Unlock your dressage potential with this award-winning guide, recognized for its exceptional contribution to English horse training. This book is meticulously crafted to enhance your dressage skills through a comprehensive collection of groundwork and riding exercises, ultimately leading to improved competition results. It provides essential insights on preparing for dressage competitions, offers practical checklists for test days, and shares valuable tips to help you confidently memorize your dressage tests.
If you’ve ever found feedback like “needs more collection” on your dressage test results, this guide offers clear, kind methods to improve your horse’s posture, collection, and self-carriage. Forget harsh rein pulling or stressing your horse’s muscles; instead, focus on fostering a healthy, happy equine partner ready to excel in dressage.
The Foundations of Dressage
Discover the origins of dressage and understand why it’s a beneficial discipline for your horse. This section delves into the core advantages of dressage training, offering insights into how it can enhance your horse’s overall well-being and performance. You’ll also find practical advice on selecting appropriate saddles, bridles, and tack, alongside discussions on bitless, barefoot, and treeless riding options. For those seeking expert guidance, the book also covers how to find a great trainer and improve your own riding posture.
Progressive Training Exercises
This guide introduces a progressive approach to dressage training, beginning with when to start training and emphasizing the importance of groundwork. A variety of groundwork exercises are detailed, including halt and backup drills, in-hand forequarter and hindquarter yields, walking in hand, and speed and rhythm exercises. You’ll learn how to prevent common beginner mistakes, such as overbending your horse, and gain a clear understanding of what collection truly is and isn’t.
The riding exercises are designed to build a strong foundation for collection and self-carriage. Key areas covered include warming up effectively, improving straightness, developing energy and impulsion, and mastering weight aids, timing, and cues. Exercises for bends and corners, transitions, and serpentines are thoroughly explained, with a special focus on “falling in love with corners” to enhance your horse’s responsiveness.
Achieving Collection and Competition Readiness
A significant portion of the book is dedicated to achieving genuine collection through specific exercises. The “10 step exercise for collection,” spiral collection exercise, teardrop collection exercise, and techniques like shoulder out and leg yields for collection are detailed to help your horse achieve optimal engagement and elevation.
Preparing for dressage competitions is made manageable with practical advice. This includes developing the right test mindset, utilizing checklists for the week before, the day before, and the day of your dressage test, and learning how to effectively interpret the judge’s feedback. Strategies for warming up in the arena, remembering your test, and managing competition nerves are also provided to ensure you and your horse perform at your best.
Succeeding in the Competition Arena
The guide offers comprehensive tips for the competition day itself, from the warmup arena to managing nerves and presenting your horse effectively. It also emphasizes the importance of reflecting on your performance after the test, understanding common dressage test questions and issues, and learning how to avoid prevalent mistakes and problems.
This book has been featured at prestigious events such as the RDS Dublin Horse Show and the Irish Pony Club Festival, underscoring its credibility and practical application in the equestrian community.
Elaine Heney, the author, is a #1 best-selling author, award-winning filmmaker, and the director of Grey Pony Films. Through her ‘Listening to the Horse™’ documentary series and online programs, she has empowered over 120,000 horse owners globally to build stronger relationships with their horses. Based in Ireland, Elaine continues to share her expertise through Grey Pony Films, offering renowned online groundwork, riding, and training programs.
Publisher: Grey Pony Films
Publication Date: November 28, 2022
Language: English
Pages: 224
ISBN-10: 1915542235
ISBN-13: 978-1915542236
Item Weight: 10.9 ounces
Dimensions: 6 x 0.51 x 9 inches
This guide serves as an indispensable resource for any horse owner looking to deepen their understanding and practice of dressage, fostering a kinder, more effective training partnership with their equine companions.
