slide 1: Why Dressage Is For Everyone. Some people see dressage as boring or something only for people with more experience or for those more elite breeds of horse. This simply isn’t true. Anyone and everyone regardless of their experience and type of horse they ride can benefit from regular dressage or schooling sessions. If you are one of those who thinks of dressage and schooling as simply going round and round in circles then all you need is a bit more in the way of inspiration and ideas to make the whole thing more interesting and engaging. And you do need to make it interesting Dressage schooling has many benefits firstly it enhances and strengthens the bond between horse and rider as well as improving a horse’s balance. And for us riders too there are many benefits too it give us a chance to work on our riding position and improve the effectiveness of our riding. It helps to have some idea of a game plan or strategy in place before you start a schooling session. Think of the things that your horse could do better things like listening to your aids stopping starting bending and turning transitions from one pace to another. Do you wish your horse would be more forward going or maybe less forward going. Even if you are a happy hacker then regular schooling will benefit you and your horse.

slide 2: You can of course school whilst out hacking. Find a piece of common land with is relatively flat with short grass and work in circles or squares or leg yielding from one side of a track to the other. You can also do lengthening and shortening strides in walk trot and canter. There is really no end to the possibilities and the key is to keep it interesting and regularly reward your horse with a stroke a pat and a rest for his efforts. Always keep a positive attitude and do not get cross if your horse is not doing what you want it to do but take different approach take a step back or if necessary change the subject and work on something else for a while. For interesting and helpful exercises and floor plans read next week’s blog. Check this article at http://www.musicalridecompany.com/why-dressage-is-for- everyone/