Mystique Dressage

10/07/2026

Why does an amateur dressage rider benefit from having a trainer regularly ride their horse?

This doesn't mean a trainer has to ride your horse but it can make your journey easier, and help you get to your end goal quicker!

There is a common thought that if an amateur owns and rides their own horse, the horse should be trained exclusively by them. But dressage is a partnership—and partnerships don't mean both partners have to be equally skilled at every single thing.

One of the most valuable roles a trainer can play is filling in the gaps between what the horse knows, what the rider knows, and what the rider is physically or technically capable of asking for consistently. Your horse doesn't stop needing training because you're an amateur or because the horse was previously trained to a certain level. Adult amateurs are constantly learning.

- You may understand the concept of collection but still be developing the feel to produce it.

- You may know what a correct half-pass should feel like but struggle to maintain the correct balance through the movement.

- You may understand the aids for a flying change but not yet have the timing to consistently produce a clean change.

- You may be working on your own position, balance, timing, coordination, and feel—all while simultaneously trying to communicate with the horse.

That's a lot to manage and that's where having a trainer ride the horse becomes incredibly valuable.

The trainer can fill in the gaps.

- Maybe the rider struggles to keep the horse truly in front of the leg.

- Maybe the rider's position becomes inconsistent when the horse becomes more collected.

- Maybe the rider has difficulty maintaining straightness.

- Maybe the rider doesn't yet have the feel to recognize when the horse has lost the connection.

- Maybe the rider can execute a movement but doesn't yet have the timing to train the movement.

None of those things mean the rider is a bad rider. They mean the rider is still learning!

A trainer can ride the horse and reinforce the correct responses while the rider continues developing those skills. The horse can also learn something from the trainer that the rider isn't quite able to provide yet.

A professional may be able to:

• Improve the horse's straightness
• Strengthen the weaker side
• Develop better self-carriage
• Improve the quality of transitions
• Maintain correct connection
• Develop collection
• Keep the horse responsive to the aids
• School movements the rider is still learning
• Address resistance or evasions
• Improve the horse's adjustability
• Maintain the horse's overall fitness and strength

Then the amateur gets back on a horse that has had those concepts reinforced. That makes the rider's job easier!

Instead of having to simultaneously teach the horse something new and learn how to ride it themselves, the amateur can experience the correct response and learn how to reproduce it.

Think of it as creating a bridge.

The trainer rides the horse at a level the rider is working toward. The rider rides the horse at the level they are currently developing and the horse's training helps bridge that gap.

Over time, the rider's ability catches up. That's the goal.

The trainer shouldn't create a horse that only the trainer can ride. The goal should be to create a horse that is educated enough to help the amateur become a better rider. It also prevents the rider's weaknesses from becoming the horse's weaknesses.

This is an important one!

- If a rider consistently struggles with straightness, the horse can learn to compensate.

- If a rider consistently struggles with the timing of the aid, the horse can become less responsive.

- If the rider has difficulty maintaining the connection, the horse can develop a habit of coming above the bit or becoming heavy.

- If the rider doesn't have the strength or timing to maintain collection for very long, the horse may gradually become less comfortable carrying itself in that work.

The trainer can periodically come in and reset the horse's training so those compensations don't become ingrained. Professional rides also create consistency.

An amateur may have a week where they ride five days. The next week, work gets crazy and they only ride twice.

Then they go on vacation.

Then the weather doesn't cooperate.

That's life—and that's okay.

But the horse still benefits from consistency.

For a horse being worked approximately five days per week, 2–3 professional rides and 2–3 amateur rides can be a useful starting framework, depending on the horse, rider, goals, fitness, and workload.

For example:

2 trainer rides + 3 amateur rides

can give the rider plenty of time to develop their own skills while allowing the trainer to maintain the horse's training and fill in the gaps.

For a more advanced horse, a rider who is still developing their skills, or a horse that needs more professional maintenance, 3 trainer rides + 2 amateur rides may make more sense.

But there is no magic number.

Make sure to work with your trainer to determine the best schedule for YOU and YOUR horse.

The right balance depends on the individual horse, the rider's experience, the horse's fitness, the horse's training level, competition goals, and what the pair are currently working toward.

And if you're struggling, there is nothing wrong with increasing the trainer rides.

