Down to Earth Dressage

10/13/2023

Anyone looking for a horse? This guy looks super cool and isn’t far from me, so I could check him out!

08/03/2023

When an artist creates a painting, they start with the outline, and the broad strokes, and when the overall picture is to their liking, they start putting in the details. 👩‍🎨

I use the same format when I’m teaching, I’m looking at the overall “picture” and adding either “broad strokes” or touching on the finer details. There are also times where I want to start all over, and change the “outline” to get a entirely different picture. 🖼️ 🤔

One afternoon I was teaching groups of young riders. Mostly I teach one on one lessons, and I can add all the broad strokes or finer details that I want. When I teach group lessons, it feels like I have multiple canvas’s, where I only have time to splash a drop of paint here and there, and I have to decide which is the most important “paint stroke” to touch on. I’m lucky if the riders are all working towards the same “painting.” 🎨

In one of my group lessons I had two young girls, maybe around 7 or 8 on cute little ponies. They were about the same level, and they were both eager to work on their canters. “This should be easy!” I thought to myself, when in walked a teenage boy, leading what looked like half-giraffe, half-dragon, into the arena. 🦒🐲

His horse had his neck as high as it could be, his eyes were bugged out, his tail was held high, he snorted and whinnied, and scooted around the arena, as the boy started to adjust his tack to get on. 😱

I approached the boy, to see if he needed help, but he seemed very comfortable with his horse being in a panicked state.

The boy got on, and the horse walked off in a tense, scurried manner. Every muscle looked tense, he looked uncomfortable. 😬

I wanted to take the boy off the horse, do groundwork, teach the horse to bend. Feel the horses his body, is he hurting? I wanted to help the horse relax. But, there’s only so much you can do in a group setting with limited time. ⏰

I decided to teach the boy to try bending his horse, to feel when his horse relaxed, when he took a deep breath, and tried to get him to take slower steps…like horse yoga. 🧘

The horses “outline” started to change, it was slightly softer at points, he didn’t look so panicked, I was thrilled! 😀

Sadly the boy wasn’t as thrilled, creating an “outline” can be slow, and tedious. It’s much easier to just draw random lines, and splash paint around (especially for kids)! Unlike a painting however, our horses can suffer, and it’s important to learn how to read them, how to feel, and how to help them when needed, which is another “art” in itself! ❤️

Hopefully the boy and his horse are on the right path, as an instructor you can plant the seed, and then just hope that growth takes place. 🌱 Maybe one day, a beautiful “picture” will develop! 🐴🖼️😍

07/31/2023

Whatever discipline you ride you’ve probably read a book or two on how best to train or ride your horse. There will be a chapter on how to properly warm-up, then information on how to do different movements and maybe what it takes to score well in competition.

Somewhere along the lines humans created the idea of how horses should go depending upon what they are being used for. In Western reining they want the horses to be able to spin and slide, in saddle seat they want to see a very animated horse with a higher head-set and in dressage they want to see the hind legs tracking up and the horse on the bit. You could compare this to different types of workouts for people; there’s boot camp workouts, yoga, weightlifting all with their own set of ideals.

Now, imagine you have a group of people and you are trying to teach them to do a split. Perhaps one person is very flexible and can do the split immediately, one can’t do the split at all because they have an old injury and another is stiff and will need much more time to accomplish just the first steps of the split. The first person was very easy to teach of course because the split was natural for them, but how would you help the other two?

The person with the injury may never accomplish the split, but they could learn modified movements that can help their overall flexibility. The stiff person with time and patience can become more flexible and accomplish the split just like the first person.

As a dressage trainer I’ve read the books, watched videos and had many lessons to learn how things “should be done.” Many times I’ve felt like a failure when I haven’t been able to get the horse to move forward right away in our warmup, or be soft and perfectly on the bit from the start. Just like teaching the person who can’t do the split from the get go, it can be frustrating when things don’t just happen easily and go “by the book.” 📚

What I’ve learned over the years is every horse is an individual and they all are going to have their own strengths and weaknesses. It’s my job as a trainer to find out how to help them be their best. I had one horse that had to be warmed up in what I’d call a “pony trot” until he felt loose enough to start tracking up. He had arthritis and his body just needed that time to warm up. Then there was a mare with a back issue that absolutely had to be warmed-up and mounted with her head stretched down low (think western pleasure) otherwise she would rear due to her back being pinched! In these cases some people may have thought things looked odd, and like nothing was going to be accomplished, but like that stiff person learning the split...the little baby steps can and did lead to big accomplishments! 🏆

What I’m realizing more and more is how important it is to be open-minded and really try to feel and listen to the horse. Notice if your horse resists, and how? When do they get tight and when do they relax? And is there anything you can do to help? 🤔

I know I want to listen, teach, be supportive and help make positive changes for a better partnership for all the horses (and humans) I work with. You are the trainer teaching the “splits” what kind of trainer do you want to be?

