Robin Bond Equine

It's happening! Mark your calendars for the Wine Country Classic Horse Show. September 30 - October 3, 2021... Galway Downs, Temecula, CA Working Equitation Rated Show AND Regional Championship Dressage Rail classes for Open and Andalusian / Lusitano Sponsorship Opportunities & Show Details coming soon!

Support out local Working Equitation shows!!!!

Some amazing clips showcasing what 2 of my clients looked like before and then after their sessions with me today - I watch these videos and it looks like they... are months apart from each other in the way that the horse and rider are connected, how they are moving so free and and balanced and overall HAPPY. But they’re less than 2 hours apart... . . . Note that the first mare no longer needed her martingale in the after session. Why? Because after learning how to utilize her pectoral muscles and bring her wings out, she no longer needed to hold up her body with her poor neck! Both mares had problems going forward. Both mares were offered to stop and stand still after the lesson and instead chose to keep walking because they felt so good! The body wants to be balanced, we just have to help it. Have I mentioned how much I love teaching this? #travelinghorsewitch #balancethroughmovmentmethod #trainingforwings

If a rider cannot tilt their pelvis in all directions then that rider will not be able to ride well at all. The movement of your pelvis requires your deep core... muscle to hold your spine stable, while your lower abdominals and lower back muscles and the oblique muscles move your pelvis as you and all riders choose. If you cannot move and control your pelvis most likely you are not riding very well and in many cases, you will be causing your horse to develop issues (hollowing, unwilling to go forwards ect). The jarring effect of your inability to control your pelvis will transfer to your horse. Riders spend so much time money and emotion on saddles, massage units, therapy and others treatments and still don't learn "how to ride". The core muscle is not a mystery to train for horse riding, but it does require more than just having strength. Good balance and good posture demand a functional core as well as symmetry, synchronization, and coordination of all of your riding muscles. To be able to ride well you must be able to use your strong core in movement patterns that are specific to the riding patterns. Training your core to stabilise your posture while you train specific rider movement patterns will teach you how to transfer your core strength to your riding. The walk is a movement that requires a lot of movement and stability from your spine and pelvis. The four beat stepping motion of the horse requires a symmetrical rotational, tilt and lateral movement of your pelvis. This is not "neutral spine". This movement also requires your upper body to have a counter movement to keep you upright and straight and appear still. The sitting trot requires your spine to have a lesser range of movement, but a faster-synchronized pattern as well a symmetrical movement, so your seat can be flexible and in rhythm with the two beat movement, this is not "neutral spine". The canter has your pelvis not only tilting forwards and backward but also in a rotation movement in time with the three beat, asymmetrical movement of your horse, this is not "neutral spine". Being able to recognise and control your pelvis is key to riding well.

The best riders all have help on the ground. You never see someone getting ready for a Gran Prix without someone on the ground

Origins of Working Equitation: California USAWE members, share some art work from your part of the region!

USAWE members in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah and US Pacific Territories! In order to help get USAWE off to a great start, I will need your help! P...lease send me information about your local events to put on the Region 2 page. Rated shows, schooling shows, online opportunities, clinics, presentations, demonstrations are all welcome. If you have a specific concern for your regional director, please contact me at [email protected].

How bit pressure affects the movement of the hindlimb!!! The horses tongue attaches to the Hyoid bone (see photos) The hyoid is Intimately connected to the airw...ays and therefore affects the horses breathing, and is connected to hind limb via fascial. See below Sternohyoideus connects the hyoid to the sternum Omohyoideus connects the hyoid to the inside of the shoulder -Direct connection from the tongue to the sternum and shoulder along the bottom of the horse’s neck. Tension in the tongue tension in sternum horse can’t lift through back to allow for collection- affects hindquarters Small muscles also connect the hyoid bones to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and the poll. The TMJ is an important center for nerves that control the horse’s balance and proprioception. And the pollits ability to bend and flexis of central concern to the dressage rider. Because of the small muscles connecting them, there is a very close relationship (which few riders know about) between the horse’s tongue, hyoid bones, TMJ, poll, head, and neck. When the horse’s tongue is free and soft, all of this translates into a horse who is better able to move well, with coordination, improved balance, and a significantly lengthened stride.(L.Tellington- Jones 2013) L.Tellington-Jones (2013) Dressage with Mind, Body & Soul: A 21st-century Approach to the Science and Spirituality of Riding and Horse-and-rider Well-being.Trafalga Square. ISBN9781570764264

