The Struggles, The Tears, The Dreams – A Dressage Journey

Sharing my experience as I explore Dressage Today OnDemand!

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Who else used to have a subscription to Dressage Today? I looked forward to those monthly magazines and couldn’t wait to drool over the amazing riders and horses. My stack kept building as I created a collection of articles, photos of amazing horses, and riders with perfect position. I believe it was the last page that always contained an artistic interpretation of how to visualize certain concepts like keeping your horse between the aids or maintaining the flow of energy. I absorbed this magazine with hopes that one day, I too would be able to ride one of those beautiful horses and have a perfect position.

Fast forward to today and the world of information is at your fingertips. Dressage Today is now online. I am a Dressage Today Ambassador which includes an entire year to explore the Dressage Today OnDemand site. I doubt I’ll be able to view everything they have to offer, but I’m sure going to do some exploring and continue my dressage education!

One of the great things about living in the Louisville/Lexington, KY area is the opportunity to attend clinics as a rider or auditor. Well known clinicians like Kasey Perry-Glass, Jeremy Steinberg, Melissa Allen, JJ Tate, and Lilo Fore travel here to teach. We are all very fortunate to live here, but where does that leave the rest of the country? How do you get access to audit a clinic when there are none in your area?

Enter this handy dandy collection of 17 videos, each about 10 minutes long: 2012 FarmVet/USDF Adult Clinic featuring Lilo Fore, Training/First Level. The collection was presented by DressageTrainingOnline.com. I choose this selection as Josie and I are competing at Training Level with a goal to end 2022 showing a first level test! If you missed my last post, check out our most recent test here!

The videos auto played, playing highlights from 3 rides with a question and answer session from the auditors. It was nice to hear that many of Lilo’s comments were similar to what I hear in my lessons and clinics. We are on the right track! Here are a few of my takeaways after watching the clinic:

• Open hands can only pull, closed hands can become giving.
• The reins mold the horse.
• Aim for a solid contact on both reins that the horse can step into. Hold the edges of the bit stable in the corners of the horse’s mouth.
• Ride each beat.
• No one is perfect!
• If you never challenge the horse to be there, they never learn to be there.
• The horse has to take responsibility. Don’t be afraid to be unorganized to get a reaction from the horse. Once you get a reaction, you can then work on organizing.
• The horse must be quick off the leg.
• Down transitions are not an end, they are a beginning. (LOVE THIS!)
• Horses have fun when they are allowed to go. Don’t make the dressage arena boring!
• The horse does not go on the bit from the reins, it goes on the bit from the legs.
• Don’t pull!

I enjoyed watching these videos from the comfort of my couch! I could pause and come back as my schedule permitted which was a great benefit. And I could rewind to help me take better notes!

What It Looks Like

As each video played, there was a summary to the right.

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By watching these videos and taking a quiz, you can earn USDF University education credits!

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Follow Me!!

I hope you enjoyed my review of this collection. Check back for updates as I continue to explore Dressage Today OnDemand! Enjoy the other links below that take you along as I blog about my journey that led me to my dream of owning my own beautiful dressage horse! It was not easy! Coming soon will be a page dedicated to my progress as I move up the levels with Josie! Have fun and be kind.

Much love,

Sara