07/16/2023

Whenever I hop on a horse, I go through a “check-list” which I can relate to driving a car. Does it go? Does it brake? Does it steer? I consider those the basics. If a car didn’t move, or didn’t have brakes or steering, you certainly wouldn’t want to keep driving it…you would fix whatever didn’t seem to be working, then go from there. If a horse doesn’t respond to the basics, then it just takes time and training to “install” the basics. 🚗 🤔🐴

Some people just want cars or horses that go from point A to point B, no fancy buttons or extra gears needed…

But in Dressage we are looking for a rear wheel drive sports car with cruise control, that handles corners with ease and can shift up or down with little effort for the driver.

For the horse that means more “buttons” need to be “installed.” Once the basics are there, the next thing to feel out is how “adjustable” the horse is. Can it go forward and back within gaits with ease? Is it pushing from behind in rear wheel drive, or is it in front wheel drive?

Some cars need very little pressure to speed up or steer, some need more. It’s the same with horses, but it’s the riders job to figure out what is the right amount of pressure, which can change a lot depending on the day, what you’re asking your horse to do, and your how your horse is feeling in that moment! 🤯

A skilled race car driver might know the exact speed their car can handle while taking a tight turn, just as it takes a skilled rider with “feel” to know what their horse is capable of in the moment, and if their horse is struggling, how to help before they “break down.” The more “buttons” installed, the more skill/finesse it takes for the driver/rider.

Photo is me riding Tempi, a lovely 5 year old Oldenburg/Andalusian mare owned by Una Schade❤️

06/12/2023

Coming soon to the Denver area….!!! 🤩

⭐️ Would you like to lose 10 pounds, become a billionaire and have everyone like you?!
💪💰😀

I can’t help you with that. But I probably CAN help you become a better rider! 😀❤️🐴

How can I help you might ask? 🤔

🏆 I’m a USDF Bronze and Silver Medalist and I’ve helped many riders move up the levels with ease and FUN! PLUS I incorporate horsemanship techniques which means you can enjoy working with your horse on the ground as well!

How am I different from other Dressage Instructors? 🤔

⭐️ I enjoy working with horses and riders of all ages and abilities, sizes, colors, breeds and genders!

⭐️ I have worked extensively with a physical therapist and have tools, exercises, and strategies to help riders learn how to be more effective.

⭐️ I’ll listen! I start every lesson by asking how you’re doing, and I tailor our lessons to what you and your horse are capable of in that moment!

And that’s not all! 🤯

⭐️ Other qualities include, but are not limited to; talking to horses, explaining things well, and sense of humor 😂

Plus more!! 🤩

Contact me and see how I can help!! 😀

https://downtoearthdressage.com

05/17/2023

Balance and straightness lead to happier, healthier horses.

so... how does this work?

When the horse is balanced, he will be able to relax because he no longer feels that he may fall down (and be eaten by the lion lurking in the bush behind C).

The crooked, unbalanced horse will become nervous, scared, and anxious because he is worried that he may fall down at any moment. As a prey animal (which horses are), this is a dangerous predicament. A prey animal is most vulnerable when they fall down.

For this reason, the crooked and unbalanced horse may become spooky, distracted, shying at everything that lurks in the shadows. He may be over-reactive and over-sensitive to the aids because he is on edge. It may seem silly to us, but he is instinctively worried about his survival.

When we help the horse improve his sense of body awareness and balance, he feels more in control of his body. He feels that he is no longer perilously helpless if something unexpected happens. The balanced horse feels secure and less vulnerable to falling down.

Therefore, he can relax, focus, and tune into the training work. He becomes less spooky, less distracted, and less over-reactive.

Balance depends fundamentally upon Straightness. Balance depends upon the horse’s ability to adeptly shift his balance longitudinally (front to back), laterally between each side of his body, and between different legs. The horse can not improve any of these things as long as he is crooked.

By working on Straightness, your horse’s balance will consequently improve. We work on the horse’s ability to shift the weight from side-to-side, front-to-back, and between the different legs. He becomes straighter and his balance improves.

When the horse is straight and balanced, he is happier. And healthier.

We have an online course that guides you through exactly this process, so you can train your horse to become straighter and better balanced, therefore happier and healthier.

Our next course starts Friday, May 26th.

Enroll here - https://courses.artisticdressage.com/straightness-course

Drawing by Assistant Ritter Trainer, Yvonne Lübcke. Come meet her inside the course!

04/19/2023

04/10/2023

Does this ever happen to you? You have a nice posting trot, your horse is on the bit…but as soon as you ask for the canter transition your horse turns in into a giraffe?🦒

If so…try this! Begin by getting a nice posting trot, then try sitting. Does anything change? Ideally you want to feel that you can sit or post without your horse changing their rhythm (losing forward motion, or speeding up) the connection should feel the same, as well as the bend. 🐎

Sometimes riders inadvertently slow their horses down when they sit, or they may not sit very often, so when they do it “surprises” the horse.

Practice combining sitting and posting until you feel that there is no difference between the two, then try asking for your canter! 🐴

This is me demonstrating the combo of posting/sitting before asking for canter on “Shock” a Warmblood gelding who had been struggling with his transitions.

04/04/2023