Classical Dressage Art in Motion

The TV production " Road Map to Making The Grand Prix Dressage Horse" is underway and a casting call has gone out for dressage riders with a young horse to start.   Topliner will be trainer British international Grand Prix competitor/coach/clinician Paul Alvin-Smith of Willowview Hill Farm, Stamford NY. The filming will be completed at his farm located in the beautiful Catskill Mountains of New York, and it offers a super opportunity for dressage aficionados with a young horse to start to enjoy free training and board for their horse during 2022. " The Horse Studio is thrilled to be able to offer this rare opportunity to riders. Paul has started several horses from babies and made them to the Grand Prix level during his career, where he has competed to scores of over 72% at Grand Prix in Europe. Folks interested in auditioning can find more info on our website ," says Kathy Collins, a veteran staffer at The Horse Studio.    The production will enjoy the backdrop of ...

Politics rage on as usual apparently. I cannot believe that Princess Haya was endorsed as FEI President given her connection through her husband ( Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum) who was marked at the center of the endurance racing scandal. The stories of horse deaths and blatant rule breaking have rightfully highlighted the equestrian world to a much larger audience and here we are, as protectors of the horse or so we claim, allowing this endorsement to happen. Although let's face it, the FEI never seem to take much notice of what the competitor thinks. The meeting of course includes very few actual riders or competitors although at the recent meeting Ludger Beerbaum was present and brought up several good points about warm up footing and the star rating system of Event Classification. Poor old Rolex, banished in favor of Longines does not even warrant a mention for all their sponsorship of the European World Cup in the past. Not smart is it? A sponsor like Rolex who h...

The fun to do, fun to train, dressage flying change is truly like dancing with your horse. Unfortunately all too often issues arise during training that make them less than perfect. Major issues which are very common include swinging of the hindquarters ( which will cause lots of issues with tempi changes so be warned), changes that are late behind, swishing tails during the change, changes that are not forward, where the croup is high and the horse shows stiffness behind. In the latter event the horse will cover very little ground as he is not 'flying' through the change. Other issues that occur in training are running off after the change, bucking, coming above the bridle and the riders hand. Do not despair! There is some discussion as to which leg should push hardest during the change and to whether there should be a lightening of the seat during the movement. From my experience and training, lightening the seat is to be avoided. Stay straight, do not collapse a hip and ...