Dara G. Lewis Classical Horsemanship

09/20/2024

I'm gonna get in trouble for this..... Camera - https://amzn.to/4fCLYzvMic - https://amzn.to/3WImuYU

09/20/2024

Fundamentals, what are they? The proper definition is: a central or primary rule or principle on which something is based.
The Fundamentals phase of my program establish the central rules of training that will build in future phases of the program. The elements that are included are:
- Beginner Classical Groundwork
- Riding in
- Riding transitions on straight lines
- Riding proper curves and turns
- Establishing early self carriage
- etc.

This phase is extremely important to establish a precedence of training, physical, emotional and mental. This also sets the rider up to shift their mindset to a more collaborative approach.

09/15/2024

Love this....

In this video you'll learn how to plan out your own equestrian fitness program in just 4 steps. Resources mentioned in the video:🎯 Download my FREE Goal Set...

09/12/2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6ImByNe438

Training Revan up to the point where I will contact a Art of Riding trainer for lessons and evaluation; and hopefully to set up a test online.....fingers cro...

09/11/2024

https://youtu.be/A2AJo55KqVA?si=Rx2E29L6AVZsiLW2

This episode is a conversation in re-sensitizing a horse to it's environment. This is how you restart a horse afte...

09/05/2024

Horse riding spurs, historically for punishment to the horse, currently being taught as an "enhanced" aid, counter-intuitive to actual good training. Good training models focus on sensitizing the horse to more and more subtle aids, creating a better partner who listens and thinks instead of constantly reacting.

09/04/2024

Step 7: Be Brave.
This one’s hard. If you see something that isn’t right, speak up. Abusive training methods at your barn? Call out the trainer. Horses locked in stalls for days on end? Express your concerns to the barn owner. Overmedication of competition horses? Talk to your veterinarian. It might make you unpopular with some, but the horses (and the industry at large) will thank you.

09/03/2024

Step 6: Embrace Change.
Rule changes can be annoying. Changing veterinary advice can be confusing. New horse care recommendations can be expensive. But all of these changes are usually based on new information that is likely to make things better for your horse. Instead of complaining about that new rule, different advice, or changing recommendation, vow to learn where it came from and support it!

09/01/2024

Step 5: Walk the Talk.
It’s easy to be an armchair horse-welfare advocate. It’s a little harder (and sometimes inconvenient) to practice what you preach. If you claim to believe that turn-out is important, make sure your horse gets turnout.

08/30/2024

Step 4: Educate Yourself.
Animal welfare science is a rapidly growing field, with a lot of emerging information that can make things better for your horse. And public interest in animal welfare is becoming more and more widespread. Take some time to stay abreast of new information as it becomes available so you can be informed and understand welfare concerns as they arise.

08/29/2024

Step 3: Be Transparent.
Be completely honest (with both yourself and others) about how you treat your horse. If your gelding spent two hours tied up in his stall at a recent show, don’t deny it. Someone will find out. And complete honesty is the only way to gain and maintain public trust.

08/28/2024

Step 2: Take Ownership.
Did some-one question something that you did? Own up. Take a minute for self-reflection. If you need to make a change, accept it! None of us are perfect.

08/27/2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhHJn9bFLzI

Bitless horse project ride thirteen and the fourth official under saddle training session. Featuring Revan, a 5 year old grade Appaloosa adopted from the Ind...

08/27/2024

Seven-Step Action Plan
Industry leaders are doing their best to understand and accept the challenges facing equestrian activities. Concerns are taken seriously, studies looking at safety issues are well supported, and new rules related to horse welfare issues are being adopted and enforced. But, when it comes to social license to operate, everyone can make a difference. The following seven-step action plan will help you do your part.

Step 1: Listen.
If a member of the general public expresses concern about something they’ve observed at a barn or competition, listen to what they have to say. They just might be right. And even if they’re not, their perception is important. Take it seriously.

08/26/2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lkn-G76Wehw

The unpopular opinion on nosebands and their uses. Studies and videos:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0154179 https:/...

08/26/2024

08/26/2024

Misstep #5: Just educate.
“We just need to educate them. If we just explain what we are doing, the general public will understand.”

Big mistake. The public doesn’t want to hear us defend ourselves, especially if things we do present legitimate welfare concerns. Instead, they want us to hear what they are saying, and take steps necessary to make things better for our horses. And what the public wants matters. Sincere efforts from us are what it is going to take to gain, and maintain, public trust. And public trust is essential if we want to preserve our industry.

If your methods aren't obviously kind for the public to observe every day then there's something wrong. The only educating we must do is on a negative interaction is when correcting a dangerous/reckless behavior; how do we do that exactly? Take a look at methods that correct the horse quickly and end it within seconds, make it easy for an onlooker to discern that the method was appropriate and not a welfare concern.

08/25/2024

Misstep #4: Who me?
“I know some of the things other riders and trainers do are cruel, but I’m not like that. I don’t have to worry about it because I’ve done nothing wrong.”

