This may be a weird request but... Also in CR

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charlie55

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Does any body know if there is a certain list you should follow when teaching classical dressage?? Like, flying changes first, then shoulder in, then travers, then halfpass etc etc.
Is there any such thing? Or do people just do what they want, when they want??

Be really interested in what everyone thinks and maybe see a list if there is one???
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Well...I switched to a classical instructor a few months ago and we started off with really basic stuff like just using my seat for turns, transistions, slowing a pace and so on. Then we did leg yield, then shoulder in on a circle and moved to shoulder in on a straight line. She gets me to alternate between say SI on a circle, come out of circle onto a straight line and leg yield one way, change bend and LY the other way, do a serpentine, then back to SI on circle...and so on so horsey doesn't get bored. We haven't got as far as anything exciting like HP or travers but I wouldn't be able to ride them yet anyway and horsey is no where near strong enough yet.

Why do you ask?

ETS - we started off with all of the above in walk, then moved up to trot as we progressed. I think she's hoping we will eventually be able to do it all in canter hahaha....
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I havent started doing any of this on my boy yet, and wont be for a long time, i just wondered if there was a set thing that people should follow or not. I wonder what order the top dressage riders train their horses...
 
I think the whole point with classical is that you play to your horse's strengths. My instructor gets us doing things that will specifically help my horse develop in particular areas. He finds some exercises easy and some difficult. He tends to find LY quite difficult but SI easier. We also do quite a bit of long reining / in hand work which means I can see what's going on from the floor and correct it more quickly.

That is why I like the classical stuff so far - it seems much more flexible. It isn't a case of "your horse must be able to do X by Y time", we do all sorts of different things to improve different things.
 
I have my first classical lesson tomorrow with my horse.I am really looking forward to it and really hoping that he will be able to give me some good exercises to practise with my horse to help bring him on a bit.
 
my classical instructor is very good, we started off very slowly with getting an even connection, half halts and getting him off the leg. There is no forcing the horse to do anything, we use the exercise to get him on the bit moving forward etc. It has been really good, my horse will not do anything if told to do it so it is a way of getting him to do thing with out any issue.
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Locke richards 'dressage, being the right way'
Is a great book and goes through the stages of training in depth.
Would def recomend it!

Not quite classical dressage, but done the oldfashioned way if you know what i mean.
 
I'm in Knutsford, My geography is rubbish though so I wouldn't have a clue how near or far that is from you?!
How far will she travel? Is EE enlightened equestrian? (SP)
 
Yep, Enlightened Equitation.

I just love the "no pressure" way of teaching. My horse had a real light bulb moment after a couple of sessions, as in "ooooh, so that's what you want me to do!!" and he is so much happier schooling this way. I never feel like I have to fight with him anymore or have any "discussions" about things, he just does what I ask. And I can't believe how sensitive to my seat he has become. I've learnt so much about my riding as well - I didn't realise the reason my horse was lazy was because I was riding around with tight thighs, so telling him to slow down all of the time.

You're quite a way from where I am but I think instructor lives near Stoke, so she might travel to you. Do you want me to PM you her number?
 
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