Biomechanics. It sounds fancy and scientific. Trainers say they emphasize biomechanics in their training, but what do they mean? More than that, why should anyone care? Merriam-Webster defines biomechanics as "the mechanics of biological and especially muscular activity," also "the scientific study of this." But what does that mean in practice? For dressage riders and [...]
Omnium rerum principia parva sunt- Cicero "The beginnings of all things are small" While this Roman statesman wasn't talking about training horses, this statement is applicable to all walks of life. Everything has a small beginning. Every building begins with one scoop of a shovel. Every great rider was once a child that pointed at [...]
There is something transcendent and indescribable that draws us to horses. Perhaps it is their power, shown through their muscular bodies and thundering hooves, perhaps it is their gentleness in their soft muzzles and large eyes that look into our souls, perhaps it is their beauty in their flowing manes and glistening coats. Perhaps it [...]
Several years ago, I was in a voice lesson with an operatic coloratura soprano. (Now, what does voice have to do with riding? A lot, actually, especially if you want to be an instructor without wearing out your voice, but that's another story) I was struggling with a note or a passage in a particularly [...]
All of us have been there: our horse is not paying attention or is misbehaving, and as soon as the trainer takes control, the horse completely changes and obeys happily. It's a source of frustration for many horse owners. The trainer doesn't look like they're doing anything special, but the horse completely changes. What happened? [...]
What is Classical Dressage? Classical dressage is the centuries-old art of training horses both for the battlefield and for the artistic expression in the royal and imperial courts. This art was developed by observing horses in nature and using their natural movements to develop the horse’s strength and flexibility holistically so that [...]
