Dressage With Mind Body Soul

"A new approach to the classical methods of training dressage horses--methods that can cause the animals undue physical and emotional distress--these powerful new techniques from world-renowned horse trainer and behaviorist Linda Tellington-Jones improve not only the dressage horse's performance but also its well-being. The guide employs the author's legendary TTouch method and features practical dressage-training information on topics such as relaxing the overly touchy horse, focusing the overly playful horse, improving balance and transitions, and solving problems with stage fright. In addition to the providing the tips and techniques needed to ensure that the horse relishes its role in the art of dressage, numerous case studies of the top horses, riders, and trainers Tellington-Jones has worked with in her career are also included"--

This title provides an in depth guide to the riding and training of horses, but with a difference. The methods discussed involve a mind, body, spirit approach which is applied equally to horse and rider.

A multifaceted training system for riders and horses of all levels. Most books discuss the physical aspects of riding: horse position, rider position, use of aids, schooling exercises, and movements. Betsy Steiner, however, an international rider and trainer, believes that the physical is just one-third of the riding equation, and that two equally important vital components—the intellectual and the psychological—are often ignored. Her approach to riding and training is to use the body, mind, and spirit, all working together to create a rich experience she call gymnastic training that addresses horse and rider as the three-dimensional beings that they are. This training system is geared toward maintaining proper form and alignment—crucial for human and equine athletes alike. Progress is achieved by use of inventive gymnastic schooling exercises for the horse, and a tailored program of Pilates exercises enabling the rider to become athletic, lithe, energetic, and flexible.

Dressage is often seen as the most formal and controlled of the equine sports, following an ancient, standardized training progression. For philosopher and dressage instructor Dr. Sherry Ackerman, dressage is much more. It — along with riding in general — can be a transformational art and an avenue for reflection, exploration, and self-knowledge through which a rider can experience liberation from the individual, egoistic self. This second, revised edition of Dressage in the Fourth Dimension is a pioneer work in awakening “dressage consciousness.” Drawing on such diverse sources as sacred geometry, ancient Western and Eastern philosophies, and esoteric spirituality, Ackerman seeks to heal humanity’s alienation from nature through riding. She points us toward the liberation from societal conditioning and normative thinking, and, ultimately, from our own egos. Her concept of the fourth dimension requires us to leave the analytic, objective mind behind and enter into the mystery of inspiration. A short, unique, thought-provoking work that has enjoyed a word-of-mouth reputation among horse people for years, Dressage in the Fourth Dimension will challenge riders’ assumptions about their horses and themselves.

This marvelous book, borne of a unique collaboration between Dr. Allen Schoen—a world-renowned veterinarian and author—and trainer and competitor of many years Susan Gordon, introduces the 25 Principles of Compassionate Equitation. These Principles, conceived by Dr. Schoen and Gordon, are a set of developmental guidelines, encouraging a level of personal awareness that may be enacted not only through the reader's engagement with horses, but can be extended to all humans and sentient beings he or she encounters. The 25 Principles share stories and outline current, peer-reviewed studies that identify and support methods of training, handling, and caring for horses that constitute a safe, healthy, non-stressful, and pain-free environment. Through their Compassionate Equestrian program, the authors encourage all involved in the horse industry to approach training and handling with compassion and a willingness to alleviate suffering. By developing deeper compassion for their own horses, and subsequently, all equines, equestrians transcend their differences in breed preferences, riding disciplines, and training methodologies. This leads to the ability to empathize and connect more closely with the “global collective” of horses and horse people. In doing so, a worldwide community of compassionate equine practitioners and horse owners will emerge, which will not only benefit the horses: People involved with horses are found in many influential segments of society and have the potential to affect wide circles of friends, acquaintances, and co-workers from every walk of life. These are simple changes any horse person can make that can have a vast impact on the horse industry and society as a whole.

Dressage training: Background and Tips All riders, whether competing or riding for pleasure, want to have a tractable, relaxed and motivated horse when they are ready to get into the saddle. This depends primarily on the riders' understanding of training and training methods. The more riders know about their horse's physiology and psyche, the better their understanding of these training methods. By following the practical advice in this book, riders will be able to achieve their desired training goals most efficiently, while at the same time handling their horses gently and keeping them physically and mentally sound.

1992 U.S. Olympic dressage squad member Jane Savoie presents a revolutionary approach to riding by which you can train your mind and shape your attitudes to achieve higher levels of skill than ever imagined.

A superbly illustrated instructional manual offering groundbreaking, step-by-step solutions for hundreds of horse behavior, health, and training problems.

Within riding exists a fundamental conflict of interest: The rider needs to have control—her confidence depends on her ability to control the balance of her own body as well as that of her very powerful horse. The horse, by nature, needs to feel free—free in both mind and body to express himself through movement. In When Two Spines Align, author Beth Baumert, writer and editor at the equestrian magazine Dressage Today, resolves the freedom-control enigma by taking a close look at the individual components that make up riding and dressage and providing practical ways riders can learn to harness the balance, energies, and forces at play. Readers will discover how to use “positive tension” and their body’s “power lines” to become balanced and effective in the saddle. They will then find ways to understand and manage the horse's balance and “coordination challenges.” Ultimately, the rider learns to regulate and monitor the horse's rhythm, energy, flexion, alignment, bend, and line of travel by properly aligning her spine with his. When the center of gravity of a balanced rider is over the center of gravity of a balanced horse, that place where two spines align becomes the hub for rider and horse harmony.

An exciting follow-up to the bestselling book When Two Spines Align: Dressage Dynamics. Beth Baumert's first book, When Two Spines Align: Dressage Dynamics, was a popular and critical success. Lauded by Olympian Carl Hester as the book he most frequently quotes at clinics, it examined the ways the physical bodies of horse and rider work together--the physics behind riding in balance. In Baumert's new book How Two Minds Meet, she takes us beyond physical harmony to look at the minds of both horse and rider, each complete with its own set of emotions and mental capabilities. Readers will explore: How the mind of the horse works. The rider's "two minds"--the analytical mind and the sensory dimension of the mind (with which the horse more readily identifies). Specific ways to get into the "non-thinking place" where the best communication between horse and rider takes place. Principles of Learning that enable riders to improve the use of the traditional, knowledge-accumulating part of their brains. Nine ideas for boosting your ability to learn, retain, and apply knowledge that's useful in training horses. Methods for organizing and "filing" information so it can be best utilized. How to ensure the horse is physically comfortable (balanced) under saddle to allow for a meeting of the minds in the first place. Not only does Baumert explain how to optimize the use of the "thinking mind" in order to become a better learner in the saddle, she provides techniques for maximizing mental and emotional harmony with the horse, a state of unity that feels so good, Baumert calls it the "charming addiction"--once a rider has it, she wants to attain it again and again. Feeding this addiction is possible, says Baumert, with the thoughtful, practical insight she shares in these pages.