It isn’t because I love picking on competitive Dressage, it is because it is prevalent in competitive Dressage since it is right in front of us, that I can point to the examples so easily seen. False forms of collection abound in every arena however, and it isn’t because it is more fun to fake [...]

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So much focus is put towards the horse’s head set, having a light mouth, being collected and balanced. So much focus on our goals, with little insight into how we get there. Do we ride the same train from one terminal to the next hoping somehow to get to our destination despite riding the wrong [...]

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Much has been written on the subject of hyperflexion of late. It seems that since the initial public outcry for it’s abusive effects, a multitude of evidence has since been designed to prove just that in every media - web, print, video and audio. There are seminars, there are lectures, books and so on. They [...]

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Pressure is what we experience every day of our lives, either self-imposed or given to us by those around us and in our lives. For the horse it is a little simpler, from our perspective anyhow, the horse does not take ‘home’ pressure from the rider or trainer when the session is over. They don’t [...]

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The bend I refer to is that of specifically the neck and generally the entire body. The bend is one of four factors I consider in the working of the horse, that are rules so to speak and guidelines. When something is not functioning properly, i.e. a movement isn’t as correct as I would like, [...]

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Leg Aids Clarified
In this day and age, it often seems that the “correct” use of the aids is with emphasis on the legs for most of the work, and little is left to the hands. Just how do the leg aids interact with the horse to communicate our wishes? In this article, you’ll learn how [...]

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Why Horses Really Run Away
 
Your huffing and puffing, cursing the very horse that you wish wanted to be with you badly enough to stop running away. Likely you have broken a sweat, your halter and lead have become a tangled mess beyond recognition, and you could have ridden two horses in the time it’s taken [...]

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Defining and Solving
 
Resistance in the horse can come in several forms, at times violent and on the other end of the spectrum, passive. Both forms are harmful, frustrating and a sign that the horse does not fully understand what is being asked of him. Let us take a deeper look at the forms of resistance [...]

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What is ego, and where does it belong in the act of riding, training and otherwise interacting with horses?
Ego; noun
1. Self-aggrandizement: an act undertaken to increase your own power and influence or to draw attention to your own importance.
2. An inflated feeling of pride in your superiority to others.
I would like to take the stance [...]

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Part II; Direct & Indirect Rein
In the first part of this article, we covered the Rules of the Aids, along with introducing and describing the Half Halt and Reverse Half Halt. We now continue on, in a very logical way, to discuss the Direct and Indirect Rein. These two aids are the means of directing, [...]

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Part I; Introduction, Half Halt & Reverse Half Halt
I should think that the best place to begin with describing the aids we use to influence the horse, is to first find the exact meaning of aid. By Definition:
Aid: noun (plural aids)

Help, succor, assistance, relief.
The person who promotes or helps in something being done; a helper; [...]

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Questions to Inspire
Introduction
 
What is the purpose behind teaching? Is it to merely convey one’s superior knowledge over their student? To boost their own self-esteem and worth? Or is it to help guide the student along a path in which they never stumble or fall? Would the student prefer that teaching? A sort of leadership to [...]

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