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Academic Art of Riding - Bettina Biolik

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Academic Art of Riding - Bettina Biolik

Dressage with a Feel
Helping equestrians around the world to deepen the connection to their horses and to improve their dressage skills!
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Dressage can be soft and connected. https://linktr.ee/bettinabiolik ***Passionate about horses***

Welcome! I'm Bettina Biolik, licensed Bent Branderup Trainer and horse riding instructor. My heart beats for horses and the academic art of riding. I teach in person and online, and I travel for clinics (languages English and German). My goal is to teach riders a better understanding of their horses, physically and mentally, and to spread my enthusiasm for dressage!

29/08/2024

What is contact? some thoughts:

21/08/2024

Just finished a Zoom call with Elaine and Liz. While looking at Liz' homework video, I remembered the photos Liz sent me for my natural asymmetry webinars last year. Look at that development!

Liz is doing a wonderful job training Daisy, who has quite a few health challenges, as well as providing great care and arranging treatments for her.

It's not only Daisy's posture that changed a lot, but also her expression

20/08/2024

*** The Need to Act and Self-Regulation (Warning: A Bit of a Longer Read) ***

Sometimes, I think the hardest thing for us humans is to resist the urge to interfere. Let me explain.

Today, Weto wasn’t quite himself. He seemed worried and a bit tense in the riding arena, which doesn’t happen often. I usually groom the horses in the arena while they’re at liberty, and Weto typically just stands there, enjoying the brushing. But today, he first looked around nervously, then walked over to the side of the arena closest to where the other horses were grazing in the field.

In the past, I would have tried to change his focus by using different techniques or exercises to either keep him with me or bring him back to me. And I felt that same impulse today. But I paused and asked myself, why do I feel the need to control what he does? It felt like an old habit, like a piece of clothing that no longer fits who I am today, but I’ve kept it anyway because it once served a purpose.

So, I decided to let go of that impulse. I hadn’t “worn” it in a while and probably won’t again. Why keep it and let it take up space?

Instead of trying to change Weto’s mind, I went to get my hoof tools and prepared for trimming. It was clear he wasn’t in the right frame of mind for training, and I wanted to do his hooves anyway. He stood in the corner of the arena, still focused on the horses in the pasture. For some reason, he felt insecure being alone today and wanted to rejoin the herd. I called over to him, “How about we work on your hooves?” He didn’t respond at first, still gazing at the others. So, I waited, thinking about the much-needed rain we’d had the night before, which had probably softened his rock-hard hooves.

After about five minutes, Weto came over to me. He stood next to the hoof stand and lifted one front leg, as if to say, “Okay, let’s do this.”

As I trimmed, I could feel him relaxing more and more. I trim at liberty, so he could have walked away at any time, but he didn’t. When I finished, he seemed calm and much more confident. It looked like standing around for 20 minutes, observing his surroundings, had helped him settle. We had a lovely short groundwork session afterward, during which he was soft and engaged, and then he calmly walked back to the field.

In the past, I would have tried to speed up the process and get him to reconnect with me sooner. But now I know that often doesn’t help. Horses need time to self-regulate, and when we interrupt that process, they can’t fully reset. As a result, they carry a residual tension with them. I’ve seen so many horses who are never allowed to think things through at their own pace or take as long as they need to observe something. They’re not even allowed to distance themselves from something they find scary. There’s a lot of talk about self-regulation, but it’s often us humans who prevent it in the first place.

I meet many horse people who get irritated when a horse wants to look at something a bit longer, takes time to think about an exercise, or gets agitated over a particular stimulus in the environment. It’s as if there’s a set period during which humans can manage to be patient, and they expect the horse to finish whatever they’re dealing with in that timeframe. The problem is, that timeframe is usually much shorter than what most horses need. In my case today, it was about 25 minutes. Who waits 25 minutes for their horse to let go of a thought? When a horse gets worried about something in the environment, our window of tolerance is also pretty limited. They’re allowed to be concerned about a loud tractor, but not about bushes moving in the wind. And we expect them to bounce back quickly. When we can’t identify what’s causing their worry, our patience seems to shrink even more.

I often hear comments like, “Here we go again,” or “There’s nothing there,” or “Everything’s more interesting than training.” We judge the horse and immediately demand their attention. It’s as if we take their actions personally when they don’t align with our plans, and we feel a strong need to correct their behavior.

A few years ago, I started waiting for my horses for as long as it took, just to see what would happen. I was surprised by how long I actually had to wait, and it made me realize that I’d been rushing my horses all along. When I talk to students about this, I often hear, “But then she’ll just stand there all day and do nothing.” First, that hasn’t been my experience, and second, this kind of thinking reveals our own judgment and lack of trust. We assume horses are lazy by nature. While they do conserve energy, I find that horses become more engaged when they’re allowed to take as much time as they need.

