Mystique Dressage

✨ Speed vs. Energy in Dressage ✨

One of the most important shifts a rider can make in their training is learning the difference between **speed and energy**, because they can feel very similar in the saddle—but produce completely different results.

At first glance, a horse that goes forward more quickly can feel like it is becoming more “active” or “responsive.” But in reality, you may simply be increasing speed without improving the quality of the gait.

**Speed** is mechanical. It’s how fast the horse travels across the ground. When speed increases without true balance, the horse often:

* Lengthens the stride in a flat way rather than pushing from behind
* Falls onto the forehand
* Loses throughness in the back
* Becomes harder to regulate or rebalance
* Starts to “run” out of rhythm instead of staying in it

You may feel like you are getting more expression, but it is often just momentum.

**Energy (impulsion)** is something very different. It is created when the hind legs step under the body, engage the joints, and push through a supple back into an elastic, receiving hand.

When true energy is present, the horse:

* Stays in rhythm no matter the tempo
* Feels quicker off the ground, not just quicker across it
* Becomes lighter and more adjustable in front
* Has suspension and a sense of “lift” in the stride
* Can collect and lengthen without losing balance

The key difference is this:
👉 Speed is about *how fast the legs move*
👉 Energy is about *where the power comes from and how it travels through the body*

A helpful way to feel it under saddle:

If you add leg and the horse simply gets faster, you’ve created speed.
If you add leg and the horse becomes more uphill, more powerful, and more connected into the hand without rushing, you’ve created energy.

This is why correct training always returns to basics like transitions, half halts, and lateral work. These exercises don’t just “control speed”—they teach the horse to recycle energy from behind, improve balance, and stay connected from hind leg to hand.

It also explains why riding “forward” is often misunderstood. Forward in dressage does not mean faster—it means **more activity from behind without loss of balance in front**.

A truly developed horse can go:

* Forward without rushing
* Collected without getting slow
* Extended without losing uphill balance

That is the result of energy, not speed.

🐴 A simple test in your ride:
When you ride more forward, does the canter or trot feel like it’s covering more ground in a flatter way—or does it feel like the horse is springing up and through the movement while staying in rhythm?

That answer tells you exactly what you’re building in the moment.

One of the biggest shifts between simply “riding the test” and consistently scoring 70%+ is understanding what the judges are truly looking for. Let's use First Level.

It is not about flashy movement or forcing the horse into a frame.

It is about correct basics: balance, harmony, and rideability.

At First Level, judges want to see that the horse is beginning to carry more weight behind, stay connected from back to front, and maintain balance through transitions and lateral work.

They are looking for:

✔ pure, consistent rhythm
✔ relaxation and suppleness
✔ steady elastic contact
✔ straightness and correct bend
✔ balanced transitions
✔ engagement from the hindquarters
✔ accuracy in geometry
✔ adjustability within the gait

One of the most overlooked parts of scoring well is actually reading the directives on the scoresheet — not just memorizing the pattern.

The pattern tells you WHERE to go.

The directives tell you WHAT the judge is evaluating.

For example, movements may specifically ask for:
▪️balance
▪️quality of transition
▪️bend
▪️straightness
▪️regularity
▪️engagement
▪️submission
▪️accuracy

Riders consistently scoring well are usually thinking:
“How do I show the qualities the directive is asking for?”

—not simply—
“How do I get from one letter to the next?”

The directives are essentially the judge’s checklist.
They tell you exactly where the points come from.

The ideal frame is not created by pulling the head in.

A horse that is truly “together” should:
▪️lift through the withers
▪️swing through the back
▪️step actively underneath with the hind legs
▪️seek the contact forward
▪️stay light and elastic in the rider’s hand

The poll is generally the highest point, with the nose close to or slightly in front of the vertical — but the frame itself should be the RESULT of balance and connection, not something manufactured by the reins.

A horse can look round without actually being connected biomechanically.

True connection comes from:
hind leg → swinging back → elastic contact.

