Backyard Dressage Rider Survival Skills

Soon to follow "'Are We Having Fun Yet?' The Pressures of Perfection"

1- Be clear to yourself about two things.
a. What any rider would need to do to achieve your goals
b. What you are currently doing to achieve your goals.
Evaluate the difference. Note where you may be falling short in your efforts to achieve your goals. Are there shortfalls under your control that you can improve? If so, do so. If not, accept the fact that these are your limitations. We all have limitations, some more than others. Knowing them doesn't make you any happier per se, but gives you direction and frees you to focus your effort on the things you can change.

2- Maximize what you do with what you have now. How? Focus. Simpfliy. No facility to use? A trot/canter transition in the field is a s good as one in the ring, if you want it to be. :)

3- Infrequent lessons? Nobody takes one lesson and becomes Reiner Klimke. Focus on your homework. Accomplish your homework. Heck, if you just work on your homework you'll be ahead of many others. Don't worry about tomorrow's homework or the questions that will arise as you work on your homework. Thinking hard about it won't bring answers. Put your questions on the shelf and get them answered in your next lesson. You'll get new homework as well, so don't go thinking "*Whew* glad my homework is done!* Dressage is worse than any nun in every Catholic School that ever existed as far as homework is concerned. Not much difference in the corporal punishment either. ;)

4- Remember your rules of application of the aids. There is a progression to how the horse is ridden. For whatever discipline or whatever level, remember the application of your aids. For me it is to simplify-
a- Monitor position
b- Bring the hindquarters to the hands
c- Use the forehand to modify the hindquarters (ie, shoulder-in)
If I'm missing #1 I'm not going to get #2 and certainly not #3! It doesn't work and I shouldn't even try.

5- Take heart in this: If you can correctly ride second level, there is nothing else you need to learn to progress to the upper levels. NOTHING.

6- I'll repeat that. NOTHING Why? What is a flying change? Nothing more than a canter depart within the canter. What is a half pass? A lateral movement sent diagonally. Everything upper level is nothing more than an amplification of what is asked of the horse in the lower levels. The lower levels are not something to be slogged through and embarassed about because at training level you ARE working on your piaffe.