Waiting as long as it takes and resisting the urge to rush the process helps our horses self-regulate. And it helps us become more aware of our impatience. In the end, it might be us who need to learn better self-regulation, not the horses.

www.academicartofriding.pl

Photo by Magda Senderowska

16/08/2024

CONSENT BASED DRESSAGE - is it possible at all?
I know it is and sharing it with you is my passion - from my heart to your heart

15/08/2024

Very excited to announce my next Australia tour 2024☀️

- Perth WA Oct 26/27, contact AMT Equestrian Services
- Sunshine Coast QLD Oct 30/31, contact Lynn Scott
- Minimbah NSW two clinics, Nov 2/3 and Nov 5/6, contact Anke Hawke
- Melbourne VIC Nov 9/10, contact Marina Morton
- Adelaide SA Nov 13/14, contact Susan Castel
- Canberra ACT Nov 16/17, contact Lee-Anne Shepherd

Huge thanks to Anke Hawke Balanced Dressage for organising this fourth tour! (If you would like to join the tour and organise a clinic in 2025, please contact Anke!)

So much looking forward to seeing everyone again and to meet many new faces!

14/08/2024

Lately I have been tagged in quite a few posts by people who say that I’m part of a group which is on the forefront to advocate change in the horse world. While I feel very honoured, I’m not sure I am.

You see, I’m just a horse girl trying to do right by horses, and by people, too, for that matter. I don’t think of myself as a revolutionary. I don’t set out to be a leader of change.

What I have to offer comes from the quiet space of my riding arena and my own journey of learning. I have found the academic art of riding to be a right fit for myself and I love staying in touch with the latest science. However, everything I do just comes from a wish to help people and horses, not to change the world. I don’t think I can. I don’t think I want do.
I am here for those who know they want to find a softer way with their horses. I’m here for those who want to learn the art of riding. Mine is a quiet journey and I just share what’s in my heart. I’m happy to walk some of the way together with you. But I have not reinvented the wheel. In fact, I think none of us have. It’s often just different words for things which already exist. I believe that good horse people always knew certain things, where they had scientific proof or not, whether it was named a method or not.
These thoughts go through my head as I rake the leaves in my garden. I see a lot of “loud” posts on social media recently, waving the flag of change. Some might be a true motivation to help horses and people. I suspect lots is very good marketing, using current trends to get a bigger following. It might be other people’s way and something good might even come out of it, but it’s not mine.
For me, good horsemanship is not spectacular. It mostly requires handing in one’s ego at the arena gate and truly being open for the messages of the horse. Can we do that and at the same time march on the front of change? I don’t know. I don’t think I can. The energy required for that is not the energy I want in my riding arena. In my opinion, it always turns into shaming and blaming at some point. I was a member of so many toxic horse groups. All set out to advocate change. In the end, nothing was ever good enough and it was mostly about putting others down.
If I were to advocate for change, I would have to believe that my way is better. I’m not sure it is. I know it’s different, and it’s what I feel good with. But it might not be enough for many.
If you like what I do, you are warmly invited to follow me. But if you expect some sort of revolution, if you expect me to be a maker of change, I will likely not be your girl. I want to keep learning and experimenting without being put in a box and without the pressure of having to lead. I want to keep making mistakes and I want to allow my students to make mistakes. The crowd following revolutionaries can just as quickly decide to hang them and follow someone else. And I don’t think a quick fame is worth that.

