder in
- travers
- renvers
- outside leg crossing over
- threading
- counter canter
- extended trot
All of these things eventually lead to:
- half pass trot
- half pass canter
- medium trot
- flying changes
- tempi changes
- walk pirouettes
- canter pirouettes
- piaffe
- passage
How You Can Learn
If you are interested in learning dressage, and I mean really learning it, then give us a call. We'll help you get to the level that you want to be at. It's our passion.