by Craig Stevens | Dec 18, 2014 | Craig Stevens' Blog
Good dressage training is based on developing gentleness and genuineness so that we can help ourselves to develop, through working with the horse, a tenderness in our hearts. We no longer wrap ourselves in a world of competitive insanity and oppositional methodologies but instead we cultivate harmony in all that we do with the horse. It is not that we can no longer compete, though some will take this course, but rather that competitive goals are no longer the center but instead the horse has become far more important to us. Compared to the magic, joy and wonder we have found in working with the horse, competition just has lost it appeal. We feel responsible for ourselves and our horses, and through our education, we feel good in taking on the responsibility. We also feel grateful that, as a kind and gentle human beings, we can actually work for the welfare of another; the horse. It is about time that we did something to help the horse and the horse world. It is the right time, the right moment, for this kind of dressage to be introduced once again and that we start by trying to introduce ourselves to the gentle kindness needed to properly work with ourselves and the horse. It is an important moment when you come to such thoughts for it is the moment when you demonstrate the compassion, maturity and intelligence to become truly human in the best sense of the term. This is the training of a horse and human to be as one. This is the magic of...
by Craig Stevens | Dec 17, 2014 | Craig Stevens' Blog
The practice of dressage is based on three fundamental factors: first, not centralizing inward (one must balance awareness between being in the horse, in the riding ring and in one’s own self awareness); second, not imposing any goals or judgments on the horse(as this blocks the third one); and third, becoming completely identified with what is happening at this very moment. These three elements run right through the practice of dressage, from the beginning up to the highest levels. Any perception that we experience when we are with the horse can become a point of connection to the reality of what is happening in a given moment. We not only must learn to ride the horse but to ride our perceptions anytime we are working with the horse. Being with the horse is not about us being separate but rather a matter of learning not to block the flow which is occurring all the time between the horse and ourselves. When we can come to a state of openness, we can correctly know how to relate to the situation with the horse. In the end it is not about the horse or us but about how we can join together and it is up to us always to make the first move. It is our desire which fuels equitation but in good dressage, our kindness draws the horse to want to also be with us. Finding and binding ourselves together with the horse is such a glorious thing. It is and always has been the heart of dressage. First we must willing to change our views and attitudes to...
by Craig Stevens | Dec 16, 2014 | Craig Stevens' Blog
There is a natural togetherness and calm which comes from being in harmony with the horse, the environment and yourself. You do not have to make yourself fit into the movement or the moment but rather the moment and movement fit you. This is the place where confidence comes from. You experience a kind of native suppleness and only in such a space do you start to understand the meaning of “correct dressage” because you understand that correct is not something you make but rather it is something you experience when you are in harmony with what is happening. There is a natural hierarchy which arises in this state of harmony. It is not top down control. There is no aggression or struggle with the horse. In fact, struggle is impossible and lightness and proper timing of the aids are automatic. Any hesitation and doubt are gone. Kindness and gentleness are extended easily to the horse because you have found in yourself and your work a native confidence which permits generosity. From this we can re-set our relationship with the horse and our actions automatically are skillful. Correct dressage is always simple and always beautiful. Dressage is as much about you as it is about the horse. Correctness is not and should not be about the application of external rules but more about finding the proper place to be with the...
by Mary Anne Campbell | Dec 16, 2014 | Foundation News
We are inventing ways to make the site more user friendly and more interesting. I have all sorts of ideas as to what that might mean and I’m setting aside writing time to fill in the pages. But it occurs to me that our readers might have even better ideas than I… What information about classical riding would you like to be able to find on the Foundation’s website? If you have an idea, email me by using the form below. Riding and teaching and building websites– they’re always better as a collaboration. Thanks in advance for your help! ~Mary Anne Name(required) State or province and country where I live Email(required) Comment(required)...
by Craig Stevens | Dec 15, 2014 | Craig Stevens' Blog
Don’t try to be the best or quickest in your dressage. That is a distraction from what you really need to focus on. How fast you can train or trying to outshine others is to totally missing the point or at the least, you will become distracted from what is most real; the relationship with the horse. The horse, even one who likes being in the public eye, has no concern for other’s opinions. From a horse’s view, it is more about being who he is rather than a comparison to others. This is authenticity. Find the heart of genuineness in your own work. Authenticity is not something which takes an effort. It arises naturally from what is already there. There is nothing which can be given to the horse without it already being present. Good dressage does not need to invent itself. It is just dealing correctly with what is present already and it takes confidence, trust and practice. Your practice should not be a mindless droning on and on but more like a gentle stroking which shows affection through a gentle kindness. Trust is given freely when confidence is present. In everything, cultivate confidence through gentle affection. Make the horse want to obey. Be your horse’s friend, for who does not want to help a friend. To receive generosity from the horse you must first learn to give it. It is good to think these things but even better is to bring these ideas into your practice. Good dressage is the cultivation of a greater view which expresses itself in the smallest things in actual practice. The...
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