Forward Farm Dressage

09/05/2024

I had a fun ride on super pony Rio a couple of days ago. Aubrey has been doing a great job getting him fit and strong over the past few months. He’s like a fun little sports car. Love him! ❤️

08/30/2024

So true!

Working with young horses is tough.

And not just in the "hold on and hope you stay in the saddle" kind of way.

No one warns you how challenging it truly is. How often you'll doubt yourself, wondering: Am I doing this right? Am I moving too fast? Too slow? Is this too much? Not enough? You'll constantly be questioning your approach, trying to figure out the best way forward while tuning out the opinions of the trainer down the road or the livery next door, who throws judgmental glances every time you do groundwork.

No one tells you how, on some days, you'll feel like you're failing. You'll question if this horse would be better off with someone else, convincing yourself you're either wasting their potential or outright ruining them. After all, there are four-year-olds excelling in young horse classes while yours is still struggling to trot in a straight line.

No one tells you how attached you'll become. This horse is your baby, maybe one you helped bring into the world. Every setback feels personal, like a wound to your heart. You care so deeply about their well-being that it physically hurts when things go wrong. You’ll also become fiercely protective—God help anyone who dares to criticize your horse.

No one tells you how humbling, even brutal, these horses can be. They'll expose every weakness you have and practically shout it from the rooftops. While they are forgiving, they have a way of knocking you down a peg, reminding you there's always more work to be done.

No one tells you how these horses will change you. They'll force you to look inwards, to question everything you thought you knew. If you thought you had everything figured out, this horse will quickly show you that you don't. But they'll also ignite in you a fierce determination to prove everyone wrong and show them what you saw in this horse from the very beginning.

No one quite tells you how difficult young horses can be, but anyone who's been through it knows...

As tough as they are, they’re absolutely worth it.

08/27/2024

Beautiful Amaii, mom to three of my horses. Photo from 2011 when she just arrived in the USA from Belgium. ❤️
At 19 years old now, she is enjoying a happy retirement and still gets to see her three children every day.

08/11/2024

Horse racing has a problem, but it doesn’t stop there. Learn why all equestrian sports may be at risk, and what you can do to help.

08/11/2024

Find out why it’s time to change the way we talk about equine joint injections.

07/24/2024

In light of what recently transpired in the dressage world- yet another case of horse abuse- I feel the need to reiterate something I have believed for a very long time regarding working with and training horses- you HAVE to STUDY. You HAVE to read books- many of them.

Through reading and studying and then applying, you will not only learn the concepts and theory behind classical equitation, but you will also be able to get an idea of the thought process of the authors. Some of what you read will resonate with you and will open up new ideas to you. Some of what you read will confirm what you already believe to be true. Some of what you read, you will disagree with- and that’s okay.

In any pursuit that we undertake studying is paramount. We need to learn from those who came before us and only when we have truly understood the theory can we hope to improve upon it. Until then, we simply do not know what we do not know.

I am in total agreement that you can’t learn to ride from reading a book. But what you CAN do by reading is prevent trying to reinvent the wheel. You can learn from the mistakes of others and realize what works and what doesn’t and then you can apply the true and tested methods to your own riding.

If you study and read you will know that “dressage is for the horse, not the horse for dressage” (I think I read that first in one of Anja Beran’s books). You will know that dressage IS the physiotherapy- IF done correctly. Dressage should build the horse up, not break him down. The purpose of dressage is NOT to create the horse who can fling his legs the highest. Correct riding and training will ensure that your horse stays sound for many years to come.

Please study and read and choose trainers and coaches who do the same. Choose trainers who also remain students themselves, because we are never done learning.

photo of part of my collection of equestrian books that I have been collecting for nearly 30 years! The top two shelves are some of my favorites. Which ones of these have you read?

07/10/2024

Correct dressage is so good for all horses!

I’ve recently begun cross training my racehorses in classical dressage and in just about 6 months time the changes have been remarkable!! Joint issues are resolving. Horses that were once tough to gallop are becoming light and engaged in their training. I’ve even noticed originally very different front feet, one high one low, becoming more symmetrical.

While the typical aim of high school dressage progresses towards ultimate collection, in the airs above the ground, my aim is a bit different, it’s ultimate extension…I like to think of my dressage goals as airs OVER the ground!

07/03/2024

Fantastic podcast episode

06/12/2024

THM asked Carl Hester: Can we talk about positive tension?“Where it tips over, that positive tension, is if you let the horse get strong in the bridle. Once you let the horse become heavy on the hand and strong in the bridle, it’s not positive any more, because then there is a block. If you can create what we try to create, without heavy hands, without hanging onto the rein, if you can do it with self-carriage, then it looks beautiful. It’s this word, expression, which is a dangerous word because once you put expression into it, like heightened suspension and things like that, then if you have got the wrong rider, or a rider who doesn’t ride with an independent seat, then they use their hands and that’s when you get that horrible looking, jerky dressage. It is something we really work on, to be able to create it, without going over-board.”
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2021/02/balance-self-carriage-and-the-importance-of-rider-position/

06/11/2024

Selfie of me and my star student today. In time I will tell the story of this mare who have taught me so much over the past 6 years, but for now I am just enjoying the fact that she seems to be happy, willing and trusting. She has come such a long way, through endless patience and calm correct riding. I’m so glad I never listened to the people who told me to “send her to a cowboy”. To the people who continue to believe in us and who cheer us on- thank you ❤️

05/31/2024

Happy girls in the summer pasture

05/21/2024

I was lucky enough to get some more lessons on Obrigada and Nonsuch this past weekend from the amazing Felicitas von Neumann-Cosel. We worked a lot on my position and on being able to give refined and clear aids and riding both young mares in better balance and connection.