This is something that deserves to be said out loud. Sometimes an amateur gets frustrated because something isn't clicking.

The horse becomes confused.

The rider becomes frustrated.

The same problem keeps showing up.

And the rider may feel like having the trainer ride more means they aren't good enough.

It doesn't.

Sometimes the best thing you can do for your partnership is let your trainer take a few more rides.

The trainer can clarify the response for the horse.

They can work through the confusion.

They can rebuild the correct reaction to the aid.

They can establish the balance, connection, straightness, or movement again.

Then the amateur can get back on and feel a clearer, more understandable answer.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with saying: "I'm having a hard time communicating this. Can you ride him a little more and help us get back on the same page?"

That isn't failure.
That's good horsemanship.

The goal isn't to prove that the amateur can do everything without help. The goal is to create the best possible partnership between horse and rider.

The trainer isn't just correcting the horse.

They are also identifying where the rider's gap is. Sometimes the solution isn't:

"The horse needs more training."

Sometimes it's:

"The horse understands this, but the rider needs a different exercise to learn how to ask for it."

That's where good instruction becomes so important. The trainer can choose exercises that allow the rider to feel the correct answer without overwhelming them.

This is why professional rides and lessons work so well together. The trainer maintains and develops the horse. The rider develops themselves. The trainer can introduce or maintain the more advanced work while the rider gradually learns to reproduce it. Eventually, something that once required the trainer's ride becomes something the amateur can successfully produce on their own.

That is progress.

Having a trainer ride your horse isn't an admission that you aren't capable of training your own horse.

It's recognizing that you don't have to be the most experienced person in the partnership in order to be the right person for your horse.

A good trainer doesn't take the partnership away from the amateur.

They help make that partnership stronger.

The trainer fills the gaps until the rider is ready to fill them themselves.

And sometimes, when the rider is struggling, the fastest way forward isn't to try harder.

It's to let the professional step in, clarify things for the horse, and then give the rider a better foundation to build from.

Because ultimately, good training should:

Make the horse better.
Make the rider better.
And bring the two closer together. 🤍

10/04/2026

09/18/2026

✨When Fixing One Problem Creates Three More ✨

One of the hardest lessons in dressage is learning that just because you can see a problem doesn't mean you should spend the entire ride trying to fix it.

It is very easy to become hyperfocused.

Your horse shortens their neck in the transition.

So you spend the next 20 minutes trying to keep the neck longer.

Your horse falls through the shoulder.

So you spend the entire ride correcting the shoulder.

Your horse is behind the leg.

So every time they don't respond perfectly, you add more leg.

Your horse leans on the inside rein.

So you spend the ride trying to get them off of it.

And sometimes...

the more we correct, the worse the original problem becomes.

Why?

Because dressage is not a collection of isolated pieces.

The horse's balance, rhythm, relaxation, connection, impulsion, straightness, suppleness, and responsiveness are all connected.

🐴 The symptom isn't always the problem.

A horse that shortens their neck in a transition may not have a "neck problem."

They may be losing balance.

They may be anticipating.

They may not be sufficiently in front of the leg.

They may be losing the outside connection.

They may be struggling to organize their body during the transition.

They may be tense.

They may simply not understand what the rider is asking.

If we only say, "Don't shorten your neck," we haven't necessarily addressed why the horse is doing it.

And sometimes the rider's constant correction creates even more tension through the poll, jaw, neck, and back—which makes the original problem harder to solve.

🔄 Sometimes you have to go around the problem to solve the problem.

Instead of repeatedly riding the same transition and correcting the same mistake, we might change the question we're asking the horse.

Can we improve the transition through a leg yield?

Can we improve the balance through shoulder-fore?

Can we work on responsiveness through transitions within a lateral movement?

Can we improve the horse's ability to shift their weight through turn on the forehand?

Can we improve straightness through changes of bend?

Can we improve the connection without asking for the exact movement that's currently causing the problem?

These exercises aren't necessarily "fixing the transition."

They're improving the pieces that make a good transition possible.

Then we return to the transition.

And suddenly, the horse may have a better answer.

🎯 There is also a difference between correcting and micromanaging.

A correction should give the horse information.

Micromanaging can prevent the horse from learning.

If every stride is met with another correction, the horse can begin to feel as though there is no correct answer.

Instead of thinking:

"I know what my rider is asking, and I can do it."

