The "accordion" exercise Isabel Werth uses with her horses (interview in Dressage Today).
Posted by Irina Yastrebova on Thursday, September 6, 2007 11:27 PM
Yesterday I have read an article in Dressage Today, an interview with Isabel Werth. She was talking about gymnastic work with her horses,
about "accordion" exercises where you collect your horse for a few steps and then let him out gradually, developing longer neck and bigger strides.
I have realized that I do not do enough of that work. So, I did it today and found a missing piece in my horse's education. It didn't go smoothly.
When he was let out he wanted to rush, it was hard to bring him back. He tried to make things his way.
I have realized that I don't do that kind of work enough because my horse made this work difficult
for me. It required so much patience and focus that I felt drained afterwards. There were some good moments. If I want to become a better rider
I need to learn to have more patience. I was cheating, making my life easier and pretending everything is fine. I had a gut feeling
that I must address this issue and take a big breath, put my other work aside and focus on his gymnastics more. I think Isabel Werth showed
me that I'm missing out an important riding skill.
Happy riding...
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