Somewhere in the world, the 2028 Olympic champion is a foal out in a field. He’s ewe-necked, sickle-hocked, downhill and shaggy, with a club foot and a chunk of... mane missing, because his buddy chewed it off. Somewhere in the world, there’s a young horse that everyone says is too short to make it big. In three years, he’ll be jumping the standards, but right now he’s fat and short and no one is paying him any mind. Somewhere in the world there’s a 7-year-old who can’t turn right, and a 10-year-old who has not shown the ability to put more than two one-tempis together without losing it, and a 14-year-old who hasn’t yet reached his peak, and all of them will be at the next Olympic Games. Somewhere else in the world, there’s a rider who is thinking of packing it in. Maybe the bills are getting out of control, or she’s killing herself to get enough help in her own riding development because she’s having to spend all her time riding and teaching to make ends meet and change needs to happen, and she’s wondering if it’s worth it. She’s thinking it’s time to just give up and be a local trainer, to shelve her dreams of international competition. And then she’s going to shake off the doubt, double down, and make a team in the next 15 years. Somewhere in the world, one of the next great team riders is 9 years old and couldn’t tell if she was on the right posting diagonal if her life depended on it. Somewhere in the world there’s a future team rider who just got told that she’ll never make it because she’s too chubby, because she’s too short, because she’s too late. There are horses who will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars that will never amount to anything, and there are horses who will be touted as the Next Big Thing only to be never seen or heard from again, and there are horses who will fly under the radar until suddenly they’re setting the world on fire. There are riders who will win Junior and Young Rider competitions only to quit riding completely, riders who will be touted as the Next Big Thing only to get stuck in their comfort zones and never come to fruition, and there are riders who will make their first Olympic team at 50, at 55, at even older than that. And yes, there are the horses that will be brilliant from day one, and there are the riders for whom success both comes early and stays late. But more often than not, history has shown that the unlikely story, the horse who was passed over in favor of his more expensive stablemate, the rider who no one saw coming, is the more likely path to greatness. Credit and written by Lauren Sprieser at Chronicle Of The Horse

#drop_your_beautiful_horse_head_challenge Kiger Zapata KCA

I cannot strongly enough recommend Will Friday for body work on your horses. Not only did he help Zapata with a left bend stiffness at the poll and jaw, he has made an enormous difference in my 4 year old Quarter Horse who was having trouble maintaining leads and falling out behind.

Sandy Rabinowitz est une cavaliere et artiste et a cree des tableaux pour ''dressage today'' pour aider a mettre des images en tete pour mieux monter. https://www.sandyrabinowitz.com/paintings