Photo by HorsePhocus Photography at my recent clinic in Romania

www.academicartofriding.pl

11/08/2024

Every year, the Summer Academy reminds me that the art of riding is not only something which happens in the private space between me and my horse, but that it’s also a community effort.
During the last four days, we got together at Bent Branderup’s place Lindegård in Denmark. We started with our yearly meeting of the licensed trainers and continued with two days of program for the Knighthood of the Academic Art of Riding. On the last day, we welcomed the new members into the knighthood and voted about rules changes.
During Summer Academy, we watched Bent’s and Kathrin’s training, listened to lectures, attended demos and lessons, we ate together, and we had plenty of time to sit by the fireplace and talk.
Everyone contributes to the event in their own way. Some organize, some clean, some make coffee, some collect trash, some develop structures so the art of riding has a home for the future. Some teach, some train, some present, some ask critical questions. Some fill the place with laughter, some refill wine glasses, some tell stories, some give good advice, some watch the kids.
The Summer Academy inspires us, but it can also give us comfort. It’s tradition that on the first day, all members of a country meet and exchange what has happened in their country. Since I am a member, I am alone in representing my country, but luckily others are in the same situation. So we usually gather together and tell about how our last year was. We all have similar struggles: making ends meet by driving teaching tours, convincing students of the importance of basics, work life balance. Sometimes you don’t need solutions but open ears and a hug.
On the second day, we have our “brain pool”, in which we divide into groups and discuss one question or topic which interests us. This year I joined the group which talked about the horse’s mental state in collection/ while working with the bending of the haunches. We took turns to tell about the learnings and challenges with our horses, but mostly we listened. It was not about giving advice, it was about sharing. I found it remarkable how close everyone was to their horses and how much concern and love everyone showed.
The members of the knighthood all train and ride on a high level. For me the best thing is, that it’s not only about showing a test with certain exercises, but that it has to be shown with a certain kind of connection and suppleness. Everyone constantly thinks about how to improve things for their horses. I was very touched by the level of care that was shown.
I also loved that all riders who presented didn’t make a show. The main concern was always connection. We often heard: On a regular day, I would do this and this now (for example higher collection). However, for today I’m satisfied and I’m happy that my horse did so well although I’m a bit nervous. And it always earned a big applause (sometimes just inwardly so as not to scare the horses who performed in front of an audience for the first time).
During the last two weeks, I lived and worked with three exceptional young people. Jenna, Ania and Sina are half my age or less, and I enjoyed their point of views and our conversations. Many complain about the young people today, but I found these three extremely committed, hard working, and dedicated to the art. If this is the future of the art of riding, it certainly looks bright.
Now I’m on the way home. I’m full of inspiration and look forward to bringing a taste of the last days to my students around the world. See you all next year

08/08/2024

Summer Academy day 1:
Bent and Kathrin showed their training, Bent gave a very interesting short lecture about the school halt and the old masters, Christofer, Stine, Maria and Anna talked about the elements of the school halt and we made cool people exercises, now Marion explaining with her student Ria and her horse the way to the school halt for this horse. Heaven 🥰

05/08/2024

While the internet is full of ugly pictures of the equestrian sports at the Olympics, I am taking a little break from social media.

I’m at Bent Branderup’s place in Denmark and help to prepare for Summer Academy, our annual meeting of the Knighthood of the Academic Art of Riding. On Wednesday we will also have our annual meeting of the Bent Branderup Trainers and I’m so much looking forward to seeing my colleagues.

Social media is such a strange place. People talk to each other and about each other in a way they never would in person. Here at Lindegaard, I share the working student house with three other interns. We work together, share meals, have lessons. Sometimes I enjoy working by myself, sometimes it’s nice to chat and work together.

I didn’t take any of my horses this time and I’m allowed to work with Bent’s school horse, a five year old cold blood trotter named Kolnes. He just came to Lindegaard in January and does basic groundwork and longe work. At the moment he is also ridden in. In my lessons, I work him from the ground and then Ania, one of the other working students who usually works with him, gets on and together we explain the seat to him. She from up and I support from the ground. Kolnes is doing really well and I have the impression he likes riding. He raced when he was younger and was quite disturbed when he came, but grows into a self-confident horse now.

I enjoy watching Bent train (if there is time), being able to ask him questions (such as, in his opinion, which hind leg is the more important to educate for the canter, the inside or the outside one?), and going over for barbecue and pizza. Bent’s kids were visiting this week and it was nice to eat all together at the big table. I also enjoy being able to have chats with Kathrin, Bent’s wife.

I want to tell you about one incident I really liked: Ania had a lesson with her horse Lirio and on this day, Lirio was quite nervous. Instead of forcing the horse to do anything, Bent asked Ania to stand in the back of the riding arena while the next intern came in and had a lesson. So Ania and Lirio just stood there, doing nothing. Lirio got calmer and calmer, and when the other intern was finished, they all left. Next day, everything was back to normal. No sand was flying, no tricks used, no special philosophy, no revolutionary approach. Just a girl not pressuring her horse and spending time without expectations. How refreshing and real compared to all the stuff I read online.

We are fast with our to do list this year and only have last things to wrap up tomorrow. The first guests should arrive tomorrow evening. Then it’s going to be a whirlwind of meetings, lectures, conversations, sharing meals, and a glass or two by the fireplace. The academy ends on Saturday and I will stay until Sunday to help cleaning up again. I’m going to drive home full of good talks and inspiration. I already know I will miss it.

