Journey Horse

08/16/2026

08/15/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1F37axhDxh/ Clever explanation, a riders biomechanics effect the horses ability to respond easily to the aids

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08/13/2026

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Sadly both Dr Reiner Klimke and Susan Hayes Woods are no longer with us, but this edited interview from 1995 is a pignant reminder that modern dressage started to go wrong over 20 years ago...

SUSAN’S INTERVIEW WITH DR. REINER KLIMKE AT THE AACHEN CHIO JULY 1995

Susan: I was watching you as you schooled Biotop in the indoor arena this morning, and it was wonderful. I noticed you were working him in a fat snaffle, and I wondered if you could talk about the importance of working in the snaffle for upper level horses.

Klimke: I ride at home only once a week on the double bridle.

Susan: Do you mean for most of your Grand Prix horses, or for this one especially?

Klimke: All. I want to have them very light in my hand. It is easier when they are really “through”, and they take the bit and take your hands. Then they are not afraid to come out to the double bridle.

Susan: Biotop seems to be very “out” to the bridle–there is not a lot of overflexing.

Klimke: And when he goes in extensions, the neck and frame extend too. And yet there are horses who make their extensions with overflexed necks and they score just as well…

Susan: Can you explain that?

Klimke: Well, when I tell you this, I don’t want to sound jealous, but I live for classical riding. Classical riding means that the horse must go: that is, the energy must come through and the horse reaches forward. But the judges don’t always mark accordingly. I don’t mind; I know what is right. I have been in this sport for nearly 40 years.

Susan: I also saw today that you were doing a lot of work on the basic paces, and simple transitions.

Klimke: Yes. The horse must go forward and he must be happy. If the horse is happy and he trusts you, then you can teach him. If you punish him, that is wrong.

Susan: They never forget. Is there any place for punishment in riding?

Klimke: I hate to punish a horse. It must not be. It can happen to anybody. Sometimes you lose your patience, you try to make the horse a slave. But it is not right. Sometimes you see riders blowing up, even here, with top riders. I say to myself, “Poor horse, I wouldn’t like to be in your stable.”

Susan: Why does it happen? A lot of these riders will teach and talk about riding classically, and mean to do it, but then it is different here. Is it the pressure?

Klimke: I think everybody wants to win. Perhaps they think if they make a horse tired it will be submissive. Sometimes it may work, but if you really look you can see what is wrong. Some judges don’t have a really good eye, and they judge by punishing mistakes, like too many or too few strides in a pirouette, for example.

Susan: Too much counting and not enough…

Klimke: Yes. The principle is: how is the walk, how is the trot, how is the canter, how is the acceptance of the bridle, how does the back work–all of these things. And in addition, the figures. But they deduct too much if a figure is not 100% okay. You see? If you make a pirouette and the horse really uses his hindquarters, and maybe the pirouette is a little big, you should not be given a 5.

Susan: That’s a little extreme.

Klimke: Yes. It can be at least a 6, can also be a 7, when the horse really canters classically. Even if the circle was too large, remember that you must deduct from 10. The judge must be able to see the main achievement of a horse and rider, in a movement.

Susan: This brings up another question, and that is–there are some amazing equine athletes here, and some of them get a lot of points because of that. Where are the places in the Grand Prix test where the talent can’t cover up the problems with the training?

Klimke: I look only at the way that the horse moves, in all three gaits. He must come from behind, with a swinging back. The head and neck must seek the bit. I hate it if the horse comes behind the vertical and stays there. When the horse is really “through”, you must be able to open and close the frame, and keep him reaching into the bit. And right now, in the judging, in my opinion, this doesn’t count for enough. But sooner or later, good riding will be rewarded. You must not lose your patience, you see. And don’t give up.

https://woodsdressage.com/ for the full interview and about Susan Hayes Woods

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08/13/2026

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The Art of Producing the High-Level Horse

In today’s world, where goals are king, results are worshipped, and egos often take the reins, we’ve lost touch with something essential: the art of the journey. The quiet, thoughtful process of developing a horse, not just for performance, but for partnership.

Too often, the pursuit of high-level training becomes a checklist of movements, an external badge of status. Grand Prix as the pinnacle. Piaffe, passage, pirouette all proof of success. But we rarely stop to ask: Success by whose measure? And at what cost?

Because if a horse’s well-being were truly at the centre of our goals and not just a footnote in our mission statements our training would look radically different. It would move slower. It would feel softer. It would sound quieter. And it would be far more beautiful.

Producing a high-level horse is not about simply teaching them the movements required on a score sheet. It’s about cultivating a horse who is sound in body, stable in mind, and joyful in spirit. It’s about shaping one who offers those movements willingly, expressively, even playfully. Not as a result of pressure, punishment, or the clever placement of aids that corner them into compliance but from a place of physical readiness and emotional trust.

And this……….this is where the art comes in!

Imagine dressage as a painting. Each training session is a brushstroke, delicate, deliberate, layered. The impatient artist might throw out the canvas at the first mistake. But the true artist? They work with the paint, blend it, adjust it, stay curious. They know that beauty often lives in the imperfection, in the subtle corrections, in the layers of time and care.