Respect for the horse avoid judgement Every now and then I’ve overheard a trainer or horse owner talking about a horse in pretty negative terms, or perhaps gi...ving the horse a derogatory nickname. I don’t think it reflects well on them, because I think how the horse responds to them will be affected by this. I once experienced something which made me be more careful about making negative judgements about a horse. It was many years ago, and I was working at a stable in winter. The stable had 10 horses, and it was a lot of work to try and finish them up and still have the energy to ride my own. There was one horse there that I didn’t like much at all. His name was Cal, and he was a fat show pony. He was much more work than any of the other horses. His feeds seem to involve more than 10 ingredients and supplements. Also, his owner gave complex instructions for the rugs he should wear for every possible nuance of weather and up to 5 rugs in the worst winter weather! This was before light synthetic rugs were commonly available. I used to grit my teeth with annoyance whenever it was time to rug Cal, because it seemed to take forever. Cal didn’t seem to care for me much, either, and wore a face of mulish scepticism whenever I was around. (I’ve selected today’s artwork because it reminded me of Cal’s perpetual expression) His eyes always seemed to be half-shut, and his ears three-quarters back. He never nipped or was badly behaved, but he looked as if it was something he was thinking about. One day I was doing the stables as usual, and it was forecast to be a sunny winter’s day. I put the horses out with light winter rugs on and shortly after, there was an unexpected downpour. Huge fat drops of freezing rain pelted down it was not much short of hail. Gusty winds seemed to come out of nowhere. All of the horses weathered the unexpected storm just fine except Cal. He stood huddled in the part of the paddock closest to the stable, staring in my direction unwaveringly. I swear he was telepathically trying to summon help. It turned out that the light rug he was wearing was not waterproof enough to survive such a downpour, and it and he - were absolutely soaked. He was a picture of abject misery. I ran out, put a halter on him and led him to the stable to dry him out. I took off his soaked rug, and it became apparent how cold he was. He shivered so much on each leg that he swayed. His eyes were wide as if with shock, and he looked stunned and withdrawn. I was horrified, and set about putting him right. I said lots of things to him like Cal, I’m so sorry! Look at you never mind, we’ll soon have you warm and dry again, as I vigorously towelled him dry, then piled on every rug in his collection. He soon stopped shivering and started to warm up. As I resumed mucking out all of those stables, I tied him up outside each one, checking him frequently, and talking to him. He was soon toasty warm, and seemed fine so I put him out in the paddock again, checking him several times before I left. I noted that he seemed sweetly appreciative of my attentions and regarded me with big brown eyes. That would be the end of the story, except the next time I did the stables, I was astonished to find that Cal’s attitude towards me had utterly changed, in a way that seemed something out of a child’s story about horses. He now greeted me with soft, doughy-eyed affection. He liked to nuzzle me gently and stand still while smelling me. He accepted scratches and caresses with pleasure. Gone were the half-shut eyes and the ears three-quarters-back. And you know what? My attitude towards him had changed, too, to being friendly and caring. I guess because he’d been in such a bad way, and needed my help. From then on, we had little smooching sessions each time we met. Forever afterwards Cal was affectionate and cheerful around me. And this made me wonder how much of his original attitude towards me had been based on my attitude towards him? I realised that I’d essentially indulged in disliking him because of the extra work he represented something that was not his fault. The conclusion seemed inescapable: the sour face I turned on him was the same one he reflected back on me. This made such an impression on me that I decided I should always try to be more fair-minded to horses that I met in future. So, when I hear of someone who calls their horse a name like The Jerk, Dimwit or Numnuts, or says scathing things about his temperament, talent or intellect, I wonder how much of what they are projecting on the horse is reflected back on them. It doesn’t seem a promising way to set about turning him into the horse of their dreams. In any case, whether you believe it’s worthwhile trying to cultivate a less judgemental attitude as a good training strategy or not, it is simply true that I was a happier and more cheerful person around Cal when I was freed of my pointless dislike of him and he gave every indication that he appreciated the change in me. Do you have a story of the attitude of a person affecting the horse’s attitude? If so, share it in the comments. The horse in this picture has a similar expression to Cal’s sour face though Cal was considerably more plump than this. This painting is by George Stubbs, painted in 1770, with the catchy title: Mr Ogilvie’s Bay Racehorse on a Riverbank, with a Group of Cows in the Middle Distance. Perhaps the horse looks this unimpressed because someone has cut part of his tail off a fashion which has mercifully died out, at least in the equestrian sphere.

