Crystal Forsell Dressage

10/31/2024

10/30/2024

We are closing in on your last chance to join us! Registration ends 10/31!

Is your horse spending more time in the field than under saddle? You start each ride with good intentions, but after a few circles, boredom sets in. You find yourself doom-scrolling through conflicting advice from internet trainers, wondering if you're doing more harm than good.

The Steps to Straightness 5 Day Challenge is here to change all that.

This challenge is designed to take you from overwhelmed to overjoyed with your riding progress.

Click below to discover how you can join and access personalized audio lessons, expert support, and a community of like-minded riders.

• Convenient coaching through the Dressage To Go app
• Daily videos and check-ins to keep you on track
• Tailored lessons for beginners to advanced riders
• Exclusive techniques to improve your horse's soundness and balance

Imagine transitioning from worrying about calling the vet to enjoying a blissful ride on your horse again.

You’re tired of kicking and pulling and want to make riding fun again.

Take the first step towards joyful, accomplished riding. Click now to learn more and get ready to trade in that post-ride ibuprofen for a victory lap!

https://dressagetogo.samcart.com/products/stepstostraightness

10/27/2024

By the time you've taken care of your responsibilities, done your barn chores and fixed the board your horse just broke, there's barely any time to ride and daylight is burning.

There’s not time to haul your horse out to a lesson if you can even get on your trainer's schedule.

The Steps to Straightness Challenge has got your back with its audio lessons, all you need to do is plug in your earphones or speaker and let me guide you through your ride.

It’s time to get the most value out of what little ride time you have by getting lessons in your arena, on your schedule.

Ready to squeeze more progress out of your ride? 👇

https://dressagetogo.samcart.com/products/stepstostraightness

09/22/2024

Happy Spring Equinox for those in the southern hemisphere!
Begin to enjoy more light and warmth!

09/22/2024

Happy Autumn Equinox!
The days are getting shorter, the horses are getting furrier!

09/12/2024

Kathy and Phin (Phoenix) absolutely crushing it in their lesson!

08/06/2024

🚨 Unpopular Opinion Warning! 🚨

Ok, I’m going to jump on my soap box for a hot minute.

Unpopular opinion here: inside leg to outside rein is not the gospel, magic solution to riding dressage.

There, I said it.

Before you come at me with your torches and pitchforks though, hear me out.

Inside leg to outside rein is super important, but your horse’s development matters; and so does which is their stiff and hollow side.

Let me explain.

Chances are good that while tracking left your horse leaks out the right shoulder, is heavier on the left rein, and haunches fall a little left.

Tracking right, they don’t bend as easily, you’re always trying to get the horse to stand up off the right leg and bend.

Some of you will have horses that follow this pattern but on opposite sides, so just reverse everything I just said!

Inside leg to outside rein is the antidote, when you are tracking left.

Your inside leg can address the left hind that wants to fall in and the outside rein addresses the right shoulder that wants to fall out and you can connect the horse diagonally and it’s all good.

Now let’s go tracking right.

You’re on a 10 meter circle right and you’re riding inside leg (to get them to stand up and bend) to outside rein (because that’s just how you do it).

But that dang horse still won’t bend right no matter how hard you kick him.

So thinking something could be wrong, you call the bodyworker, the chiro, the saddle fitter…

Now, let’s flip all of this on its head…

Consider the two sides to the horse.

If one side needs to shorten (the bending/concave side), the other side needs to lengthen (the convex side). 😮

When you’re tracking left, you already have the short/bending (left) and longer/convex (right) side of the horse doing what they want to do naturally, we just need to direct and contain it (inside leg to outside rein).

While you’re tracking right, some riders go so hardcore with the outside rein, there is actually no room for the horse to bend right, because you have blocked their ability to lengthen the outside of their body on the side that didn’t want to lengthen from the beginning.

Additionally, a horse that is shorter backed or shorter necked needs even more room to invite the reach from the outside of the body.

If you have a hard time bending right, consider the outside of the horse, give them some room, play with it, let me know how it goes.

Remember these things:
✅Everything in moderation
✅Consider both sides of the horse
✅Challenge or understand the principles that have been handed down to you, don’t just accept it because someone told you (i.e. do your own research)
✅Consider what the horse might be trying to tell you
✅Always ask why
If this resonates with you, make sure to check out Dressage To Go, we have many lessons on bend and straightness!

http://www.dressagetogo.com

07/30/2024

Tip Tuesday!

Can there be too much of a good thing in forward energy?

First, let’s make sure we all know that tempo is the rate of repetition of the rhythm of the horse’s footfalls. This does not necessarily equate to miles per hour, but it can.
In other words, how quickly do feet hit the ground in the trot? 1-2-1-2 or 1—2—1—2?

I see many horses in lessons that have not enough tempo (behind the leg). The rider could be nervous and gripping for trying to get more energy and just not getting that horse going.

Then we have the unintentional quick tempo. This horse may struggle with balance or be a bit nervous (both?). As those issues resolve, the tempo will also improve.

Sometimes I see a horse where the rider is intentionally rushing the horse forward. This is usually a matter of adjusting the rider’s sense of forward energy and tempo. Although it happens in many disciplines, I see it the most in riders whose primary discipline is jumping, as forward energy is required to make sure you make it over all the jumps!

The last horse is one that is in pretty good tempo, but is it the best tempo for that horse? 🤔

How can you tell and how do you achieve the sweet spot for tempo?

The best way is to play with it!

If your horse is too slow, you can even try asking him to go s-l-o-w-e-r.

I know that sounds weird, right?
It doesn’t work for every horse, but sometimes it requires extra effort to stay in a balanced, cadenced, slow jog.

Pay attention: balanced and cadenced were the key points here!

