30/05/2026
One of the first things I often do when working with a new horse and rider combination is strip away as much unnecessary tack as possible.
Why? Because equipment can sometimes mask problems rather than solve them.
Martingales, stronger bits, and other training aids all have their place when used correctly, but they can also hide the symptoms of an underlying issue. A horse that tosses its head, comes above the contact, leans, resists, or becomes tense is trying to tell us something. If we immediately reach for more equipment, we may stop seeing the behaviour without ever addressing the cause.
As a dressage trainer, I want to see the horse honestly. I want to see how they move, how they carry themselves, how they respond to the rider, and where the gaps in understanding, strength, balance, or suppleness might be.
When we remove the gadgets, the truth often becomes much clearer. We can identify whether the issue stems from the horse’s physical development, rider position, inconsistent contact, lack of confidence, tension, discomfort, or simply a lack of correct education.
Only then can we begin to improve the problem through correct training.
Dressage is built on creating a horse that is supple, balanced, confident, and working from behind into a consistent contact. That doesn’t come from restricting movement; it comes from patient, systematic training.
I’d rather see the problem and work through it than hide it. Because when you train the cause instead of masking the symptom, the results last.