But this horse was advertised as beginner safe! If you spend any time on horse message boards or social media, you’ve read stories about horses that were sol...d to someone as beginner safe and then, within a few months, started offloading their riders regularly, became hard to handle, stopped doing things they used to do peacefully, etc. Frequently the new owner posts to complain that the previous owner must have drugged the horse, because they don’t understand any other way that the calm, mellow packer they tried out has now turned into a nightmare. I’m not going to say that the drugging of sale horses doesn’t go on, but it is more rare than all the stories would have you believe. But, generally, this is what happens when a very mellow calm pony (or any other kind of horse!) is sold to a beginner home and things don’t go well and the only drugs involved are the painkillers the New Owner ends up needing to take! 1. New Owner changes the horse’s entire lifestyle. He was living in a pasture in Wyoming, and now he’s living in a box stall in Los Angeles. He goes from eating unlimited quantities of grass and plentiful hay to the typical boarding barn’s 2 or 3 flakes a day. Then, when he starts to lose weight, New Owner compensates for the lack of hay by adding more and more grain. Doesn’t really matter what kind oats, corn, sweet feed, even senior feed can and will crank up a horse’s energy level. Also, lots of grain and not enough quality forage combined with stall life can cause ulcers to flare up. 2. Old Owner had horse on a serious exercise regimen. The horse got ridden most days, hard enough to work up a sweat. As a result, anyone could hop on him with a lead rope and pony four more without issue. New Owner doesn’t really want to pay for a groom or exercise rider and thinks he can just ride the horse himself, but he misses Wednesday because of Lisa’s birthday party and Thursday because he has to work late, and Sunday because his buddy comes to town unexpectedly. And so on Because the horse is boarded, the horse stands in a 12 x 12 box getting progressively more irritated. 3. New Owner comes out to ride. The horse doesn’t want to pick up his foot, so after a struggle, New Owner decides that hoof does not really need to be picked. The horse starts to get pushy to lead, because he’s been in the stall for 2 days and he’s eager to move. New Owner permits the pushiness; the horse stops leading nicely and starts circling around New Owner or dragging him around like a kite. New Owner goes to tack up the horse and cranks up the girth tight all at once, something Old Owner, who was more experienced, knew better than to do. Horse flies backwards and breaks the cross ties. Now New Owner starts to become fearful of the horse. New Owner goes to get him out of the stall and the horse swings his butt to New Owner and threatens him. New Owner gives up and leaves and the horse sits in the stall yet another day. 4. When New Owner finally does manage to get the horse out for a ride, New Owner doesn’t understand why the horse has become pushy and resistant. New Owner doesn’t start by turning the horse out or longeing; he just hops right on. Maybe he pokes the horse in the side good and hard with his toe as he mounts, or kicks him in the butt accidentally with his right leg, either of which can lead to a wreck before the ride has even begun. If he gets on successfully, the horse is a whooooole lot more horse under saddle than he was when he tried him out, due to the confinement and diet changes. New Owner doesn’t call Old Owner yet. Nor does New Owner consult with a competent trainer in his discipline. New Owner allows himself to get advice from everyone he doesn’t have to pay, including the boarding barn’s official busybody who likes to give everybody unsolicited training advice, a couple of Natural Horsemanship followers who think all of these issues can be solved by playing games and, of course, everybody on his Facebook. The end result is that New Owner buys a $150 bit and $300 worth of training videos. 5. But none of that helps. In fact, the $150 bit leads to a new behavior rearing! Now New Owner is good and scared but not willing to quit just yet. He is going to ride that horse. The horse, on his part, can sense New Owner’s fear which of course scares him (Horses are not capable of perceiving that they are what’s scaring you. Horses feel your fear and perceive that perhaps there is a mountain lion nearby which you have seen and they have not so it might be a good idea to freak out and/or run like hell to get away from it). The behavior gets worse and worse until New Owner, quite predictably, gets dumped and gets injured possibly seriously. 