They start thinking:

"What am I going to get corrected for next?"

That can create tension, anticipation, resistance, or a horse that becomes increasingly dependent on the rider.

Our goal isn't to manually manufacture every step.

Our goal is to educate the horse so they can eventually carry themselves correctly.

Don't forget to notice what IS working.

This is perhaps the biggest trap of hyperfocusing on a problem.

We become so obsessed with the thing that isn't perfect that we stop seeing the things that are improving.

Maybe the horse's rhythm is better.

Maybe they're more relaxed.

Maybe the contact is softer.

Maybe they're more responsive to the leg.

Maybe the back is swinging more.

Maybe they're carrying more weight behind.

Maybe the transitions are becoming more prompt.

But we're so focused on the neck position that we don't notice any of it.

Progress isn't always linear, and improvement in one area may temporarily make another area look less polished.

That doesn't automatically mean the training is going backward.

Sometimes we're asking the horse to reorganize their body, and there is an awkward stage while they learn.

🧩 Think about the whole horse.

When you encounter a problem, instead of immediately asking:

"How do I stop this?"

Try asking:

"Why is this happening?"

Then:

"What does my horse need to develop in order to make the correct answer easier?"

That change in mindset can completely change the way we train.

Sometimes the answer is more direct correction.

Sometimes it's a different exercise.

Sometimes it's a simpler question.

Sometimes it's allowing the horse to relax and reset.

Sometimes it's taking a step back in the training.

And sometimes the best thing you can do is **stop chasing the problem and work on something your horse can do well.**

Because the purpose of training isn't to make the horse look perfect for one movement.

The purpose is to systematically develop the horse's **strength, balance, coordination, understanding, confidence, and ability to carry themselves.**

When those pieces improve, many of the problems we were fighting begin to resolve themselves.

And, of course, there are many different ways to approach any training issue. What works beautifully for one horse may not be appropriate for another.

Work with your trainer to identify the underlying cause and choose exercises that make sense for you and your horse.

Don't just chase the symptom.

Train the whole horse. 🖤🐴

08/22/2026

When a Dressage Horse Is Behind the Leg — Especially With an Adult Amateur (AA) Rider

One of the most frustrating situations in dressage is a horse who is wonderfully forward and willing for the professional, but becomes behind the leg, pins his ears, bucks, or doesn't want to move forward for his AA rider.

The important thing to understand is that this isn't necessarily a “lazy horse.”

Often, the horse has learned that there are two different systems:

**Trainer:**
Leg → immediate response → release.

**AA:**
Leg → no response → stronger leg → more pressure → horse braces → resistance.

The horse learns that the AA's leg is negotiable.
But what is actually happening in the horse's body?

When the rider is asking the horse to go forward while simultaneously restricting him through the hand, seat, or body, the horse can develop an energy conflict.

The rider says:

“Go forward.”

But the horse simultaneously feels:

“Don't actually go anywhere.”

Instead of energy traveling:

**Hindquarters → back → neck → contact**

the horse can become:

**Restricted → braced → shortened stride → more leg → more resistance.**

The hind legs become less effective at stepping underneath the body and contributing to propulsion. The back can become tense rather than swinging. More weight stays on the forehand, and the horse can become heavy in the rider's hand.

This is why a horse can look “round” while still being completely behind the leg.

Round is not necessarily connected.
A short neck is not necessarily collection.
More leg is not necessarily more impulsion.

If the horse is constantly being squeezed, he can also become desensitized to the leg.

Instead of:

leg → response

the horse learns:

leg → background noise.

The rider then uses more leg, which can create even more tension.

Eventually the horse may anticipate the interaction. Ear pinning, tail swishing, bracing, rushing, kicking, or bucking can become part of the cycle.

That doesn't mean every buck is training-related—pain and discomfort should always be ruled out—but the physical and mental pattern is important to recognize.

So what's the answer?

It isn't to kick harder.

The goal is to make the aid clearer and more meaningful.

The rider should be able to say:

Light leg = GO.

If there is no response, reinforce promptly.

The instant the horse goes forward:

RELEASE.

The horse learns that responding to the first aid is the easiest option.

For these horses, I often like to temporarily take the emphasis away from the perfect dressage picture and go back to:

Forward → Straight → Rhythm → Connection → Engagement → Collection

A horse cannot truly be collected if he isn't genuinely forward.

