Dara G. Lewis Classical Horsemanship

Dara G. Lewis Classical Horsemanship Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Dara G. Lewis Classical Horsemanship, Horse Trainer, Indianapolis, IN.
(1)

Using a proven R+/R- approach to horse training you will learn how to connect with your horse on a deeper level and get to the places you want to go with your horse. With 26 years of practical experience in training horses and coaching people I want to give others the solutions I have found through the trials and errors I have made along the way

In a world where the norm of horse training is a shadow of what it could be, the way horses move in dressage today have ...
11/16/2024

In a world where the norm of horse training is a shadow of what it could be, the way horses move in dressage today have strayed from their natural movement so drastically people no longer know what they are looking at. A well educated eye will see a high level movement such as the piaffe being performed these days and recognize that it is not a true piaffe, you cannot for a true piaffe. You can, however, force a version of a school gait.

A true piaffe is a movement formed around the idea the horse will be taking flight for an air. When the horse forms the idea that movement can go from forward to up at a moment's notice the horse does the correct piaffe almost seamlessly on his own, then refined with light guidance from the trainer. This is something that cannot be rollkured into existence, it is something that is inspired by play. Play that I am recently learning is 100 times easier at liberty.

A moment of suspension, basically air time in the movement that is described by the dressage organization's rulebooks. This is the characteristic of a true piaffe that the horse is so lifted in his body that they have that air time and look ungrounded.

But what is in the world today at the highest levels and even in the once respected old schools is a shadow of this movement where the horse is almost shuffling or not on the spot at all. Something that goes between a school walk on the spot to a school trot on the spot and back again. This thing can be forced by a heavy hand and leg. The stop/go concept of working a horse into moving on the spot.

Before they keyboard warriors get on me and tell me I don't know what I'm talking about unless they see the very ideal I talk about I will say this, I don't need to prove anything to those people, one day the world will see it and I will show them. But I will not rush my horses' training to achieve it for you. You will have to learn how to be patient to see the fruits of gradual and age appropriate training. Training that will not break the horse down before they even reach adulthood.

One does not need to teach the airs in order to have correct and expressive movements in dressage, they just need to be informed and inspired by them.

11/15/2024
Another time that I heard my horse when he said "no".....and I said ok. Revan had been sore in his back for a week or so...
11/05/2024

Another time that I heard my horse when he said "no".....and I said ok.
Revan had been sore in his back for a week or so, and in a couple of weeks we had taken a step back from riding. He didn't want me to mount him, he kept backing out of the way when I tried.

I had a choice, I force the issue to "not let him get away with it" or I could listen and find out why he is saying no. I decided to ignore all the old voices in my life saying to force the issue and I said ok, we'll figure this out together.

We ended up focusing more on liberty work and lining up to the mounting block at liberty with no expectation to mount. There was a final session where he was so tired we just did a massage and stretch session. His traps were so sore for seemingly no reason which concerned me.

Yesterday, he was back to his normal self and I noticed a bulge in between his traps that wasn't there on Thursday........it was his withers, grown higher and now past his thick muscles. His spine was growing up as it should, some of the last growth plates to finish on schedule at 5.5 years old.

Nothing bad happened and he was fully interested in his training afterward. I chose to listen and avoided a possibly painful ride and negative association to riding.

Horsemanship is not about dominance theory or proving you're the herd leader by "moving feet" all the time. It's about learning how to listen to the horse, when to push them into growth and when to step back. It's about gentle guidance.

FAQ Fridays!
10/18/2024

FAQ Fridays!

FAQ Friday!
10/11/2024

FAQ Friday!

I offer live and online coaching sessions as well as requested clinics.
10/09/2024

I offer live and online coaching sessions as well as requested clinics.

10/09/2024

I wanted to share this with you guys, and this is a reason why reading body language without assumptions is so important. Revan, my horse, has never been shut down or been trained with harsh methods, he's always had a voice and I encourage open communication with me so he is very honest.

SO, in August he started feeling uncomfortable on his face and tossing his head when I put the lunge cavesson or halter on. It was mildly concerning and annoyed me a little because we still had to use these things for basic care and continuing training. I thought it was a sunburn because it was a little red so I gave him a break by only practicing liberty training. In September I started noticing an uncharacteristic frustration in him and started bouncing around the stall itching himself on anything he could find including the hanging salt block. I initially assumed it was shedding but it was more extreme than normal for him. I thought on it but during that time I tried some groundwork training and he was interested in the training but very impatient and more mean nippy versus just searching with the nose.

I needed to figure this out instead of punishing him for telling me there's a problem. I found a supplement to treat skin and eye inflammation, something that appaloosas and appy mixes are predisposed to, inflammation could cause extreme itchiness; Finish Line's Immunex.

I started him on it and three days later he was a different horse, no more itching, focused, interested in our interaction, no more malicious nippiness, no more blind outbursts (bucking and rearing on the longe), he became as calm as he was when he was 3. I have now realized the problem that was likely building for some time now but now that he is being treated we have likely pushed back the date he develops an auto immune issue that so many appys suffer from that attack the eyes, skin and lungs.

BUT, if I had assumed he was just being naughty and shut him down I would have more and more problems that would greatly impact his quality of life including our interactions.

Problems this auto immune issue causes:
- Keratosis of the eye, results in blindness, irritation, eye atrophy and needed removal of the eye.
- Skin inflammation causing itchiness and predisposition to other skin infections more than normal. This can also affect the hoof quality.
- COPD of the lungs that causes scarring, fluid retention and trouble breathing with a chronic cough later on.

I have seen one or more of these in almost every appy or appy mix I have met, owned or trained. This is something that is a genetic predisposition that appy owners need to know about. I'm not trying to scare people away from the breed but they need to know what they're getting themselves into so they can manage it early and hold off or prevent these things. If red eye is managed and kept at that stage keratosis never has a chance to gain a foothold; that has been researched and proven.

I have not always known how to manage or treat these issues, but I am aware of them and am learning and searching for solutions all the time.

Don't just assume they're suddenly being bad, they might be trying to tell you something is wrong.

Address

Indianapolis, IN

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 8pm
Tuesday 10am - 8pm
Wednesday 10am - 8pm
Thursday 10am - 8pm
Friday 10am - 6pm
Sunday 11am - 1pm

Telephone

+17162564786

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Dara G. Lewis Classical Horsemanship posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Dara G. Lewis Classical Horsemanship:

Videos

Offered a little collection after a little run around :)

How out liberty session went lol

A good start to a real school halt. Many of his lately have been a big lift in the front end but poor hind engagement. We've been working on engagement of the hind, more impressive lifts will come in time. He is trying very hard.

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Nearby pet stores & pet services

Other Horse Trainers in Indianapolis

Show All