6. New Owner, from his hospital bed, writes vitriolic posts all over Facebook about the sleazy folks who sold him a horse that was not beginner safe and lied about it and probably drugged it. Old Owner fights back, pointing out that his 6 year old kid showed the horse and was fine. Everybody else makes popcorn and watches the drama unfold. Bonus points if everybody lawyers up. Meanwhile, the poor horse gets sent to slaughter by New Owner’s angry spouse. I’m not even making any of that up, although I did combine elements of different situations to protect the guilty. It’s a scenario that gets played out time and time again. So now, let’s look at a constructive direction to go with this: How do I keep my beginner safe horse beginner safe? Here’s your answer: 1. The vast majority of calories should come from forage (grass, hay or hay pellets) 2. Never ever let him sit in a stall for 24 hours. Think about it would you like to be locked in your bathroom for 24 hours? It’s just not fair. If you can’t get the barn you’re at to turn your horse out, you need to make arrangements to have him ridden or ponied daily. Yes, you may have to pay for that. The ideal is pasture life but I know it’s just not an option everywhere. Just do the best you can and be fair to the horse. 3. Beginner horses should be tuned up by a competent, experienced rider at least twice a month, if not more often. Lesson barns know that they have to have their advanced students, or the trainer, ride the school horses periodically in order to fix beginner-created habits like stopping at the gate, refusing to take a canter lead, and cutting the corners of the arenas. Learn from this. 4. A bigger bit in beginner hands solves nothing and creates a variety of dangerous behaviors. Avoid any solution that involves a thinner bit, a bit with a twisted mouth, or one with longer shanks/more leverage. 5. Learn the difference between abuse and discipline. None of us wants to be the idiot beating his horse but that doesn’t mean discipline is always wrong. If your horse’s ground manners are melting down and he does not do things he used to do (like picking up feet, getting into the horse trailer, bridling) or has started doing things he didn’t used to do (like kicking at you, biting, trying to smush you against the wall in the stall), please get help from a competent trainer. It may be that your body language is all wrong, but it also may be that you’ve established yourself as, well, a doormat and need to learn when it is appropriate to re-establish yourself as the boss. This involves a lot of timing, correct body language and feel none of which you can learn from your friends on Facebook or a training video. You need an actual trainer or other very experienced horseperson to work with you, hands-on and in-person. 6. TAKE LESSONS. Truer words were never spoken! Truer words were never spoken! The better you ride, the better horses will behave for you. 7. Call the vet and make sure the horse is not simply trying to tell you he has a pain issue. Horses can’t exactly text you and say hey, dude, my back hurts. They will simply resort to things like biting you when you tighten the girth or bucking when asked to canter in a desperate attempt to convey the message. 8. If you’ve changed a lot about the horse’s lifestyle, try to change it back and see if that fixes the problem. Find a barn where the horse can be pasture boarded, for example, instead of stall kept. If you started feeding a lot of grain, replace it with hay pellets. 9. Don’t keep a horse you are terrified of. If the behaviors are truly scary or you’re hitting the dirt regularly the horse is just not for you. You’re not in the running for the PRCA bronc riding and no one cares if you look cool or not. It’s probably more important to remain uninjured and able to, like, work and pay your mortgage, right? Turn the horse that is way too much for you over to a competent trainer to sell. Yes, this may cost you some money up front but it’s the right thing to do and once he’s sold, you are free to buy a more appropriate horse. 10. Increase your odds of not having these problems in the first place by (a) buying a horse who is regularly ridden by beginners, like a lesson horse; and (b) buying a horse that is a lot older than the one you think you need (we play polo on plenty of horses in their early 20’s, so don’t think a horse of that age can’t possibly hold up for your easy trail rides and beginner lessons), and bear in mind that appearance should be your LAST concern when shopping for a beginner horse. But he’s so PRETTY! And they’ll let me make payments! Keep in mind that a lot of sellers don’t know how a horse will behave with a beginner because they simply have not ever had a beginner ride the horse long-term. So they weren’t maliciously trying to mislead you they didn’t know. The world is absolutely packed full of horses that ride beautifully for experienced riders and turn into utter broncs within 2 weeks of being ridden by beginners who bounce on their backs or have inconsistent hands. Some horses are not very tolerant! Call the seller! Have them come out and ride the horse to see if they can figure out what’s going on. Many sellers will take a horse back or help you sell it give them a chance, don’t assume every seller is a sleazy used-horse salesman who has taken your cash and run with it and couldn’t care less what happens to the horse. (Yes, some are but like I say, give them a chance). And remember, if you want to buy a horse that will act the same every single ride and never act up with anybody, you can buy them on E-bay! Reposted from Poloponyrescue