Let the AA ride the horse in a more open, forward frame. Work on transitions, changes of direction, bigger and smaller steps, and simple forward exercises without constantly worrying about where the horse's head is.

One of my favorite exercises:

GO → COME BACK → GO

At the trot, ask for a few strides of a bigger, more powerful trot. Return to working trot. Then ask again.

The goal isn't to make the horse run.

QUICK TRANSITIONS

TROT → 4 STEPS WALK → TROT
TROT → CANTER → TROT

The goal is to teach:

My rider's leg means bigger steps.

And equally important:

When my rider stops asking, I maintain the gait.

The rider's position matters, too.

When the AA asks the horse to go, are they accidentally:

• Leaning backward?
• Gripping with the knee?
• Bracing through the stirrups?
• Tightening the reins?
• Locking the hip?
• Driving continuously?
• Holding the horse in the front while asking him to move forward?

That creates the classic:

“Go, but don't actually go” feeling.

The horse needs to feel that the rider's leg opens the door rather than pushes him into a closed front end.

The ultimate goal isn't to make the horse “behave” for the amateur.

It's to teach the horse that the AA's aids mean exactly the same thing as the trainer's aids.

When that communication becomes clear, consistent, and predictable, the horse no longer has to spend his energy figuring out how to respond to conflicting signals.

Instead, the energy can go where we actually want it:

Hind legs → swinging back → forward movement → elastic contact → connection.

That's when First Level starts to feel completely different.

Forward isn't created by more leg.
Forward is created by a leg that actually means something.

07/21/2026

**The Elusive Outside Rein**

One of the most common phrases you'll hear in dressage is, "Ride from the inside leg into the outside rein." But what does the outside rein actually do?

The outside rein is not there to slow the horse down or pull the head into position. Its job is to receive, organize, and recycle the energy created by your seat and legs.

A correct outside rein:
✔️ Controls the outside shoulder.
✔️ Helps maintain straightness.
✔️ Balances the horse without restricting movement.
✔️ Regulates the length of the stride.
✔️ Provides a steady connection from the hind legs to the bit.

Think of it as the "guard rail", not the "brake"

❌ What happens when riders use too much outside rein?

Instead of receiving the horse's energy, the rein begins to block it.

You may notice:
▪️ Short, choppy strides.
▪️ A horse that becomes heavy in the hand.
▪️ Loss of impulsion.
▪️ Difficulty in transitions.
▪️ A neck that shortens or curls behind the contact.
▪️ The shoulders becoming restricted instead of lifting.
▪️ A horse that actually falls *more* onto the forehand despite feeling "held together."

Ironically, riders often pull harder because the horse feels heavy, but the extra rein pressure prevents the hind legs from stepping through and carrying more weight. The horse has nowhere to send the energy except into the rider's hands.

The goal is for the outside rein to receive the energy—not create it.

The inside leg asks the horse to step forward and under the body. The outside rein simply says:

"Stay balanced. Stay straight. Carry yourself."

A great self-check is to briefly soften your outside rein. If your horse immediately loses balance, falls through the shoulder, or changes the frame, chances are you've been *holding* the horse together rather than allowing true self-carriage.

The best outside rein is one the horse can confidently seek—not one it needs to lean on.

⭐️ What Happens When You Use Too Little Outside Rein?

🔹 The shoulder falls out.
Without support from the outside rein, the outside shoulder escapes the line of travel. Circles become larger than intended, corners are cut, and lateral work loses accuracy.

🔹 The horse overbends through the neck.
Instead of bending through the entire body, the horse simply bends the neck while the shoulders drift away. This creates the illusion of softness without true connection.

🔹 Loss of straightness.
The horse becomes crooked, with the hindquarters and shoulders traveling on different lines. Straightness is essential for balance, engagement, and collection.

🔹 Energy leaks out the front door.
Your leg creates impulsion, but the outside rein is what receives and recycles that energy. Without it, the horse often speeds up, lengthens the frame, or loses balance instead of carrying more weight behind.

🔹 Transitions become less balanced.
Downward transitions may fall onto the forehand, while upward transitions become rushed because there is nothing to organize the horse before asking for the next gait.