23/07/2024

We still measure the strength of a car engine as horse power (HP), or Pferdestärke in German (PS). In 18th Century Scotland, inventor James Watt compared the power of horses to the power of steam engines. At that time, steam engines where slowly taking over the work of horses and of course, also of man. Watt eventually defined 1 HP as the equivalent of 1 horse lifting 33,000 pounds overs 1 foot in 1 minute. In cars, we love a lot of HP. But what about in our horses?
Sometimes I think many horse people are actually afraid of horses.
A horse can unleash an extraordinary amount of power (when compared to us), and it can do so very fast. Throughout history, humans have admired and used the power of horses. In fact, our history wouldn’t be the same without horses.
I often have the impression that today, people would rather their horse only had 0,2 HP. A little bit of energy, yes, but please not too much. How else can we explain all the rollkur riding (which doesn’t only happen in dressage, by the way), all those gadgets invented to tie a horse’s head down, and all those methods to create a safe riding horse, which in fact just shut the horse down?
When I met Minor for the first time at his breeder, he tried to break away, reared, and once I had him in his stall, bucked in his stall. It didn’t keep me from buying him. I knew that he wasn’t a beginner horse and I had a hunch that he wouldn’t be easy. I didn’t care. I saw something in him. An amazing fire inside him, even some arrogance. A horse who was aware of his strength. A knight horse.
I had people tell me that he is a difficult horse. Difficult in what sense? Yes he will fight when he feels threatened. Yes he has a strong will. But he is very intelligent and has the biggest will to work I have seen in a horse so far. The more challenging, the better. “Let me try this again”, seems to be his motto. The more Minor knows, the more he brings in ideas. Sometimes it feels like he allows me to work with him. He has a calm mind but a high spirit. He can suddenly burst into movement and often, he doesn’t want to be controlled.
I think many of us have been educated to believe that a horse with a mind of its own is a dangerous horse and has to be subjected to human domination. But then they will never take the initiative, will never show you that they are ready for more. They will never want more. They will just stay in that tight space that we have laid out for them.
Both pictures are from the same work session. Minor jumping around, and Minor focused and collected. It feels amazing to feel his power through those thin reins and to dance together. Yesterday evening, just at the end of our session, Minor got a fright because it was already dark and the other horses came running out of the forest, full power. Minor went from quietly working with me to full on herd instinct - need to follow! I just opened the arena gate and he left the arena with one huge jump and an incredibly fast gallop to catch up with the others. I stood there and admired his power. He is definitively a 2 HP horse.
Did he want to run out of the arena again today? No. He was in fact very focused and we are getting closer to the piaffe. It was a wonderful feeling.
I wish people would understand that running, bucking, bolting, rearing, jumping is all part of being a horse. I’m not talking about horses being constantly over threshold and defending themselves against cruel training. I’m talking about a horse’s natural instincts and their love for movement. Now please don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that there shouldn’t be education. I earn a living educating horses and people. And our horses need to be able to cope with our modern, human world. And give hooves, lead well, don’t kill the vet. I’m talking about making the horse into a robot and forbidding them any outburst or show of strength.
Because that’s what actually fascinated humans about horses since thousands of years. All training aside, horses need to be allowed to be horses. Let’s not forget that.

21/07/2024

A short snippet about our current work with the school halt.
At the moment I practice to stay just a split second longer in the school halt to start building up strength. I try to pay attention, that Minor keeps the shoulder lifted and stands in a way that would make a transition possible, for example into half steps or school canter.
This video shows some good moments and some things that need improvement. What Minor does very well by now is to “step into the halt”, meaning to position his hind legs under the hip so that the joints are in good alignment and can bend.
Then you see him going out of the halt by pushing his center of mass on the shoulder. When I remind him to stay in the halt, he follows my aids very lightly, but the position of his hind legs is slightly off (inside hind leg should be positioned slightly forward). Not a big problem, it would probably just lead to him picking up the wrong lead in a transition to canter.
Then, when I ask him to keep it just a little longer, he steps backwards out of the halt, but I can correct the center of mass backwards, too, so that he finds good alignment again.
The work with the school halt is really interesting and I feel him building up strength through that.
Interested to start working with the school halt? I have a whole series about the school halt in my classroom, plus full length training sessions with Minor which show the work with the school halt. Link in bio 🌹