Sadly (for me) my beautiful and rare Iberian Sport Pony mare is on my downsizing list. Lagniappe Godiva is a fancy 2013 14.1 hand Lusitano/Dales Pony cross wit...h talent to spare across multiple disciplines. Godiva has been handled extensively since birth and started under saddle at 4 years old with a master horseman. One owner since weaning. She’s been ridden by professionals and amateurs and is comfortable going western or english. Trained for Working Equitation, she’s experienced with both dressage and obstacles. Bonus: she’s a willing and super cute jumper. Smooth gaits, exceptional trainability, easy to handle with excellent manners. Zero health, injury or soundness issues. Very suitable for experienced junior or smaller adult amateur. Currently in full training with Robin Bond and ready for a serious show career. Located in Valley Center, CA (north San Diego). Contact Robin Bond or me for details. See more

"How come there are not a lot of really good horse trainers around?" I have heard that question asked. One thought---... Is it maybe because to become a "really good horse trainer" takes an enormous tolerance for systematic schooling, day in, day out, not much in the way of drama, not much place for strong emotion, just that quiet perseverance that chips away, little by little, to create a calm, unworried, well trained animal? Who has that much serenity, that much ability to avoid exasperation, that simple adherence to correct basics? A question to ponder---??

"The consequences of putting horses back to work too soon after this chronic exposure can result in reactive airway disease (asthma), pneumonia, etc. After con...sulting with WSU, it’s recommended that horses be given 2-4 weeks rest after this air returns to normal. If you have further questions, contact your veterinarian or myself." Erin Kennedy DVM See more

There's an absolute link between good hands and a good seat, but it is not a guaranteed link, because while having a good seat is largely a physical skill, havi...ng good hands is both physical and emotional. My former USET coach, Jack LeGoff, often spoke about the possession of a good seat as the one skill that all other skills were dependent upon. He did not say that having a good seat, independent seat, meshing with the motion seat, whatever you wish to call it seat, was what MADE someone a good rider. He said having that seat made it possible to BECOME a good rider, big difference. A rider whose seat meshes seamlessly with the movements of the horse, whose body absorbs and nullifies the shock waves of motion, can now have steady, quiet, independent feeling hands. But some riders who are capable of having good hands, as a by product of the good seat, have bad tempers, and snatch and get rough with the mouth of the horse. So, three things needed---A good seat, good hands, emotional control. Plus education, to know what to DO with those skills---- (Here's one who has it all---Klaus Balkenhol.)

Wow, look at those turns - what a super-fast pony! Cindy Kosse won the 60cm Pony Show Class riding Truss and showed she is a real star for the future this mo...rning at Tops International Arena Take a look at this incredible performance from this rising talent, and stream all the action live here: https://www.topsinternationalarena.com/en/tia-live/1/

