Here is my opinion on every aspect of training.

The truth to find success is to know what you wish to achieve and to start from the very beginning to make this happen.This begins on the ground with a youngster. Or an older horse, and again on the ground.

Respect is two fold.

So, you can of course teach a horse to whoa and go, from the ground first, without anything in or on his face or mouth.
However once in the irons all bets are off and then you have to work together.

With a halter, bit or a bitless bridle, correct flexion comes from behind and that is the harnessing of the go with the use of the weight and legs as aids and then using the bridle/bit to ask the horse to lessen ( think relaxed, becoming fluid and have a degree of cadance) in his front action so he can eventually move in extension, medium and collected work in all gaits. The power is always from the haunches.

Without obedience this bridle-less work will be useless if you need to WHOA!~

Lets face it- the use of bosels and hackamores is not just *lighter* work, and should be used with expertise only
since they impact greatly on the sensitive nasal area /nose of the horse, and this will act like a lever to bring his head down and get away from the pain, since pressure of the nose piece is closing his ability to breathe and carry himself freely, and often he will stop or drop down from the novice rider and their poor hands.....

Riding is a LIVING art form.

Truly it is.

If you have ever felt the incredible piaffe or passage of a horse in his freedom and glory you will understand how intoxicating it is and want to feel this over and over.

The Training Scale

The dressage training scale is arranged in a pyramid fashion, with “rhythm and regularity” at the bottom of the pyramid and “collection” at the top. The training scale is used as a guide for the training of the dressage horse (or any horse, for that matter). Despite its appearance, the training scale is not meant to be a rigid format. Instead, each level is built on as the horse progresses in his training: so a Grand Prix horse would work on the refinement of the bottom levels of the pyramid, instead of focusing on only the highest level: “collection.” The levels are also interconnected. For example, a crooked horse is unable to develop impulsion and a horse that is not relaxed will be less likely to travel with a rhythmic gait.

Rhythm and Regularity

Rhythm, gait, tempo, and regularity should be the same on straight and bending lines, through lateral work, and through transitions. Rhythm refers to the sequence of the footfalls, which should only include the pure walk, pure trot, and pure canter. The regularity, or purity, of the gait includes the evenness and levelness of the stride. Once a rider can obtain pure gaits, they are ready to learn difficult movements such as the piaffe, when the horse trots in place raising the front legs to where the hooves are level with the cannon bone

Relaxation

The second level of the pyramid is relaxation (looseness). Signs of looseness in the horse may be seen by an even stride that is swinging through the back and causing the tail to swing like a pendulum, looseness at the poll, a soft chewing of the bit, and a relaxed blowing through the nose. The horse will make smooth transitions, be easy to position from side to side, and will willingly reach down into the contact as the reins are lengthened.

Contact

Contact—the third level of the pyramid—is the result of the horse’s pushing power, and should never be achieved by the pulling of the rider’s hands. The rider drives the horse into soft hands that allow the horse to come up into the bridle, and should always follow the natural motion of the animal’s head. The horse should have equal contact in both reins.

Impulsion
The pushing power (thrust) of the horse is called “ impulsion ,” and is the fourth level of the training pyramid. Impulsion is created by storing the energy of engagement (the forward reaching of the hind legs under the body).

Proper impulsion is achieved by means of: • Correct driving aids of the rider • Relaxation of the horse • Throughness : the flow of energy through the horse from front to back and back to front. The musculature of the horse is connected, supple, elastic, and unblocked, and the rider’s aids go freely through the horse.

Impulsion can occur at the walk, trot and canter. It is highly important to establish good, forward movement and impulsion at the walk, as achieving desireable form in the trot and canter relies heavily on the transition from a good, supple, forward walk.

Impulsion not only encourages correct muscle and joint use, but also engages the mind of the horse, focusing it on the rider and, particularly at the walk and trot, allowing for relaxation and dissipation of nervous energy.

Straightness

A horse is straight when his hind legs follow the path of his front legs, on both straight lines and on bending lines, and his body is parallel to the line of travel. Straightness causes the horse to channel his impulsion directly toward his center of balance, and allows the rider’s hand aids to have a connection to the hind end.

Collection

At the apex of the training scale, " collection" may be used occasionally to supplement less vigorous work, but is only focused on (through the collected gaits and more difficult movements, such as flying changes ) in more advanced horses. Collection requires greater muscular strength, so must be developed slowly.

When a horse collects, he naturally takes more of his weight onto his hindquarters. The joints of the hind limbs have greater flexion, allowing the horse to lower his hindquarters, bring his hind legs further under his body, and lighten the forehand. A collected horse is able to move more freely. When collected, the stride length should shorten, and increase in energy and activity.

Trainingg fees are:

Individual lessons: (horse and or rider) $62.50 per hr. ( $12.50 facility fee included.)

Full training : $550.00 per month
(minimum of 3 months required)
Half training. $300.00 per month Horse is schooled 3 x a week ( minimum of 3 months required )

Owner is responsible for board, trims or shoeing, or any and all vet bills . (See facility page for board prices)

Some of the horses Susie has started and trained: