When you first walk into the barn you see a wall of plaques stretching about 8 meters long filled with first place finishes dating from the 50’s all the way up to a show we were at last weekend.
I think it is helpful to think of the lateral work, collection and extension as having the ability to enhance the personality of the horse so he too can express his equine identity through his work.
The art of balanced riding is to become aware of your own poise and equilibrium and this will allow you to feel ‘at one’ with the movement and spirit of the horse; horse and rider in perfect harmony.
Good dressage training should always develop the horse’s natural gaits, improve their quality, their purity, and promote the soundness and well-being of the horse. Otherwise, it has to be considered incorrect, no matter how advanced the movements are that the horse can execute.
The basic gist is that some horses, basically those with more compact conformation, like the Iberian, are more suited for Classical Dressage, while the warmblood is more conformationally suited for Competitive Dressage.
