Do you want MOVEMENT or TO DO the Movements???

When buying new horses many dressage riders are trying to find the very best moving horse they can afford. But is this the best thing?

Is movement an indication of ability to do the movements and when I talk about movements I talk about the higher level movements in dressage such as piaffe, passage and canter pirouettes.

For the purpose of this article, I am not talking about professional riders. They need a horse that has amazing movement and also the ability to do all the movements. I am addressing the adult riding club riders and even many of the EA dressage riders. Some of you don’t dream big enough so rather than say you only ever want to do prelim and novice, why not ask yourself why couldn’t I do elementary, medium, advanced or even higher? It is incredible learning a language that allows us to communicate with such amazing creatures as our horses to the point that we can dance together! This language is available to you all to learn! Honestly! If you don’t believe me look on the internet and see all kinds of horses doing all the grand prix movements! And by doing this work they start to move better and better as they become stronger and better balanced.

If you just want to stay in prelim and novice and be super competitive then yes – you will need a horse with lovely movement. Be aware! You will need to be able to ride this movement. Breeding horses has progressed at an amazing rate and possibly over the same period, riders time in the saddle has decreased! So what am I saying here? Well, some of these big moving horses are not ideal for people not looking at continually improving themselves as riders. If riders are unable to absorb the horse's movement then they subconsciously hang on or don’t ride as forward and both of these scenarios can lead to the horse becoming sore or developing resistances.

A few years ago I designed the Equest Connect Rider Program. I honestly believe this is absolutely the best way to become incredibly aware and in control of your own body so that you can move in sync with your horse and develop the feel to know when, how and what to ask for at the correct time. I run these as individual or shared sessions, tailored to your own specific needs. Best of all, these complement what you do with your coach and are by no means designed to replace or interfere with your current training.

If I have lit a flame inside you that makes you believe that just maybe you would like to head on a pathway to some of the higher level movements then check out the Equest Connect In-hand Horse Biomechanics Program. It is fantastic to include in-hand work regularly and ideally a little ahead of what you are training under saddle. This way your horse is being prepared mentally and physically for what he/she will be learning next. It is an excellent way to work on connection, reaction to the aids and suppleness and you will be able to see how your horse is developing.