The same is to be said in riding: the art lies not in domination, but in dialogue. Every stride, every transition, every still moment is part of an evolving composition. The rider’s aids are not commands but questions; the horse’s responses are not obedience but answers. Together, you create something greater than the sum of its parts.

The highest levels of dressage are not the goal. They are the byproduct of a thousand conversations, a thousand small moments where the rider listens, adjusts, supports, and receives. When done well, Grand Prix is not a performance. It is the horse’s voice, amplified through movement.

To produce a horse to that level is to understand that their body is not a tool, but a home. Their mind, not a machine, but a mirror. Their spirit, not a resource, but a companion.

This is not just training a horse
It is stewardship.
It is art
And it begins not with ambition,
but with reverence.

08/10/2026

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"Your Best Self," an excerpt from Paul Belasik's latest book, Dressage for No Country:
What if dressage was instead about reaching a place where you are near the “best idea” of yourself? You might not be famous, but your horse likes and respects you, people like and respect you. You work hard, but you’re not nervous about the outcome. How you feel about your work won’t change much because of some judge’s opinion. You are less concerned with how you measure up to an external yardstick because you are seriously engaged in how you meet standards established by your own tests. When you are riding, training, or teaching, you are so focused, you are often unaware of time. Even when a session is difficult, you feel right with your horse. The stiffness in your back seems to have disappeared. If you get frustrated, you can quickly recover your attention. Your emotions can’t seem to get a foothold; the anxieties in your life seem suspended for a while. What you do together with your horse seems like cooperation; a mutually beneficial dance, and not like a continuing argument.
Have you ever seen pictures of people swimming in the ocean, their hands clasped around the dorsal fin of a dolphin as the dolphin carries them along? They feel excitement, fear, joy— their faces say it all. They can’t put into words the rapture they are relishing, a suspension of any editorializing or sarcasm. It is a powerful jolt of pure experience, in that moment of communion with nature itself. Even though the positive effect of that connection can’t be entirely explained, most people acknowledge it is important. We ride horses. Do we find ourselves forgetting how ridiculously amazing that is?

08/01/2026

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07/20/2026

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05/17/2026

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Not because the lion would lack words.
But because his entire world — his experience of reality itself — is fundamentally different from ours.
I often think about this sentence when I work with horses.
Modern humans tend to believe that language is the highest form of intelligence. We assume that if an animal cannot explain itself in words, then its inner world must somehow be simpler, smaller, or less meaningful.
But horses remind us every single day how limited that assumption really is.
A horse does not experience the world through abstract concepts, philosophy, politics, status, or social media.
It experiences rhythm.
Presence.
Tension.
Energy.
Safety.
Movement.
Attention.
Trust.
A horse reads what we often cannot even perceive in ourselves.
The slightest change in breathing.
The smallest hesitation.
The shift of balance before movement even begins.
The emotional state hidden beneath the mask of human language.
That is why true horsemanship can never be reduced to technique alone.
You can learn every aid.
You can memorize every training scale.
You can study biomechanics for decades.
And still never truly communicate with a horse.
Because real communication with horses does not happen primarily through commands.
It happens through participation in their world.
This is where Wittgenstein becomes so fascinating.
He believed that understanding is not simply about translating words. Understanding depends on sharing a “form of life” — a common lived reality.
And horses live in a radically different reality from ours.
They do not think in human narratives of success and failure.
They do not care about titles.
They do not care about reputation.
They do not lie.
They do not flatter.
They do not pretend.
They respond to what is actually there.
That is why horses expose us so completely.

05/13/2026

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One of the most amazing aspects of the Tellington TTouch Method is its capacity to go beyond simply training a specific skills or behaviors in horses. Instead, it focuses on enhancing their overall ability to learn. Linda Tellington-Jones started exploring this concept half a century ago, when it was considered really "out there"! It was not about suppressing or punishing the behavior out of a horse, it was about changing how the FEEL which changes how they act or respond to the world.

By positively influencing how an animal feels in its own body, the method fosters a sense of safety and confidence. This, in turn, enables them to absorb information more effectively, adapt to various situations, and exhibit self-control to overcome instinctual coping mechanisms. Time and time again, we've witnessed remarkable transformations in horse behavior through exercises that do not seem to be directly linked to addressing a specific issue.

For example, if a horse has difficulty with trailer loading, we do not start at the trailer. We would see how we can improve balance, posture and coordination AWAY from the trailer, to make trailer loading (and the ride in the trailer itself) feel safer for the horse.

Your horse has difficulty rushing under saddle? We would look at tension patterns in the body and balance first which will often help the "root" of the rush-iness rather than adding deterrents, circling, more bit, etc which are a more common suggestion.

When you help your horse feel safer, they are better equipped to cooperate and activate a parasympathetic response in the nervous system, resulting in an engaged, willing partner.

While it all started with horses in the 1970's, we have now applied this concept to practically any species that interacts with people. In the 1990's we began a formal training with dogs and companion animals and found the concepts to be applicable with incredible results.

Focusing on how any animal feels physically to result a positive change in behavior or "trainability" means that you do not necessarily need to change what already works well for you but gives you new tools and an overall approach that can be adapted for a variety of situations and individual animals.

If you are interested in learning how the Tellington TTouch approach can enhance how you work with animals, check out one of our free online courses: https://learn.ttouch.ca/product-category/free/