19/07/2024

18/07/2024

At the moment I have ⚜️TWO SPOTS AVAILABLE⚜️ as a personal student in my Classroom!
The ART OF RIDING CLASSROOM is an ever-growing video library in which I share everything I know about the art of riding with you:
💎 How to videos
💎 Theory seminars
💎 Training sessions
💎 Tips and tricks
There are members from all over the world: Australia 🇦🇺, Austria 🇦🇹, Belgium 🇧🇪, Brazil 🇧🇷, Canada 🇨🇦, Czech Republic 🇨🇿, Estonia 🇪🇪, Finland 🇸🇪, the Faroe Islands 🇫🇴, Germany 🇧🇪, Hungary 🇭🇺, Ireland 🇮🇪, Lithuania 🇱🇹, the Netherlands 🇳🇱, New Zealand 🇳🇿, Norway 🇳🇴, Poland 🇵🇱, Romania 🇷🇴, Slovenia 🇸🇮, South Africa 🇿🇦, Sweden 🇸🇪, Switzerland 🇨🇭, the UK 🇬🇧, the United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪, and the USA 🇺🇸.
There are two membership options:
🖤 THEORY MEMBERSHIP (37 EUR):
- Access to all video content for as long as you are a member.
- Very low price compared to what you are getting! I’m still in the process on building up the video library, so come and join while it’s still cheap ;)
- There are almost 300 videos already!
- Easy to join and pause: no long-term commitment
- Ask questions in the private Facebook group
- Priority on booking 1:1 video lessons with me
- You get a 10 EUR discount for the 1st month!

🖤 PLUS MEMBERSHIP - become a personal student
In the Plus membership, you get
- Access to the video library (value 37,- EUR (for now…)) and the Facebook group
- One lesson per month, either live or analysis of recorded video (value 60 EUR (for now…))
- One homework check: feedback on a short video in which you show me your homework (value 40 EUR)
- New: possibility to join at least 1 live Q&A per month (depending on your timezone even 2) (value 50 EUR)
- Priority when it comes to having access to me via Email and messenger (priceless ;) )
- For a discounted price of 117 EUR per month!
- Further discount for your first month: Save 10 EUR!
Do you want support on your journey in the art of riding? Come and join the classroom! The content is 100% horse and human friendly. My approach combines knowledge about correct biomechanics, tensegrity, learning theory and soft horsemanship, because I believe that dressage can be connected and beautiful.
What classroom students are saying:
"I've been busy like a little bee, studying in your classroom since our lessons with you, and I'm delighted to feel a quiet sense of calm and confidence, knowing that I am now very much on the right track with Guto." Victoria, Scotland
"I loved your webinars and I was very happy that you made this classroom 😁 With my schedule I was unable to find time to learn and I cannot travel either for clinics. This way I learn at night when everyone is sleeping, and I practice whenever I can. The knowledge you give us is so valuable, so much… Thank you!" Eszter, Hungary
"Great lesson today and so excited by our progress. Your encouragement is fabulous as it’s often been a lonely journey." Lynn, Australia
Whether you just want to learn at your own time or get more structured and personal support - I’m here for you and I look forward to meeting you and your horse!
www.classroom.academicartofriding.pl

17/07/2024

When is it time to work on collection?
Yesterday I had a wonderful online lesson with Vivien and her sweet Icelandic

16/07/2024

Will you walk with me?

Something I enjoy doing a lot right now is to walk with the horses from the field to the riding arena and back.
I always bring a halter, but usually they follow me without.
Both Minor and Weto will usually meet me by walking a few steps towards me. Minor is always ready to follow me straight away, while Weto sometimes needs a moment to make up his mind. What I will usually do is to start walking 2, 3 steps and then stop and wait until he joins.
Walking “with” the horses feels a lot different than leading them somewhere. There is less of a goal involved and more checkin in with each other. Kind of like establishing an internet connection with an old modem.
We might actually not go straight to the arena but stop at the water trough or still nibble a few bites of grass. The path we walk might also be rather curvy than a straight line. When it’s hot, they prefer to walk rather slowly. On cooler, windy days, they have more energy and walk faster. It’s a good indicator for me as to what and how much I will train.
It also feels a bit different with each of them. Weto prefers to walk shoulder to shoulder, and I feel a strong sense of leadership from him. Minor walks behind me, with his muzzle softly touching my hip from time to time. It feels like checking in with me. This is how he follows Weto, too.
On very windy days, Weto is often a bit insecure and watches the environment a lot. He might have to stop and wait several times. I will usually walk ahead a few steps and also wait. If I go too far ahead, he might spook and run back to the field. If I stand right next to him, we usually stand for much longer until he’s ready to go again. Forcing him to walk with me will result in him arriving over threshold at the arena and then being quite on guard the whole training session, and not being able to focus well on my cues. When he stops on the way to the arena to observe the environment, I know that he will probably not be in the frame of mind to do something new but that we rather have an uneventful training session, doing simple stuff. When I get too detailed or change too fast from one exercise to another, he will rather get nervous on these days. It’s like his RAM is already quite busy with wind noise and moving bushes. On these days, I might do some focus exercises, too.
When I lead them back to the field, I will also walk with them without halter. I observe how the feeling between us is now, and if anything changed. Minor usually feels very energetic after the training, in a happy, unexcited way. We might prompt each other to start running at some point, sometimes it’s me and sometimes it’s him. Back on the field. He likes to stand with me for a while and then starts grazing very close to me. I might stay a bit, slowly putting one foot in front of the other, before I wander back to the arena to pack up my equipment.
Weto might prefer not to walk back to the arena straight away but to have a bit of a think in the shade of the big pine tree by the arena. Sometimes I just let him stand there and I go and fetch Minor, sometimes I wait with him and walk him back to the field. But he doesn’t do this every time. When we walk back together, he makes bigger, more energetic steps than before the training and he goes better over the back, while before the training he often has a lot of push (which you can see by observing the poll). He might have a roll when we arrive on the field before he starts to wander off to the others.
I love connecting with them before and after the training this way, which gives me a lot of information about how they are doing on this day and what they thought of the training.