🔹 Lateral work becomes difficult.
Movements like shoulder-in, leg yield, travers, and half pass rely on the outside rein to guide the shoulders and regulate the degree of bend. Without it, horses often drift, lose rhythm, or fall through the outside shoulder.

🔹 Collection becomes nearly impossible.
Collection requires the horse to step under with the hind legs while remaining balanced in front. Without a consistent outside rein, the energy escapes instead of being recycled, making true collection difficult to achieve.

The key is not more outside rein—it's a consistent outside rein. It should feel like a steady boundary that the horse confidently reaches into, never a hand that pulls backward or blocks the movement.

⭐️What Does a Correct Outside Rein Feel Like?

A good outside rein feels like a steady, elastic boundary that the horse confidently reaches into.

Here are some sensations riders can look for:

🔹 A feeling of receiving, not restricting
The outside hand is not pulling the horse into the turn or trying to hold the shoulders in place. Instead, it receives the energy created by the inside leg and allows that energy to recycle through the horse’s body.

🔹 A connection to the hind leg
When the horse is truly connected, the outside rein can feel like it has a direct line from the hindquarters to your hand. You feel the horse pushing forward into the contact rather than leaning on it.

🔹 Elasticity, not stiffness
The outside rein should feel alive. Your fingers can quietly adjust, your elbow follows the motion, and the rein can change as the horse’s balance changes. A dead, rigid hand blocks the horse.

🔹 The horse stays in your “outside rein tunnel”
On circles, the outside rein helps control the size of the circle and keeps the shoulders from drifting out. You should feel that the horse is shaped around your inside leg while staying contained by the outside aids.

🔹 More balance, not more pressure
A correct outside rein often makes the horse feel lighter in front. If increasing outside rein makes the horse slow, shorten his neck, brace, or fall behind the vertical, the rein is likely being used as a restraint instead of a support.

A simple test:
✨ Can you soften your outside fingers without the horse falling out, speeding up, or losing balance?

If yes, you likely have a true connection. If everything falls apart the moment you soften, you may be holding the horse together instead of riding the horse into the connection.

The goal is not to “hold” the horse in the outside rein—the goal is to create a horse that seeks it.

Think of it this way:
➡️ Inside leg creates the bend.
➡️ Inside rein asks for slight flexion.
➡️ Outside leg guards the hindquarters.
➡️ Outside rein supports the shoulders, regulates straightness, and receives the energy.
➡️ The rider’s seat keeps the rhythm and balance.

When all aids work together, the horse becomes straighter, softer, and more balanced—and that's where correct dressage begins.

📌Remember: Collection is never created by the hand. It is created by the hind legs, organized by the seat, and refined by a receiving outside rein. When the outside rein becomes a blocking aid instead of a receiving aid, the entire circle of the aids breaks down.

07/11/2026

⭐️The Leg Yield: More Than Just Moving Sideways⭐️

The leg yield is often one of the first lateral exercises introduced in a horse's training, but when ridden correctly, it develops far more than the ability to move away from the rider's leg.

A good leg yield teaches the horse to:
✔ Move away from the inside leg.
✔ Accept and trust the outside rein.
✔ Improve straightness and symmetry.
✔ Increase suppleness through the ribcage.
✔ Encourage the inside hind leg to step further underneath the body.
✔ Develop balance and carrying power that later contribute to collection.

Unfortunately, many horses learn to simply drift sideways while losing balance, rhythm, or connection. The goal is never just sideways movement.

The goal is **forward and sideways with balance and quality.**

A correct leg yield should maintain:
• A clear rhythm.
• Relaxation through the topline.
• Consistent contact in both reins.
• Active hind legs.
• A horse that remains in front of the leg.

The horse should travel with slight flexion away from the direction of travel while remaining nearly straight through the body.

For example, if leg yielding to the right:
• The horse should have slight flexion to the left.
• The left hind crosses and steps under the body.
• The shoulders and hindquarters should travel on nearly parallel lines.

The Aids

*Inside Leg*
The inside leg at or just behind the girth is the primary aid for the movement.

This leg asks the horse to step away while also creating impulsion and activity in the inside hind leg.

Without the inside leg creating energy, the movement quickly becomes a slow drift sideways.

*Outside Rein*
The outside rein is often the most important rein in the leg yield.

It receives the energy created by the inside leg and controls the shoulders so they do not escape.