If you want to ride for 70%+, focus on making the basics exceptional:

• ride accurate geometry
• prepare transitions early
• maintain consistent rhythm
• keep the horse mentally relaxed
• ride every corner intentionally
• prioritize balance over flashiness
• create impulsion without rushing

Many scores are won or lost in the “simple” things:
the halt, the free walk, the centerline, transitions, circles, and straightness.

The best 70% tests usually do not look dramatic.
They look organized, supple, balanced, and harmonious.

Correct basics always scale upward into higher level work and your move up to Second Level and beyond.
Without them, the rest eventually falls apart.

A square halt is not just about getting the horse to stop evenly — it’s a reflection of balance, straightness, connection, and preparation.

Most halt problems actually begin several strides BEFORE the halt.

If the horse is:
▪️falling onto the forehand
▪️heavy on one rein
▪️crooked through the body
▪️rushing or bracing

…the halt will usually show it.

A correct square halt should feel like the horse steps UP into the transition rather than collapsing into it.

🔹 The reins say: “Wait.”
🔹 The legs say: “Keep stepping underneath.”
🔹 The seat says: “Rebalance and stay connected.”

One of the biggest mistakes riders make is pulling for the halt without enough leg support. When this happens, horses often:
▪️leave a hind leg out behind
▪️halt crooked
▪️brace against the hand
▪️lean on the forehand
▪️lose straightness

A good halt is ridden FORWARD into stillness.

Straightness is also essential. If the shoulders drift or the haunches swing, the horse cannot halt evenly. The horse must stay balanced between both reins and both legs all the way into the transition.

One important thing to remember:
A halt that is not square is usually a symptom of imbalance during the approach — not a problem that started once the horse stopped.

Because of this, constantly trying to “fix” the feet while standing can actually create:
▪️fidgeting in the halt
▪️loss of immobility
▪️tension and anticipation
▪️dependency on the rider repositioning the legs

Instead of micromanaging the feet in the halt, it is often better to:
✔️ quietly walk forward again
✔️ rebalance and straighten the horse
✔️ ride into a new halt with better preparation

This teaches the horse that a square halt comes from:
▪️balance
▪️engagement
▪️straightness
▪️self-carriage

—not from manually placing the legs.

Helpful exercises for improving square halts:
▪️walk-halt-walk transitions
▪️centerline practice
▪️shoulder-fore before the halt
▪️transitions within the gait
▪️leg yield into straightness
▪️frequent rebalancing half halts

The quality of the halt always reflects the quality of the ride leading into it.

When the horse is balanced, straight, attentive, and connected, the square halt becomes much easier — and much more consistent.

One of the biggest misconceptions in dressage is that contact, connection, and collection are all the same thing — but they are actually very different stages of correct training.

🔹 Contact is simply the horse accepting the rein softly and consistently.
It should feel elastic, steady, and alive — never heavy or forced. True contact comes from the hind legs stepping underneath into a swinging back and reaching forward to the hand.

🔹 Connection is the flow of energy through the entire horse’s body.
This is when the horse becomes truly “through.” The hind legs push, the back lifts and swings, and the energy travels into the bridle without interruption. The rider is no longer placing the horse’s head somewhere — the horse’s body is carrying itself into the contact.

A horse can have contact without connection:
❌ leaning on the reins
❌ behind the bit
❌ pretty headset but disconnected hindquarters
❌ dropped back and trailing hind legs

🔹 Collection is the RESULT of correct connection and strength.
The horse shifts more weight onto the hindquarters, becomes lighter in the forehand, and develops greater self-carriage and adjustability.

True collection is not:
❌ slowing down
❌ shortening the neck
❌ compressing the frame
❌ pulling the horse together with the reins

Correct collection should still feel:
✔ energetic
✔ elastic
✔ uphill
✔ soft
✔ flowing

This is why the training scale matters so much:
Rhythm → Relaxation → Contact → Connection/Throughness → Straightness → Collection

You cannot skip steps without creating compensation somewhere in the body.