Adres

Warsaw

Strona Internetowa

http://www.academicartofriding.pl/, http://www.classroom.academicartofriding.pl/

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Widea

What is contact? some thoughts:

The work in hand position was the most difficult for Minor. For some reason, he didn't feel good in it. He either tried to run, pushed his nose down, or pushed at me with his shoulder. In the beginning, I only worked in it very shortly, like 10 seconds. And I hunted for moments of relaxation and acceptance. I mostly just walked by his side and didn't really ask anything. Now I can slowly work in this postition for longer and we can talk about "content". Right now, I'm working on the side movements in this postition, in walk and trot. This is a short clip of today's session. Some collected trot and then a more forward, but still controlled trot (that took a lot of work ;) ). At the end you see Minor asking for a break. He is looking away obviously. That's how he tells me when he's had enough. I hear him and take a break. Some might say: but that teaches him to look away all the time so he doesn't have to work! No, it doesn't. It teaches him that I hear him and that he has a say in his education. We have lots of biting flies, that's why the tail swishing. #acdemicartofriding #workinhand #powerpony #bentbranderuptrainer

A short snippet about our current work with the school halt. At the moment I practice to stay just a split second longer in the school halt to start building up strength. I try to pay attention, that Minor keeps the shoulder lifted and stands in a way that would make a transition possible, for example into half steps or school canter. . This video shows some good moments and some things that need improvement. What Minor does very well by now is to “step into the halt”, meaning to position his hind legs under the hip so that the joints are in good alignment and can bend. . Then you see him going out of the halt by pushing his center of mass on the shoulder. When I remind him to stay in the halt, he follows my aids very lightly, but the position of his hind legs is slightly off (inside hind leg should be positioned slightly forward). Not a big problem, it would probably just lead to him picking up the wrong lead in a transition to canter. . Then, when I ask him to keep it just a little longer, he steps backwards out of the halt, but I can correct the center of mass backwards, too, so that he finds good alignment again. . The work with the school halt is really interesting and I feel him building up strength through that. . Interested to start working with the school halt? I have a whole series about the school halt in my classroom, plus full length training sessions with Minor which show the work with the school halt. Link in bio 🌹 #academicartofriding #bentbranderuptrainer #workinhand #akademischereitkunst #artofriding #pferdeliebe #ponyliebe #horsetraining #onlinelessons #onlinelearning #equestrianlife #reitkunst #horselover #ponylove

A small snippet of work in hand with Minor today. I'm practicing to regulate tempo and going in and out of collection. Once I have to ask him to lift his head a little to rebalance the center of mass, otherwise he gets to heavy on the shoulder. Very happy with our progress <3 #pferdeliebe #horsetraining #pferdeausbildung #artofriding #akademischereitkunst #ponyliebe #dressagehorse #horselover #academicartofriding #bentbranderuptrainer #workinhand

Some short footage of my work in hand session with Minor today 🥰 Right now I'm working on a more precise response to the aids, particularly the right rein (both as an inside and an outside rein) and the aid for inside leg (bending around). Work in hand hasn't been that easy with Minor and he didn't like the work in hand position at all in the beginning. Now I'm even able to work in trot for a bit longer, which was not possible just a few months ago. I loved how well he listened today and that I was able to bring him back from a fast trot when he wanted to "do his thing", which is something he does when he looses his patience with me ;) *** Full video of today's training session in the classroom! ***

How to change rein when riding with the reins 3:1 (and not get a big knot 😆) . Riding with 4 reins needs some getting used to. Especially a change of rein can be a serious coordination challenge ;) . In the academic art, it's customary to hold the reins 3:1, meaning we hold the outside cavesson rein and both curb (or bosal) reins in the outside hand and the inside cavesson rein in the inside hand. . Here is how you can change reins: 1. Change the whip over 2. Put all reins in the outside hand (meaning put the inside cavesson rein in your outside hand as well) 3. Take the other hand and grab all reins (from the top) 4. Separate the inside cavesson rein and the whip. . Have fun trying it out! . . This clip is part of my webinar about the secondary aids. You can still buy the recording (3 months access). Link in the comments!