Many riders try to steer the movement with the inside rein, but the horse should travel from the inside leg into the outside rein.

If the horse becomes heavy, crooked, or falls through the shoulder, the answer is often found in improving the outside rein connection rather than adding more inside rein.

*Inside Rein*
The inside rein simply asks for a slight flexion.

It should never pull the horse sideways or create excessive neck bend.

If you can see the inside eye, you likely have enough flexion.

*Outside Leg*
The outside leg supports alignment and prevents the haunches from leading the movement.

*Seat and Weight*
The rider should stay centered and balanced.

Many riders unintentionally lean in the direction of travel, causing the horse to fall onto the outside shoulder and lose balance.

The horse will often follow the rider's balance more than their aids.

Common Faults and Their Corrections

*1. The Shoulders Lead*

This is probably the most common issue seen in leg yield.

The forehand reaches the destination before the hindquarters and the horse often becomes heavy in the outside rein.

Usually this comes from:
• Too much inside rein.
• Not enough outside rein.
• Asking for too much angle.

To fix it:
• Reduce the angle.
• Ride more forward.
• Support the outside shoulder with the outside rein.
• Think "forward and over" instead of "sideways."

---

*2. The Haunches Lead*

The horse swings the hindquarters while the shoulders trail behind.

This often occurs when the rider's inside leg moves too far behind the girth and starts acting like a turn on the forehand aid.

To fix it:
• Bring the inside leg back to the girth.
• Guard the haunches with the outside leg.
• Ride toward the outside rein.

---

*3. Too Much Neck Bend*

The horse appears bent but the bend exists only in the neck while the ribcage remains unchanged.

These horses often fall through the outside shoulder and become heavy in the rider's hands.

To fix it:
• Soften the inside rein.
• Ask for less flexion.
• Focus on moving the ribcage away from the inside leg.

True bend happens through the body, not just the neck.

---

*4. The Horse Rushes*
Some horses respond to the sideways aid by speeding up instead of stepping across.

The rhythm becomes quick and flat and the horse falls onto the forehand.

To fix it:
• Half halt with the outside rein.
• Ask for fewer steps.
• Prioritize rhythm over angle.

---

*5. The Horse Loses Energy*

The horse slows down, gets stuck, or quits crossing.

This often means the rider has asked for more sideways than the horse can currently balance.

To fix it:
• Ride forward first.
• Reduce the angle.
• Improve the quality of the gait before asking again.

---

6. The Rider Leans Away From the Direction of Travel

Many riders instinctively lean away from the direction of travel as if they are physically trying to push the horse sideways with their body weight.

For example, when leg yielding to the right, the rider shifts their upper body to the left in an attempt to "make room" for the horse to move over.

Unfortunately, this usually creates the exact opposite effect.

When the rider leans away:
• The inside seat bone becomes unloaded.
• The horse often falls onto the outside shoulder.
• The ribcage becomes more difficult to move away from the inside leg.
• The horse may lose crossing steps or begin leading with the shoulders.
• Balance and straightness quickly deteriorate.

Instead, the rider should remain tall, centered, and balanced over both seat bones while allowing the horse to move underneath them.

Think of carrying your torso in the direction the horse is traveling rather than trying to push the horse across the arena.

You are not pushing the horse sideways with your body.

You are using your inside leg to ask the ribcage to move over while your position stays quiet and organized over the horse's center of gravity.

The horse should move around the rider's aids, not because the rider shifts their body to force the movement.

A useful rule:

*If you lose the forward, you've asked for too much sideways.*

Why the Leg Yield Matters for Collection

Although the leg yield itself is not a collected movement, it teaches many of the ingredients required for collection later in training.

The horse learns to:
• Step further under the body with the inside hind.
• Accept the outside rein.
• Stay responsive to the leg without tension.
• Improve lateral suppleness.
• Carry weight more evenly between both sides of the body.

These skills become the building blocks for shoulder-in, travers, half pass, and eventually true collection.

The best leg yields are often the least dramatic.

A few balanced, rhythmic steps with the horse moving honestly from the inside leg into the outside rein will always be more valuable than a steep angle achieved through pulling the neck and pushing the horse sideways. Are there additional exercises and fixes that can help horses and riders correct these issues as well? Always!

The horse will often follow the rider's balance more than their aids.