Part 1: Catherine makes her initial assessment of the nice Thoroughbred mare taking the lesson. She suggests the rider not work in sitting trot too early in the warm up, as the mare seems rigid in the topline. She begins working with the rider on relaxing his arms, reminding him that every time they are tense or bracing the mare matches that muscle tone with her neck. Catherine coaches the rider to keep his head still, reminding him it weighs 15 pounds and has a big influence on the horse. They work on developing a quiet core and add more challenging exercises such as haunches in and counter canter as the horse warms up.
Up Next in Dressage
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Suppleness - Part 2
Part 2: Catherine helps the rider address the mare coming up against the hand, by working on lifting the inside rein to create flexion and softness. She explains that the ongoing issue with the horse changing canter leads behind, actually stems from her coming up against the rein and she coaches ...
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Suppleness - Part 3
Part 3: Catherine notes the mare is stiffening her back and then becoming resistant to the aides. She coaches the rider to keep her between the hand and the leg, and to use shoulder in and shoulder fore to supple her. The rider works on carrying their hands, and avoiding old habits of losing soft...
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Suppleness - Part 4
Part 4: Catherine shares some exercises to increase elasticity and engagement at the trot. She coaches the rider to create more expression in the horses shoulder be riding from the inside leg to the outside rein, and always keeping even pressure on his reins to ensure the bit stays centered in hi...
