J. Ashton Moore Collaborations

J. Ashton Moore Collaborations Julia Benz works with Jeff Moore on dressage theory creating video for your viewing and discussion.

07/06/2026

My very first lesson with J. Ashton Moore (Jeff) was in 2001 when I came to him with my 2nd level thoroughbred after CDS Annual Show - where he became explosive at canter - to figure out what was wrong. Jeff said canter! I cantered. And he told me my hips and hands were opposite and he proceeded to “fix” me. The rider’s canter mechanic can influence the horse positively or negatively as shown in this video. This is the first in a series of “how to” in canter on behalf of the rider. Recognition is the first step to improvement. I continue to work with Jeff to capturing the knowledge of my elder and better. HE is a genius and we all need to listen.

Jeff told me that not all “classical” riders rode with the correct canter mechanic. And finding old video where the clarity of their body mechanic is visible is difficult to find. Dark coats, pixelated, etc. The video of Henri Chammartin keeps giving.





01/17/2026

This reel took a long time to create with many starts, stops, and question on how much information could be covered in a “reasonable” format here.

As I was told by J. Ashton Moore , that he, Elizabeth Searle, and Peter Lert (look them up) made sure that the USEF rules correctly defined passage as it was passed on to them from the Calvary instructors in the early days of the California Dressage Society and from their own visual observations. So I have this information from the “horse’s mouth.” The reason the USEF includes language regarding the phase of support is becase J. Ashton Moore and his peers Liz and Peter fought to include correct wording in the definition for USEF. Things that were ubiquitously known in equestrian sport, things that were common knowledge, have been lost and continue to be lost in real time. We strive to keep knowledge alive.

I invite anyone with the inclination to time the phase of support and compare it between different horses and between different eras. I don’t claim perfection in my measurements but I did find the support phase longer in the historic video in comparison to modern horses. Maybe someone out there has better equipment or technique for measuring. I encourage everyone to repeat the measurements and see if you find the same results.

Also it is amazing what you see when you slow down the riding videos. Later it helps you see what is happening in real time. Slowing the videos down helps train your eye to detect artificiality among many other things. Then in real time you can see the “thing”.

The modern passage examples in this reel prioritize the phase of support, are mostly symmetrical, and the hooves move forward smoothly in an arc to land. They lack double dipping, jerky movement, or side to side movement.

Lifelong learning.







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