05/18/2024

https://www.facebook.com/walterzettltraining/photos/a.384921171558257/544311022285937/?type=3&mibextid=cr9u03

I was talking to my students that every horse and rider are unique, but the one thing that is consistent throughout every lesson is that learning cannot occur without relaxation. Without relaxation, there is no point in attempting to train. Horses are prey animals and are programmed to be concerned about their own safety. A tense horse is worried they are not safe. We have to understand this. The horse may be afraid of his surroundings, or separation from their herd, or maybe they are in pain and it isn’t obvious to their rider yet. Anything that makes the horse uncomfortable will make them concerned about their safety, and no learning can pe*****te that fear. A relaxed mind can learn. A tense one cannot.
In my book "Dressage in Harmony", on page 12, I write that muscles are found in extensor-flexor pairs. A tense horse tends to contract both extensor and flexor muscles at the same time, thereby tightening and stiffening the joints through the action of the opposing forces. A truly relaxed horse will have every muscle relaxed from the poll to the tail, moving in regular rhythm and responding easily to all the aids, and the hoofprints are light. The rider can take up the reins or give the reins, and the horse will maintain his rhythm without running away. This must be true of all three gaits. A relaxed horse is not stiff, nor tight or frightened. Only when relaxed will the horse show brilliance in the movement.
If a horse is tense, you may have to dedicate the entire ride to achieve a relaxation. Some horses are more prone to tension than others. If your horse has an extremely high sense of self preservation, it takes enormous patience by the rider. Horses are programmed to be concerned about their own safety, and are hoping you will show them the way to a more secure state of mind. With repetition, the horse begins to believe in their rider. They begin to learn there is a better feeling out there that the rider will help them get to. The time it takes to get to a relaxed state becomes shorter over time.
When the horse is spooking, do not get too close to the scary thing and "give" to help unwind the tension. This can take great courage on the rider's part, but holding a tense horse tight creates even more tension. The "give" helps the horse's neck to soften and lengthen, and relaxation eventually start to migrate through the horse’s body. The horse recognizes the rider will not "trap" him and will not force scary things upon him. That builds trust, and trust creates relaxation.

05/13/2024

I had the amazing opportunity to get some coaching from Felicitas von Neumann-Cosel a little while back. Always learning and working on myself to be a better rider for my horses.

05/07/2024

Aubrey and I had a great time on the trails today. So grateful to spend my days with these amazing generous animals. Thanks to my amazing husband for mowing the trails!

03/23/2024

Some pics from the past few days.

03/03/2024

Ok friends, let’s be real… We’ve all seen some ISO ads lately that would make any true horseman stop in their tracks…

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ISO Unicorn

Absolutely no spook, quirks, vices, maintenance, special needs. 100% safe.
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Thank goodness they are shopping for unicorns and not horses, because a good horseman knows that is absolutely impossible from a horse.

Personally I spooked at a squirrel yesterday, and I have better vision than a horse and am not a prey animal.

No one can guarantee any activity in your life is safe—-not soccer, not baseball, not tennis, nothing. Those are the choices you make and the risks you voluntarily take on to participate in the activity you’ve chosen and to live your life. We all try to make the best choices we can of course, but any seller that promises any facet of your life is guaranteed safe is selling snake oil.

As for the horse’s quirks and special needs? I’ve owned hundreds of horses in my career and worked with many hundreds more. The five best horses of my career were as follows:

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Horse #5. Vices: Cannot pull mane or body clip without heavy sedation. Must be in front when hacking in group. Why it’s worth it: Horse of a lifetime for his rider.

Horse #4. Vices: Free because he failed his PPE so badly at 5yo. Needs $800 shoes from a top farrier every 6 weeks. Why it’s worth it: Competed at the upper levels of eventing very successfully and reliably for 11 years.

Horse #3. Vices: Poor mover in the trot, extremely hot, needs a very kind rider. Why it’s worth it: Evented through advanced level, national champion at intermediate.

Horse #2. Vices: May rear and buck. Kicks and bites on ground. Will not go in any wash stall. Why it’s worth it: Never once dropped his rider. Evented through advanced level.

Horse #1. Vices: Incredibly spooky, poor mover in trot, chip on X-rays. Why it’s worth it: Successful and prolific advanced horse, sold and exported to a European Olympic team.

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Our horse shopping advice to you? Be a good horseman.

If the horse makes you smile every day, who cares if it’s tough to pull its mane?

If the horse takes the best care of you, who cares if it flinches trotting past a trash can? Use your inside leg.

If the horse does the job you need it to do, who cares if it needs a good farrier? They should ALL have good farriers.

If the horse saves your behind every time you don’t see a distance, who cares if it cribs on a feed tub?

Good luck, happy shopping, and for the love of unicorns, stop seeking things that don’t exist or you’ll never find it.

—Megan Moore, Verona Equestrian
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(Welcome to share, please don’t copy paste.)

02/28/2024

I feel so lucky and am so grateful to spend my days with these magical animals ❤️ Thanks Bonnie Schomp for the pics

02/17/2024

Guido and I staying fit in the snow

02/05/2024

A few people know how challenging this mare has been and there have been times when I thought I should just turn her out and let her be a pasture pet. But when she goes well, you know you just have to carry on because there is so much talent there. Love her to bits and she certainly teaches me endless patience. She has come such a long way and I am so proud of her!

01/28/2024

Reward for a job well done. This horse gives me his heart and soul every day.

01/12/2024

Guido showing off his favorite party trick.

01/03/2024

Beautiful day for a ride with my sweet Nonsuch!