Drawing on the theories of the old masters of dressage, Lessons in Lightness: The Art of Educating the Horse shows how both horse and rider can greatly benefit from traditional dressage techniques and exercises. Written by a thirty-year veteran horse trainer, this is the only book that takes the core elements of classical dressage and applies them as the basis for good general horsemanship today.

With this step-by-step program, both horse and rider learn from each other. The rider is taught to focus on subtle nuances of communication, while the horse develops gymnastically so he can respond correctly to the aids. Once the horse masters the basic exercises, the rider not only has a very ridable horse but one that can perform and advance in almost any discipline for which it is suited - from dressage and show jumping to Western pleasure and performance riding.

Inside you'll learn:
*How to teach the horse to release inner tension
*How to develop the horse gymnastically to facilitate relaxation, create flexibility, and build strength
*How to enhance the horse's true and natural gaits
*How to school the horse in hand and how to ride all the lateral movements
*How to build engagement for advanced work

No other single source in the marketplace today provides the level of detail that readers will find in this book.

(softcover, photographs, illustrations, 178 pages)

Excerpt from the book:

Much of the horse's reality is what the trainer creates. Everything the trainer does at the beginning of training and throughout the program matters, including the sequence of learning and how each exercise is introduced. Patience and preparation are essential in order to give the horse the best advantage for success.

All horses, whether green or mature, benefit from time spent in hand. In most cases it is easier for the horse to begin relaxation, stretching, and flexion without the weight of the mounted rider. Suppling and flexing the horse's body in hand provides the foundation for learning under saddle. In this respect it is worth noting that how a horse response in hand is normally a good indication of what he will accomplish under saddle. The rider also benefits: by handling the horse in hand, she can identify baseline flexibility and strength.

In-hand exercises have both training and gymnastic value: Relaxing a muscle increase its ability to stretch; stretching or "opening" the muscle allows it to return to its natural length with increase blood flow to the tissues and flexion allows the horse to work in the correct position to build strength.

To encourage the horse to utilize his back, begin each exercise with the horse's jaw relaxed and the head and neck in the lowered position, at or near level with the withers. To be effective in hand, the trainer needs the aid of a long dressage-style whip. The horse must learn to move forward from a touch on top of the croup, laterally from a touch on the side, and stop or back up from a touch on the chest. The whip becomes an extension of the trainer's touch.