When you do ask the horse to go forward again, they are so thankful to go a little faster, it’s actually easier!

In all cases, play with the tempo. Too slow, just right, too fast.

Play all the gears until you find that juicy sweet spot that feels good to you and the horse.

Let me know how this goes!

07/23/2024

Does it sound a little weird?

Like, how can I get a lesson from someone without eyes on my horse?

Dressage To Go has a team of instructors with years of experience teaching lessons, clinics, and training.

With all of that experience you notice some patterns within the horses and riders and you develop some tools and exercises.

We are now making those lessons available to you.

All you need to do is sign up, download the app, and find your lesson!

If you’re not sure what lesson you need, I’m always just an email or DM away!

Now, for the real talk…

Dressage To Go isn’t meant to replace your in-person lessons.

We know that not everyone can get to those lessons very often though.

DTG fills the gaps between your lessons so you can make real progress in between and quit aimlessly wandering around your arena!

Check out Dressage To Go!
http://www.dressagetogo.com

07/16/2024

A little iced coffee this afternoon while editing audio to prepare for my evening lesson tonight!

07/16/2024

Meet the Instructor!

We are so lucky at Dressage To Go to have an awesome team of instructors!

This week I am featuring Beth Lauren Parrish of Inspired RidingⓇ.

Beth teaches us to slow down and trust our intuition, and listen to our horse.

Beth is a bit like Mary Poppins with all of the tools she has in her bag to help her clients!

She even is a Rapid Transformational Therapy practitioner, a unique form of hypnotherapy and has had some amazing results!

In the Dressage To Go app, she has meditations and soon to be released a new under saddle lesson.

If you would like to learn more about Beth and all of her offerings www.inspiredriding.com
(code Crystal will get you 10% off!)

If you are already a Dressage To Go member, her meditations are in the “Beyond the Saddle” category.

07/11/2024

In the world of horsemanship and dressage, it's a delicate partnership – two minds entwined in understanding, two hearts beating in rhythm with the shared dream of perfect harmony.

Through every stride and every nuanced movement, the language spoken is unspoken, a connection built on trust and respect.

In the dance of dressage, rider and horse become one, seamlessly blending their energies to bring the dream to life, evoking grace, precision, and a shared passion that transcends the arena.

07/10/2024

DTG exists to help you ride better.

As we are planning content, what are you working on that we can help with?

07/09/2024

Are you journaling your rides?

How about progress photos of your horse?

Journaling is partly about recording things you’re working on so you can remember them for the next ride.

It can be about looking back to see how far you have come.

It can also give you important clues if things aren’t progressing the way you would like, or your horse doesn’t feel “quite right”

There are so many options for journaling. Apps or a google doc that you can even do voice to text. Then there is still good old fashioned paper!

Everyone should be taking progress photos of their horse with no tack, in the same place, similar time of day (lighting) so keep tabs on change in weight or muscle.

If you are rehabbing a horse or starting a new program, I recommend taking photos every month, for most horses every couple months is sufficient.

I put them all in an album sometimes for video clips to assess movement as well.

This can be valuable information that you can pass on to a trainer, bodyworker, farrier or vet, if something isn’t right.

This also helps you assess your horse over time, as sometimes it’s hard to see changes when you see the horse everyday!

Click here for some pro tips on taking progress photos!
https://www.crystalforselldressage.com/post/how-to-track-your-horse-s-progress-tips-for-photographing-your-horse

07/06/2024

Would you like to:

💥Put your horse on the aids?
📏Develop bend and straightness?
⚖Get him off your hand and balanced over the hindquarters?

Start with figures!

The Rider’s Companion Toolkit is your solution to get you started riding exercises with your horse and ignite your progress on fire!

💪14 Exercises
📖Diagrams
📃Explanations so you know WHY you’re doing the exercise
📝Blank dressage court pages for your notes

Claim your free copy now!

https://pages.dressagetogo.com/arena-exercises-ebook

07/05/2024

Horse feeling a little stiff?

This week’s NEW RELEASE in the Dressage To Go app is fantastic for any horse when you want to fight a little arena boredom and encourage your horse to be more supple.

We focus on working both sides and noticing the difference between each side to obtain better alignment and straightness in your horse, leading to better balance.

You’ll find it this week under New Releases, Training Level and Straightness and Bend.

If the words “fighting off arena boredom” and “more supple” are giving you FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), get the full scoop on Dressage To Go!
http://www.dressagetogo.com

07/04/2024

Happy Fourth of July!
Stay safe!

07/02/2024

Restraint: training tool or bandaid?

I introduced you to my new partner Kip last week, you’ll be hearing about him as he inspires my writings and lessons.

He is a little bit herd bound. Not in a huge way, but just enough that it can interfere with work or attention, on some days more than others.

I find that although it is tempting to take a fidgety horse and cross tie it, I am choosing not cross tie Kip. Cross tying him would be a band aid to make him hold still, except that actually makes him worse sometimes because then he feels stuck. He feels much more comfortable when he can move his feet.

So I ground tie, which in his case is the art of teaching him to be ok with his emotions which if ever, is all about separation from his herd.

Now, before you jump all over me, yes, tying and having patience is 100% a vital life skill for a horse in the human world.

I am not sure though that tying them up and leaving them to work it out is the answer for me.
So far, I have found better success teaching him self control and boundaries within the framework of our relationship. He already does know how to tie, however.

So then tying is not the issue, it's the emotional control (not the best word, but you know what I mean). I am working on the root problem.

My challenge for you is to play with ground tying or (safely) working at liberty. What happens when your horse has less restrictions?

Take it all as information that you can then turn into changes that you make.

Always be looking at the ways your horsemanship bandaids behaviors or solves them.

I would love to hear your thoughts!