When riders focus only on the horse’s head position, they often lose the very things that create correct collection:

* topline
* back lift
* impulsion
* straightness
* self-carriage

But when the horse is developed correctly from back to front, collection starts to appear naturally as strength, balance, and throughness improve.

A horse that is heavy on one rein is rarely just “ignoring the bit.”
Most of the time, the horse is using the rider’s hand to compensate for a balance problem somewhere else in the body.

Let’s use a horse that is heavy on the left rein as an example.

Typically, these horses are not simply “strong on the left side.” Instead, they are often:

▪️carrying too much weight on the left shoulder
▪️collapsing through the left side of the thoracic sling
▪️pushing the ribcage right
▪️stiff through the right side of the body
▪️avoiding equal engagement behind
▪️using the left rein as a balancing aid

This is why pulling on the left rein almost never fixes the problem.

Biomechanically, when the rider increases pressure on a rein the horse is already leaning on, the horse often responds by bracing against it. Horses naturally seek stability against pressure. If the rein becomes a fixed point, the horse learns to organize balance onto the rider’s hand instead of into its own body.

The first thing that usually happens is contraction of the underside of the neck.

Instead of lifting the base of the neck and allowing the topline to lengthen:

▪️the brachiocephalicus and lower neck muscles tighten
▪️the base of the neck drops
▪️the thoracic sling loses lift
▪️the withers lower
▪️the shoulders carry more load

The rider may see “headset,” but the horse is actually becoming more disconnected through the topline.

At the same time, the inside shoulder often falls farther inward.

The horse may flex at the poll to the left while:

▪️the left shoulder drifts inward
▪️the ribcage bulges right
▪️the inside hind leg stops stepping deeply underneath the body

This is where riders can accidentally mistake neck bend for true body bend.

True bend should travel through:

▫️poll
▫️cervical spine
▫️ribcage
▫️thoracic sling
▫️spine
▫️hindquarters

Not just the neck.

As the horse loses balance, the hind legs often disengage further.

Instead of carrying weight and producing uphill balance, the hind legs begin pushing backward rather than stepping underneath the center of gravity. The horse becomes:

▫️heavier in the hand
▫️flatter in the frame
▫️more forehand dominant
▫️more dependent on rein pressure for organization

This becomes a cycle:
the heavier the horse gets, the more the rider pulls.
The more the rider pulls, the more the horse braces and leans.

Over time this can contribute to:

🚫 topline loss
🚫 reduced back swing
🚫 shortened stride
🚫 uneven shoulder loading
🚫 poll and jaw tension
🚫 difficulty with lateral work
🚫 resistance in transitions
🚫 crookedness becoming more established

This is why correct riding addresses the body first, not the mouth first.

If a horse is heavy on the left rein, the answer is usually found in improving:

🔝 ribcage positioning
🔝 thoracic sling stability
🔝 hind leg engagement
🔝 shoulder alignment
🔝 straightness
🔝 balance between both sides of the body

Exercises like:

▪️ shoulder-fore
▪️ leg yield left to right
▪️ spiral circles
▪️ transitions within and between gaits
▪️ renvers and counter positioning
can all help redistribute weight and encourage the horse to carry itself more evenly.

For example, riding the horse from the left leg into the right rein can help move the ribcage away from the left shoulder and prevent the horse from collapsing onto the inside rein.

When the body reorganizes correctly:

🔝 the base of the neck lifts
🔝 the shoulders become lighter
🔝 the back swings more freely
🔝 the hind legs step further underneath
🔝 the contact evens out naturally

This is true self-carriage.

A light rein is not created by the hand.
It is created by correct balance throughout the horse’s entire body.

Shoulder-in and half pass

These movements are deeply connected exercises because they develop many of the same biomechanical qualities — just in different degrees and directions.