Playing with collection in the longe, May 2024

Don‘t be attached to the result. . So many of us are fixated on outcomes in the training with our horses. We want to canter, learn piaffe, do school halt. I think this constantly makes us think about the future and miss out on what happens in the moment. . I believe that being attached to training results is not good for our soul and we miss out on what is really and deeply meaningful. . Being attached to the result makes us skip steps and it makes us very unhappy, because most of the time, the result we are fixated on can’t be reached in a short period of time. . . I remember one of my earlier lessons with Bent Branderup in which he told me: Don’t work the exercise - work the content of the exercise! I thought this was one of the most important pieces of advice ever given to me. . . So as I am training towards piaffe with Minor, I try to let go of my attachment to the goal and try to train for content, not for the end goal. . I try to train for balance, lift of the chest, bending of the haunches, and we have conversations about tempo and rhythm. . . Every once in a while, I get impatient and get fixated on the result. I get attached to a time line. As soon as I realize, I try to let it go. . When I’m training for a result, it’s usually not a good training session. . When I train for content, and for connection, it is always deeply satisfying, no matter what we did. Training for content and connection feels authentic and meaningful. . . Some short video clips of my training with Minor today: 1. Playing with rhythm and tempo in trot. When the horse knows school walk, it’s no problem when he falls into walk, because it’s still diagonal and you can just pick up the trot again. 2. Transitioning from walk to school walk, taking up the rhythm into trot with one, to piaffe steps, back to school walk, walk. 3. In between school walk and half steps 4. School halt . Not everything is 100% correct. But I loved the connection between us and how much he

I promised to share a bit about my training week with Academic Art of Riding by Bent Branderup :) Right now, I'm developing the work in hand with Minor and the training sessions with Bent were about the bending of the haunches in the different gaits. We worked with school walk and school trot, sometimes getting a few piaffe steps. We played with the separation of tempo and takt/ rhythm, so that I can take up the rhythm from a school walk into piaffe, so getting a faster rhythm without increasing tempo/ speed. On the longe, Minor does this already quite well, but in hand it's still a bit challenging. I thought there was a nice process though, and we got lots of homework. So I will be playing with transitions from school walk to trott/ piaffe and releasing him forward when it gets too much, and also taking back the tempo from trot but keeping the rhythm. It's really an advantage when the horse can do school walk, because then he just goes into school walk when it gets too much, and you can take up the rhythm again. For the school halt and levade, my homework is to watch out that the underneck stays relaxed and I get the C5 into the halt. It was a lovely week, as always, and I'm just so grateful for Bent's support! Unfortunately no footage from last week as I did a stupid mistake and pressed the wrong button/ deleted all files on the SD card... This little snipped of a school halt is from today.

When your horse is struggeling with bending on a circle, try to explain the rein aids better. Many riders have never taken the time to school a soft response from an inside rein and just assume horses just know what is meant. They don't. . If we apply pressure from a rein, horses often just hold against. If we keep doing this, we actually "train" it, including the wrong muscles in the neck. . Try to school a soft response in the standstill first before you use the reins in movement! . I just released three new videos about bending on the circle in my classroom. Link to join in bio! . #dressage #akademischereitkunst #dressurpferd #artofriding #academicartofriding #bentbranderuptrainer

I would never get on a horse that doesn't stand still for mounting. When I was 18, I fell off a young, nervous horse and broke my spine. The horse was ridden in too fast and without any consideration of how he felt about it. He was a 3 years old, still quite immature Frisian gelding. He was sent away to be "broken in" and he was very anxious about it. When he came back after three months, he was a different horse. At the time, I took care of him and two other horses of the owner. I had instructions to only work the young gelding after giving him his "powder" - a calming medicine. I was supposed to pick up where the trainer had left off and ride him. . . Already back then, I could feel the horse's stress and I asked the owners if I could work with him from the ground first, so that we can build up a relationship. But they wanted me to ride. One of the things I was told about the horse was that I had to be quick when getting on because he would immediately start to trot. And that's what he did. I had barely swung my leg over when he took off, despite the owner trying to stop him from the ground. I had only one stirrup and lost the other after some minutes of trot and canter. After the gelding changed direction in a fast trot, I just fell down. It wasn't a spectacular fall but it was enough to land me in hospital. . . Today, I would never get on a horse that doesn't stand still for mounting. For me, it's a sign of stress and that something in the riding in process was done too fast. It might have been tension rising due to saddling, or tightening the girth, or parking at the mounting aid, or seeing the rider standing on the mounting aid, or feeling the weight on the back. It might of course also be due to ill fitting tack or pain. . . In any case, take the time to go through all the steps carefully and look for signs of tension. Often, it's enough to just give a little bit more time. Minor and I have plenty of time and he does a great job standing still and let

