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"The aids in dressage need to be precise without causing disruption. Such precision is the result of two minds working together; horse and human.
So it is not just a matter of studying the aids and some technical knowledge but also a matter of when and how the aids are applied. It is also not about the appearance. A rider or horse can look right without really getting it.
The horse must always be the center. The rider must always be willing to submit and find harmony in the basic movements of the horse. This is not a matter of just the method used but it starts with listening/feeling what is present. Calm is always the guide.
To be most effective in training, a skilled rider not only considers the "correct" moment but also knows how to produce a slow deep breath in the horse. Such breathing produces the most effective suppleing.
The short rapid breathing produced in what most people would call dressage does not create the same effect in the horse. It is not about bending the horse this way or that but keeping and using a calm focused movement.
The educated rider learns to use the walk properly but based on the way "dressage" is done today, the walk is not accessible in this way. So it is that to discover dressage is a willingness to go beyond and to pass into what is happening in the moment.
Gentleness, kindness and lightness are the three things a rider must find to understand, experiment and go beyond what is called "dressage" today. Harmony is always possible but only possible when the mind is awake to the moment." - Craig
