10/27/2026
Listen to this. It' may take a couple times or more to visualize it, but it's on point it helps to understand why Classical dressage works.
My teaching starts with the rider's balance and position, then moving in harmony with the horse. As this develops nicely, we move into balancing the horse on a steady outside rein (the "stick" of fixed length). This sets the horse's length of frame, or amount of collection. Use soft half-halls with the inside rein (the big stretchy "rubber band") to ask the horse to straighten against the outside hold. This is where patience is needed, while the horse discovers it can drop it's head to straighten its neck and soften the pressure from the outside rein.
Add some inside leg pressure near the girth with the inside (rubber band) rein aid, to help the horse straighten against the outside bend from the "stick" rein.
This is what you hear as "drive the horse from the inside leg to the outside rein" to get the horse "on the bit".. That is, as the horse drops it's head and tucks in its nose, the big places itself across the tongue, instead of the open gap when its head is up.
I teach this on my wonderfully patient and responsive mare, Hershey Kissez". And I can help you teach this to your horse, so you work together as a team. Trailer ins welcome. Lighted covered arena.
Happy Horse, means Happy Rider.
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