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The principles of classical dressage are voluntary co-operation of the horse and physical training that enables him to carry the rider's weight in all movements and exercises up to a great age, without suffering mental or physical damage.
For this purpose we strengthen the horse's physical ability and teach him to shift more weight to the hindquarters by lowering the croup while elevating the arched neck.
To gain our horse's respect and co-operation we are to constantly reflect about our dealing with him and refine ourselves. When deficiencies occur we first check ourselves as the possible cause, not just blame the horse.
Basic Education
At the beginning you will work your horse free of any gadgets in a round yard. Just equipped with two whips, acting as extensions of your arms, you will learn to gain your horse's confidence, respect and obedience by using precise and specific body language, clear voice aids and applying a system of reward and correction.
Lungeing
First on the cavesson only, without auxiliary reins, your horse will learn to stretch into the crucial forward-downwards-out position. This way he will find his balance in a relaxed, comfortable way, using his top line and moving through the whole body. The goal at this schooling stage is to achieve relaxation, rhythm and balance.
When he moves calm but not sluggish and carefully bends according to the circle line you will start lungeing him with fairly long side reins and the lunge line set up in a way that encourages your horse to seek for the first slight contact. Never will he be forced into the desired frame by tying him down but various lungeing techniques and exercises teach him to develop self-carriage.
Double Lungeing
Double lungeing allows very flexible and detailed work. By applying suppling and gymnastic exercises you will enable your horse to extend his natural movements and paces. From moving calm and balanced, you will ask him now to go with more impulsion which is essential to get him working straight. With double lungeing you will consolidate contact and establish straightness, impulsion, suppleness and finally collection.
Work in Hand
Work in hand focuses on developing the lateral movements as well as the Spanish Walk. The essential shoulder-in is the basis for counter-shoulder-in, travers (haunches-in), renvers and half pass. In classical dressage the shoulder-in is not just part of a test to be performed at a certain marker in the arena but is one of the corner-stones of horse schooling. It is the "gate to the laterals" and plays a central role towards collection as it improves your horse's flexion and bend, the mobility of his shoulders, his overall suppleness and further develops the strength of his hindquarters.
You will learn to position your horse very precise since you move relatively close to him, with a dressage whip acting as "leg aid". This way the transition to performing the laterals also under saddle is then relatively easy for your horse.
Liberty Dressage
Liberty dressage is great and useful in many ways:
By learning how to steer your horse with nothing else than your quiet voice, body language and hardly visible whip aids through the arena, executing movements like big circles, small circles, changes through the circle, reinback etc., you will consolidate the bond with your horse. This makes a fascinating variety to your usual working routine and keeps your horse motivated and keen to work.
With the circus lessons bowing, kneeling, lying down and perhaps rearing you can train your horse's balance and carefully but effectively stretch and strengthen his muscles which are so important for correct riding and driving, the top line muscles and the abdominals.
These exercises have nothing to do with teaching tricks like retrieving or "saying Yes or No" as those are, well, just tricks but useless for gymnasticising your horse which is our focus.
Last but not least the real keen student can learn to work horses in groups.
Long Reining
Long reining is the presentation of the highly trained horse that responds instantly to the lightest aids. It is not, as many believe, a training method to achieve something. Long reining is a goal in itself and because the handler walks in the horse's blind spot next to his hindquarters only very well trained and serene tempered horses are suitable for it.
Riding
Unlike in modern dressage sports in classical dressage great importance is attached to fine, invisible aids resulting from a correct seat and smooth rein aids, hands prepared to ease at all times.
Only when the rider has a good seat, correct and well-balanced body position, moves with the horse's motion, and gives and times the aids correctly he can finally reduce his aids to the mere thought.
Carriage driving
Primary objective of the Achenbach method -named after its inventor Benno von Achenbach- is to drive as gentle with the horses, appropriate and safe as possible. Although Mr Achenbach was German and acquired much of his knowledge in England his focus on being gentle with the horses is a very classical approach in many aspects.
The Achenbach method with its partly standardised features, e.g. the Achenbach cross-reins, is very logical and therefore easy to learn. You will acquire your dexterity at our driving dummy first before we move on to refining it with your own horse.
Among other benefits, the Achenbach system allows you also to drive safely with just one hand. Although the original purpose was to have the other hand free for handling the whip, signalling or operating the brake driving one-handed is nowadays part of the dressage tests.
Driving teams of four or more horses builds on correct driving of singles and pairs; re-learning is not necessary, just adding knowledge. Therefore the Achenbach system is today's mostly taught and practiced carriage driving method in Europe.
The pages Tuition and Training provide you with details of how you and your horse can learn Schooling-on-the-Ground classical-Iberian horse training.
For further information on please email us or give us a call on 02 - 820 696 38, we are happy to answer your questions.
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