A correct shoulder-in teaches the horse to:
• step the inside hind leg underneath the body toward the center of gravity
• lift and mobilize the base of the neck and shoulders
• soften through the ribcage around the inside leg
• stay connected from inside leg to outside rein
• begin carrying more weight behind

Those are the exact ingredients needed for a balanced half pass which teaches:

• increased engagement of the inside hind
• greater mobility of the shoulders
• suppleness through the ribcage and topline
• improved lateral coordination
• more uphill balance and self-carriage

When shoulder-in is confirmed first, the half pass becomes much easier to keep:
✔ uphill
✔ cadenced
✔ connected
✔ truly bent through the body

Without that foundation, many horses simply drift sideways in half pass with too much neck bend, escaping shoulders, trailing haunches, or loss of rhythm.

Half pass then takes those same qualities and increases the degree of difficulty. The horse must maintain bend, collection, impulsion, and alignment while traveling diagonally and carrying more weight on the inside hind leg. This develops greater strength, coordination, and lateral carrying power.

The two movements constantly “check” and improve each other in training.

If the half pass loses engagement or balance, shoulder-in can restore the horse’s connection to the inside hind and outside rein.

If the shoulder-in becomes stuck or loses energy, half pass can encourage more activity, reach, and expression without sacrificing collection.

This is why riders so often ride:
➡️ shoulder-in into half pass
➡️ half pass back to shoulder-in
➡️ shoulder-in on the long side before a diagonal half pass

The exercises are not isolated tricks — they are part of the same gymnastic conversation.

When correctly developed, shoulder-in and half pass create a horse that is not only more expressive laterally, but also stronger, more balanced, and easier to keep connected in all work.

Mystique Dressage is seeking a dedicated, hardworking, and detail-oriented Working Student / Groom to join our professional dressage program. This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated individual looking to gain hands-on experience in a high-level training barn.

Location: Alpharetta, Ga

Responsibilities
• Daily horse care including feeding, grooming, bathing, and turnout
• Stall cleaning and maintaining barn cleanliness.
• Tacking/untacking and assisting with daily rides
• Holding for vet, farrier, and bodywork appointments
• Basic horse health monitoring and reporting any concerns
• Show grooming and travel assistance (for the right candidate)
• Maintaining tack, equipment, and overall barn organization

Opportunities for Growth
• Riding opportunities based on experience and work ethic
• Exposure to a structured dressage training program
• Lessons and mentorship may be available
• Potential to attend and groom at recognized shows

Requirements
• Prior horse handling experience required; dressage experience preferred
• Strong work ethic and attention to detail
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Reliable, punctual, and professional
• Comfortable working in a physically demanding environment
• Valid driver’s license preferred

Compensation
• Competitive based on experience
• Lessons and riding opportunities possible to the right individual.

To Apply:
Please send your resume, references, and a brief description of your riding and horse experience to [email protected]

Huge Happy 13th to ! We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get a photo of her on Fleur in pink in front of the flower tree 🩷🤍🌸🌷

Photos of Hannah Rickles and Forrest from a couple weeks ago at the Flight Line Dressage Shows - Scenic in the City Midweek.

As always, we can't thank Louise Irwin for partnering with us and granting Hannah the ride on this super special boy! We are so proud to have him as part of the Mystique Dressage family and can't wait to see him develop further! We also love Jana Perez for being groom extraordinaire!!

Style My Ride
Denirobootco USA

Available for on property paid half-lease

Run Freely, “Clifford,” is a 2010, 17.2h Thoroughbred gelding with a successful show record through Fourth Level. He helped his owner earn her Bronze Medal in just two shows less than 90 days apart, as well as scores toward her Silver Medal. Clifford is a straightforward, easygoing ride with a willing attitude and a true desire to please. In the barn, he’s a sweet, goofy, and affectionate horse who genuinely enjoys being around both people and other horses.

He has schooled PSG and I1 movements, though he is currently not in peak fitness due to his owner’s schedule and limited time for consistent work. His owner would love the opportunity to share this very special horse with a rider who can give him more saddle time and attention.

Half-lessor must be able to comfortably ride at Training Level dressage and must be in a program with his current trainer, Hannah Rickles. Showing opportunities are available for the right rider.

Serious inquiries only for this exceptional partner.