Are you sure? Times are changing, and welfare science is actively advancing. Even if you steer clear of things that present obvious welfare concerns (like beating your horse with a whip or tying his head down during a training session), it wouldn’t hurt to hold up a mirror when it comes to how you treat your horse. It would also be wise to do it before a member of the public does it for you. Let’s face it, many of the things we accept because it’s “always been done that way” probably aren’t that great. Horse locked in a stall 23 hours a day? Ears trimmed clean? Guilty as charged.

Time to take a look at ourselves, this self reflection of key to maintaining our own local social license. I can tell you from experience I have done this many times before me when a new client comes to me because they were unhappy with the results and methods of other trainers. I take a look at the described methods and dissect the old trainers' methods and decide if they were not educated enough and hence they relied on crueler methods. I look at my own methods and make sure they are in alignment with what I preach.

08/23/2024

Misstep #3: What they can’t see won’t hurt.

“My horse was being difficult during our ride today, but I would never school him that way in public.”

Let’s face it. Nothing is backstage anymore. With the easy availability of cellphone video cameras and access to social media, anything you do can be seen by thousands, if not millions, of people in a short period of time. Anything you do, even in your own backyard, can get around. And even if it only happened once, that’s sometimes all it takes.

Consider the example of the pentathlon “fiasco” at the Tokyo Olympics. Video footage of a coach punching a horse in the face when it refused to jump during the competition became widely available and faced intense public scrutiny. The result? The horseback riding portion of the Modern Pentathlon has been replaced with an obstacle course competition to preserve its status as an Olympic sport.

Nothing is safe behind closed doors anymore, always operate as if you have an audience.

08/22/2024

Misstep #2: Not my problem.
“It’s all about horse racing. That’s not what I am into, so it has nothing to do with me.”

Think again. Response of the public to one branch of an industry commonly translates to another branch. The general public doesn’t necessarily make a distinction between racehorses and show horses. Even if they do, they often cite the same welfare concerns. In fact, one of the current issues gaining public attention is the “other 23-hours.” Welfare science tells us that horses require turnout and equine companionship to live happy lives. If your show horse lives in a stall at a boarding stable with limited turnout, many members of the public would be concerned about his welfare. They would not be wrong.
And how we maintain and treat horses just isn’t all that different in different disciplines.

Response of the public to other animal industries can even spill over into equestrian pursuits. Give it a try! Google greyhound racing, and don’t be surprised to see links to articles about U.S. racetrack deaths. Reports of abusive practices in show horses won’t be far behind.

Just because you or I do it right at home doesn't mean the public perception of the activity gets any better. It's the leaders in the industry who have to show that change

08/21/2024

https://youtu.be/pkYuwEuekYI?si=Vg4FBj4fusNtCURu

I apologize for the low quality in this video, there was a lot of areas where I had to cut back and a couple needed to be re-shot. In this episode we go over...

08/21/2024

Missteps in social license to operate

Misstep #1: Denial.
“Those people just don’t understand. They know nothing about horses, and they’re all worked up about nothing. We should just ignore them.”

Guess what? It doesn’t matter. Whether the general public understands the horse industry or not, it still has the power to impact what we do. And denial is a key contributor to the loss of social license to operate. Even if members of the public don’t understand, they know what they believe. And they won’t be shy about expressing their concerns. If we just pretend that they aren’t there, their voices will get louder, and we’ll lose public trust completely. It’s best to pay attention to what they’re saying. Sometimes, it might even mean we need to change.

Make sure we're not in denial, if it isn't obvious that our training programs are solid and kind to the animals and people involved then they need an overhaul

08/19/2024

https://horseandrider.com/horse-health-care/social-license-to-operate/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2MjJxLAJFqC512cOZvTxjeHY-W2yxPSgxdq4mkmlPjOwEipER1sGAMVrE_aem_7Yypx14HbJXWAlw0HmeUgw

08/18/2024

Dressage is NOT abusive.

The word 'dressage' comes from the French verb 'dresser,' meaning, in the context of animals, 'to train.' In essence, dressage is just the 'training of the horse.'

Dressage was designed to BENEFIT the horse. When done correctly, it improves the horse's balance, strength, and suppleness, helping to prevent injury and promote a longer working life.

The riders and coaches who practice incorrect training and take shortcuts create the abuse. Judges further encourage this by awarding high scores for technically incorrect movements that do not meet the standards of their own rule book.

The public opinion of dressage is becoming one of animal abuse. They think a piaffe is taught by repeatedly whipping a horse's legs and that horses' heads are forced inward by harsh bits. Although this sadly happens, it is not dressage.

People see dressage only as a competitive sport, and yes, it can be. But at its core, dressage is about creating a harmonious partnership between horse and rider; it's not about percentage scores or medals.

So, let's go back to basics and continue to educate ourselves and the public on the core fundamentals of correct dressage training because dressage itself is not the problem.

Stock image from Shutterstock.