- much more than conventional dressage training

Learning to Feel

There is an old horseman's saying, "each time you ride a horse, you will always leave it a little better or a little worse".
Therefore a rider whose horse is ridden by them alone, should be able to feel if, unbeknown to them, someone else rode it in their absence!

Feel is the magic ingredient that enables the rider to recognise, for example, whether the horse is moving comfortably in an upright balance and is ready and willing to respond to whatever may be asked, and to notice when he has given a little more for a stride or two.

Although some riders have an innate sense of feel, others should not despair. They just need to learn how to develop it.

For example -
simple experimentation

There are three vital responses that the rider needs from their horse in order to perform a decent dressage test, even at Preliminary level.

• The horse must feel as though he is immediately willing to go faster, slower or sideways at all times.

So, one at a time, make an assessment of whether these are possible, and then ask your horse, checking the result against your assessment!

If you feel, or discover, you need to use force, there is no need to do so as you'll realise the answer is already a "no"; and it can never be a "yes" unless you can produce these responses softly.

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Pat Taylor
Dressage & Equestrian Trainer
BSc (Hons) Equine Science | BHSII, SM | UKCC Tutor in Sport​
​Mobile: 07825 664495