Topline Dressage

05/25/2026

Today marked his Second Level Debut and he danced down centerline to a respectable 68%! I was very proud with his demeanor during this whole show with rain, mud, and a sloshy show ring. But he never put a foot wrong. How nice it is to see the young horses blossom! Love you, Puzzle!

05/15/2026

I would clarify that the inner/ back of the thigh is not just about shortening and lengthening the stride but upward suspension of the shoulder. I would also close and open more in the rhythm of the gait so we are not pinching and shutting down the freedom of the stride. But good visual!

05/11/2026

Yes! I like the horses to move off with opening and providing a space instead of physically trying to push him somewhere.

05/09/2026

In riding leg yields, pushing the horse sideways from the inside leg can give a confusing signal to the horse which usually results in too much bend and the horse falling through the outside shoulder.

This needs to be balanced with your outside aids to keep the horse straight. Better yet, just shift your seat in the direction of the leg yield and watch your horse step underneath your weight. This frees up your legs to manage the straightness of the horse and activity of each hind leg.

Do you find yourself using more and more inside leg because your horse isn’t moving sideways enough? Try activating with your outside leg to encourage the horse to open out his outside hip and hind leg to allow more room for the inside hind leg to cross over.

This should result in straighter and more sideways leg yields.

04/20/2026

Happy 9th birthday, Puzzle!

Happy 8th birthday to this lovable hunk! This guy has s***k undersaddle but can also be perfect for my toddler to pony around on. The best of both worlds. Love you, Puzzle! 🖤🤍

04/12/2026

Say it a bit louder for the folks in the back! Stop driving your horse to the bit. Relax your body and feel his back lift to your seat. Voila! Automatically there is room for the hind leg to come forward. I rest my case.

Many riders feel they need to work too hard with their legs, but this often leads to a tight leg that restricts hip movement, which in turn shuts down the horse's natural motion. The horse's ribcage can tense up against this constant pressure, making it difficult to achieve relaxed, forward movement.

Instead of thinking about getting the horse "in front of the leg," try a different approach. The proper leg aid is less about a hard kick and more about a soft, pulsing impulse from a long, relaxed leg. Think of your leg as "breathing" alongside the horse's barrel, with a slight up-and-down movement of the calf. This allows for a much more subtle and effective communication.

03/05/2026

HANDS DO NOT PULL BACK - HAVE "FEELING FINGERS"

Remember, you are holding a piece of metal that's inside your horse's mouth. If you pull back on the reins or jiggle your hands around, your horse will likely shorten his neck, stiffen through his back, hollow away from your seat, lift his head above the bit, and/or come against/behind the contact.

Pulling back on the reins can also encourage your horse to get stronger in the contact, as he, too, will pull against the pressure. This often leads to a tug-of-war scenario that sends many riders down the rabbit hole of using stronger rein aids and bits.

The rein length should be held by your thumb pressing on top of your index finger. The rest of your fingers should be light and supple so you can give subtle communication aids down the reins. If your fingers are gripping the reins tightly, then any light communication down the reins will be blocked. Therefore, if you want to give your horse an aid, you will need to grip even tighter or pull backward on the reins, which is not good.

Keep your elbows, wrists, hands, and fingers supple, and allow them to "breathe" with your horse's movement, rather than remaining fixed and rigid. The aim is to have "feeling fingers" that open and close to give your horse the required aids. It may only be a slight movement, but trust us, your horse can feel it.

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Illustration created and copyrighted by HowToDressage

01/29/2026

If there is one thing I’ve done throughout my career, it’s ride a lot of young horses.

When you spend that much time starting horses from the ground up, you start to realize that we often talk about "suppleness" as if it’s a gym goal, something to be achieved through more bending, more lunging, or more "work."

But with a young horse, stiffness isn't a physical problem. It’s a mental one.

Stiffness is the physical manifestation of doubt.

When a young horse is out of balance, they feel vulnerable. Their instinct is to brace, to lock their neck, hollow their back, and wear their muscles like internal armor. They are holding onto themselves because they don't yet trust that they can stay upright without that tension.

You cannot force a horse to be supple. You can only invite them to be balanced.

Suppleness is what happens the moment the horse feels secure enough to let go. It’s the "release" of the internal brace. As the rider, your job isn't to "bend" the horse into submission; it's to be so steady in your seat and so clear in your intent that the horse feels safe enough to let go.

This is the ultimate parallel in life and training:

★ Balance is the prerequisite for freedom. It is the rider being so predictable that the horse can find his own center.

★ Suppleness is the evidence of that freedom. It is the "release" of the muscles once the fear of falling is gone.

★ Trust is the bridge between the two.

Suppleness isn't something you create; it’s what’s left over when the horse finally feels secure enough to drop their internal armor and let the movement flow through them.

Next time you feel resistance under the saddle, don't ask "How do I make them bend?" Ask, "What am I doing that makes them feel like they need to hold on?"

Mastery isn't forcing the suppleness. It’s creating the safety that allows the suppleness to emerge.

01/13/2026

Working moms, I see you and I support you! As multitaskers it feels like we can get both a lot and hardly anything at all accomplished at the same time. Let me assure you that you got done what was needed and then some as you were there for your kids. And, in my case, I even got a few horses ridden too!

If you listen carefully you can hear the baby laughing at the making of this video. 🤣