06/06/2025
Little introduction.
Let's start with introducing myself and why I have started this page.
I would like to classified myself as a dressage rider/ instructor, but I am little different. I haven't got the posh, well bred horses with flashy paces. Usually I am lucky if my horses has got 3 correct paces and can trot and canter without tripping over their own feet. They have no talent, some of them have no breeding recorded and one , my special one, he was just left at my yard after he proved he is just too difficult to ride.
I have been riding from young age and had a go with nearly everything, showjumping, eventing, racing, but at the end I decided I really want to focus on dressage. I just love to see how much the horses can improve not just in paces and way of going but even in behaviour. It is really nice to see, how the correct training can make the horse looking more healthy, athletic, happy and confident in the work and build partnership with his rider.
I always have had the idea, that riding dressage is almost as dancing. Horse and rider in mutual respect and cooperation showing movements in absolute harmony. And I wanted to really dance with my horses in the higher levels so when I could afford it , I got myself a trainer....
At the beginning all seemed to be ok and we did make some progress until we got to training on medium /advanced medium level. Then everything changed. Instead carry on with the training with patience and looking for ways how to keep the horse supple and happy when introducing new movements, all started to be a pressure.
Nearly every training I could hear
- "You need double bridle and spur to get more control"
-"He can do this movement, he just playing you up and is naughty and you need to use little more force to make him do that"
-"If you want to succeed you have to work him hard "
I had my doubts about this way of training. I didn't like the idea of dominance over the horse instead partnership with him. But I wanted to progress and paid a lot of money to experienced trainer so I did try listen , even though I did have a lot of questions that always been answered the same way... " if you want to get there you have to harden up"
It didn't take long and my horses started to show how unhappy they are. All this pressure just brought too much tension and frustration in the work and I started to have problems... loosing rhythm, loosing confidence and bad behavioral issues.
- I didn't want this. This wasn't the dream. So I said stop. Got rid of the trainer, put double bridles and spurs in the box in the darkest corner of the tackroom and started fix all the mistakes that's been done.
- After some tears, a lot sweat and few headaches I got my horses back to happy themselves. Are they perfect now? NO! Will they ever been perfect? I don't know. But for me it is important they started to be more relaxed, correct in the rhythm and they happy to work.
And yes there always will be some sort of pressure when you training, but there are ways how to teach the horse to understand better and that is rewards. Not always it means you have to give them treat ( well little guilty here as I always have some carrot in the pocket) but it means after you have to make some pressure there has to come release once the horse at least trying to understand to allow him to find the confidence to do it
That is why I set up this page. BTB means Back To Basics. I just would like to share my experiences from my journey and maybe help other people who struggle to understand where they going wrong. I will use this page to share training tips that have worked with my non talented lot and want to keep it strictly educational although not avoiding discussions. But not bullying and unkind comments. We all have own ways how to ride and train the horses and we can learn from each other , even just sharing your mistakes can be great learning curb for all of us.
