Leg-yielding is a very useful exercise that appears in some Elementary dressage tests and can also be used as part of your regular schooling regimen. Although it’s generally ridden on a straight line parallel to the fence, during training, you can also ride leg-yield to enlarge and reduce the size of a circle. Here’s how to do it! What are the benefits of the exercise? Leg-yielding in and out of a circle has lots of benefits for dressage horses, regardless of the level the horse is working at. Let’s take a look at the main ones. Benefit 1 – Improved suppleness Leg-yielding in and out of a cir ..read more

When negotiating a circle, turn, or corner, it’s not uncommon to see novice horses and riders leaning inwards around them. This is often given the nickname “motorbiking” because it looks the same as a motorbike turning. In this article, we’re going to explain why bikers lean, why horse riders shouldn’t lean, and what to do instead. Why do motorbikers lean? Bikers need to lean into a turn to stop their motorbike from tipping over. Although that sounds contradictory, it’s not, instead, it’s all about balance. A motorbike can only stay upright when it is traveling in a straight line. To get the ..read more

To start, it’s paramount that we make it clear that the featured image of this post does not show correct training and cannot be described as “dressage.” Instead, it illustrates exactly how NOT to do dressage. Sadly, this way of going is seen at all levels of competition, and to the untrained eye, it can look impressive. To the novice rider watching what is supposed to be a more experienced rider on a more advanced horse, this then fills them with an incorrect image of what dressage is and how to do it. With a desire to progress, the novice rider then tries to emulate what they have seen and ..read more

When schooling your horse for dressage, you must be sure to work your horse equally in both directions. If you ride on one rein more than the other, your horse’s muscular development will be asymmetrical, and he will become stronger and more supple in one direction than the other. Therefore, it goes without saying that during every schooling session you must make numerous changes of rein. To help keep your training sessions varied, and for added benefits, you can use circles to help you change the rein. Here’s why and how to do it. Why change the rein using a circle? Changing the rein by ridi ..read more

Leg-yield is a beneficial exercise that loosens the horse’s back and makes him more supple and elastic, adding expression to the gaits and helping the horse to relax mentally. Although leg-yield is most commonly ridden from the centerline to the outside track, for added variety you can ride leg-yield down the wall. Here’s how to do it! What is leg-yielding? Leg-yielding is the first lateral movement that you teach your horse. The horse moves forwards and sideways with a slight flexion at the poll away from the direction of travel, while keeping his body straight. Leg-yield teaches the horse t ..read more

These days, dressage horses are selected and purposely bred for their paces, and the better their natural paces, the higher the price tag. However, if your budget doesn’t stretch to buying the ready-made article (and it’s not cheap), there are ways to increase what nature has given your own horse. Read this guide to find out how to school your horse to give his paces more expression and maximize your horse’s full potential. What indicates quality paces? When assessing a horse’s paces, we want to see the following qualities: 1. The correct rhythm and sequence of footfalls The walk should be fo ..read more

You’re sure to get marked down in a dressage test if your horse is tense, right? Well, that depends on the kind of tension we’re talking about. Did you know that positive tension can go a long way to enhancing your performance in the dressage arena and can even improve your horse’s paces? Read this article to find out how positive tension can be a good thing for your dressage horse and how you can go about creating it. Positive tension vs. negative tension First up, it’s important that we clarify the difference between positive tension and negative tension. In a nutshell: Positive tension is ..read more

Although it’s not a required movement that’s included in dressage tests, the spiral exercise is an extremely useful and versatile training tool that you can use in your daily schooling sessions. In this guide, you will learn the benefits and variations of the spiral exercise for the dressage horse, as well as how to ride it. What is the spiral exercise? Basically, the spiral exercise involves riding a large circle, gradually spiraling inwards onto a smaller circle and then spiraling out onto the large circle again. Where to ride it? The spiral exercise is usually ridden around a central poin ..read more

If you are to have any influence over your horse’s way of going, he must first be attentive to your aids. If your horse falls asleep, becomes easily distracted, or somehow seems to forget that you’re even on his back during competitions, then you’re going to struggle. So, how can you get your horse to be more attentive to your aids? Read this guide to find out! Why do you need your horse to be attentive? If your horse is not “on your aids,” you will have a limited ability to improve your horse’s balance, to position and prepare him sufficiently for movements and turns, and to improve his pace ..read more

Have you heard of DAP or Diagonal Advanced Placement? Many dressage riders are not familiar with the term. However, DAP is viewed by some experts as the best single indicator of a horse’s aptitude and suitability for the highest levels of dressage. Keep reading to learn more about Diagonal Advanced Placement and how to identify it in your dressage horse. About the horse’s trot and canter Before we get into the nuts and bolts of this post, it’s first crucial that we understand the mechanics of the horse’s trot and canter. The trot The trot has a two-beat rhythm during which the horse’s alterna ..read more