Minor and I had a lesson with Bent this morning. It was rather dark and windy as hell. But I was still able to show bent our progress from last time. #academicartofriding #bentbranderuptrainer #longieren #horselover

Half-pass in school walk

Australia tour chat

Practicing to keep the school halt a bit longer with Minor and paying more attention to how he lands after the levade 🔥 Minor loves levade and is always very motivated 😁 Had a super lesson with Christofer Dahlgren today, talking about lots of interesting stuff! . . . Want to know how to develop the school halt? I have a series of 17 videos about that in my classroom! Link in bio 🌹

I just came across a post in a group in which someone showed their work in hand. The young woman was trying to work some collection. She pulled the horse in the mouth with the bit to slow down and beat it in behind with the whip to keep up the rhythm, with is unfortunately what you mostly see when people work collection in hand. For me, collection is a play with speed, rhythm and swing. You absolutely need to have aids at your disposal to communicate with the horse, and not just push and pull! This will rather frighten your horse or make it angry. You will get tension on the place, but not collection! I have attached a bit longer video of working collection with Minor on the longe the other day. For me it’s important what I can go smoothly into and out of collection, and that I can decide if I want more or less collection. And that I can have clear basic gaits, as well as pick up energy and have calmness again. More on the place is not better, on the contrary: Thinking too much on the place makes the horse heavy on the shoulder. It’s winter, so Minor is a bit fresh right now, giving me the one or other head shake because he would rather like to run a bit ;) Want to learn collection step by step and build up a good foundation? Join my classroom! There are over 180 videos on teaching aids, school walk, school halt, side movements, and lots more. Link to the classroom in the comments! #academicartofriding #bentbranderuptrainer #dressage #dressur #reitkunst #artofriding #equine #pferdeliebe #horselover #ponyliebe #ponylove #longework #equine #horsesofinstagram #equestrianlife

Collection in Hand with Minor

A lot of collection is worked with too little forward energy, which makes the horse stuck on the shoulders and sticky in transitions. I see collection as a process in which there are many elements to balance. Shape, balance, suppleness, as well as tempo, rhythm and swing. Often, we are focused too much on tempo (making it as slow as possible/ as much on the place as possible) and don’t pay attention to chest lift and activity in behind, so that we loose most of the other elements. I slowly work towards more collection with Minor, meaning working it a bit more on the place with less forward motion (but keeping the forward step), slowly working towards piaffe. It will be a process, of course, especially because I don’t want to sacrifice that nice lift in the shoulders for more “steps on the place”. Today Minor was full of energy and that work was not so easy. He can already do a lot more when he is calmer and listens better. But I don’t force him to do more than he can on days like today. That it’s sometimes better and sometimes worse just shows me that we are working in his stretch zone and sometimes he finds it easier and sometimes difficult. The video is of our work in hand session today. I’m filming the process of developing the piaffe with Minor for my classroom, and the first videos I made about this topic today will get uploaded in the classroom today. My classroom is a growing video library about the art of riding with 180+ videos already, with more added each month. For about half the price of a lesson, you get access to lots of training videos and theory lectures. Link to join in the comments and in bio! #academicartofriding #bentbranderuptrainer #dressage #dressur #reitkunst #artofriding #equine #pferdeliebe #horselover #ponyliebe #ponylove #workinhand #equine #horsesofinstagram #equestrianlife

The whip can be a very fine instrument for communication. When working with the school halt, I like to use it in a brushing manner in order to bring more awareness to the horse's hind quarter. I also prefer to use a wooden whip, in this case hazelnut, because it transmits the impuls I want to give exactly as I give it with my hand. Plastic whips can be too flexible, which might lead to the impulse being stronger than you wanted. Remember: if you want to hit your horse with the whip, rather consider buying a bicycle ;) #academicartofriding #bentbranderuptrainer #groundwork #fairtohorses

Using body language and mental picture to teach a horse the cue for haunches-in on the ground 🤗 We often see that haunches-in is being taught with pressure from the whip. I like to do just the opposite: I draw the horse towards me by taking the whip away. My mental picture is that of fishing or that my whip is magnetic. Try it out! And you have the added benefit that your horse will rather be curious and think than just react in a tense way. This is sample content from my video library, the Art of Riding Classroom, in which I already shared over 160 videos. Link in the comments!