Rebekah Wesatzke Dressage

I was reflecting a bit the other day about this lifetime of learning that is dressage.

What other activity or sport teaches two beings to communicate through the most subtle signals?

Everything… literally everything you do on the back of a horse can mean something to your horse if you want it to and you are consistent with your signals.

A small vibration of your fingers or wrist can mean flex 1-2 degrees, listen for what’s next, or, yield your poll.

It made me think of all the things I do after I relax and neutralize myself that become the words and sentence structure of my riding.

For example,

Stretching up and lightening my seat and thighs means to my horses I am ready to ask you a question and I don’t want to be in the way of your answer.

Tightening and then releasing any part of myself independently means to my horse don’t make me sit against you. Find better balance.

My feet work independent of each other and the other parts of my leg or seat towards what I am asking.

If I change my shoulder angle it means something. The exact place I use my foot or leg means something.

Riding dressage well is like becoming a computer programmer but you have to teach the programming to your horse/computer.

However we must be sure our horse is paying attention, understands our requests, and can physically do them.

So yes it is hard, time consuming and incredibly difficult to master. Especially if we are trying to be fair to our equine partners along the way.

Take the time… learn the dance.
Cheers
Yvonne

Ernst Hoyos talks to Lisa Wilcox about the half halt:
“The connection to the bit through the outside rein has to stay steady, clear – any kind of wriggling with the wrist is going to break that connection. You keep the wrist quiet, keep your thumb up, your hand and fist, vertical. Make the half halt further back – your elbow is at your side, just above your hip. You have to remember that your stomach muscles are tense and holding. What you do is come through with the elbow, and when you come through with the elbow, you are already just above your seat. That carries the half halt to your seat. Think about the half halt starting that far back.”
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2022/05/making-dressage-champions-lisa-wilcox-and-ernst-hoyos-at-work-at-the-gestut-vorwerk

Correct flexion.