If you find yourself in some training situation that has you wondering what to do, sometimes a path forward is simply to stop and carefully think it through. Al...most every time that we ride or drive a horse there will inevitably be moments, sometimes even entire sessions, where the horse may not be performing as well as we might wish. Right? How often do we have those virtually perfect rides? And in those not so perfect moments, it is realistic to think, "My horse is not doing what I want," or, "my horse is not doing this in the way I would like him to do." And here comes that big fork in the road. The not so great trainer will arrive at this place and make the easy conclusion. My horse isn't doing what I want, so therefore my horse is being bad. Or disobedient. Or some similarly negative word. And this conclusion "permits" the rider to punish the "bad" or "wrong" behavior. The better trainer will arrive at that same place, where the horse is not performing as desired, and will ask, "Why is this happening? Is the saddle too tight? Are my aids unclear? Am I riding him well enough? Is he fit enough to perform this? Does he understand what I am trying to get him to do? Is he uncomfortable physically? Is he emotionally anxious? Is he reactive because of the setting, too noisy, too whatever? Then, like Sherlock Holmes, the better trainer will try to sleuth out the real reasons behind the less than ideal responses, because she knows that if those reasons are not fixed, she can't proceed by forcing the horse to "do as you are told." Think some more---What does any sort of force do, whether stronger aids, stronger bits, leverage devices like draw reins---?? Does using more force create a calmer, more willing, softer, more elastic horse? No, it creates just the opposite, a more nervous, less willing, less supple horse. So now the not so good trainer needs even more force (or illegal drugs) to fix the situation that her go to reliance on force and pressure has just created. And that vicious circle, that downward spiral has begun, because the use of force ALWAYS leads to more force, until the horse either revolts or gets into that sort of stunned "learned helplessness," where all spark of life has been snuffed out. And today, August 29th, 2020, all across the world where there are horses being trained, riders will make that critical choice of whether to punish bad behavior or to find the root cause of the problem and repair that first. To use force or to use teaching. And some of the not so great trainers will eventually figure out better ways, and some will remain enforcers and punishers for their whole riding lives---- Some humans are open to learning and growth, and some will refuse to consider alternative methods. Tough luck for the horses of the non learners----

A beginning rider wants to work on intermediate horsemanship. An intermediate rider want to work on advanced horsemanship, but an advanced horseman works on the basics.A beginning rider wants to work on intermediate horsemanship. An intermediate rider want to work on advanced horsemanship, but an advanced horseman works on the basics.

Watch your horse playing in the field, and you will see him demonstrate some impressive lengthening. Well, the good news is that you can persuade your horse to ...reproduce that same length of stride and frame when under saddle. In this article, we explain how to teach your horse to lengthen his stride, even if his paces are ordinary. https://bit.ly/2RVhGhV

The key ingredient to extraordinary riding - the classical seat. Everything in the mind of José Carlos and me evolves around one topic ... How do we want to sit... and what do we want to see in the riders seat? Well, it is the most simple and the most complex thing at the same time. Let's look a little bit deeper into this. For a good seat first of all you need to have a certain amount of flexibility - mentally as well as physically ... You don't have to have the perfect body but you have to have perfect feeling for yourself IN the movement and be willing to work extremely hard on yourself. You need to learn to control every little thing about yourself with a variety of big and disturbing movement underneath you and you need to learn to get out of the horses way simply to later be able to "just" follow with your seat and your back. You need to be demanding towards the stability of your shoulders, the alignment of your spine, the openness of your hips, creating a pelvis that is freely allowing movement to flow and producing a mind that is 100% controlled by you and peaceful. But a good, a fantastic seat is much more than that. When we see a rider with an extraordinary seat why does it touches us so much? And why some people start to sit "differently" when someone is watching...? Because it allows us to clearly see someones whole life and purpose in front of us in just a few seconds, it exposes this person completely and utterly. A seat has very little to do with talent. It is countless hours spent in the saddle, it is a visually displayed passion for classical dressage, it is a deep dedication and respect for the art and one other ingredient that makes it very special. A whole life of sacrifice. An incredible seat let's you see a person for who they really are. It is not so much just a physical thing. It is suffering and pain in the most beautiful and raw form existing. Every rider, every artist has suffered a tremendous amount to become the person they are. And this is what is so clear and what touches you so deeply when you see riding and seats like that. It is a display of love, dedication, sacrifice and more than anything gratitude to every horse and every mentor that ever helped and shaped this particular person on the horse. So if you see somebody riding with a seat like that, you maybe can not explain it, you maybe can not put your finger on it but you know you just seen something magical and it touches you in the deepest essence of your being. Because the secret of an outstanding seat is gratitude.