The Art of Natural Dressage

I took this photo in January, just after starting NHE with Cisco.



Then, I took this photo in May. The difference, to me, is astounding. Cisco has always had a belly hanging down as long as I've had him. All the riding I had done previous to NHE did not take that belly away (and damaged his back, I might add). He did start to learn to lift his back just before I started NHE, but the biggest change came through groundwork alone, teaching Cisco to stretch, flex, and collect himself, without me on him.



Cisco's back will never be perfect, but the change in his musculature is wonderful. I know he's stronger and feeling better.

Nice horse you have there Karen! He looks great and he is developing great

How old is Cisco?

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Cisco is nine years old this spring. So still young!

But I began riding him too early, and for many years I knew nothing of collection. Then just over a year ago, I realized his saddle was no longer fitting him (if it ever did) and had really hurt his back. I have much to make up for with this boy. He is such a love. He has a wonderful sense of humor and he forgives me, I think. He is much happier now although I often wonder what he might be like if I had never hurt him, and if I had known then, what I know now, about collection and kindness.

Like others, one of my brightest days with him was when he said no, and I listened.

He is not built really well for classical collection, being more rectangular in shape, but he will collect as well as he can, and we will do so much more together in the years to come. I hope he can keep developing, mentally and physically. Everything he does, is done in his way and at his pace. A bit slow, and a bit sloppy, but I love him for it as much as if he was doing everything at the highest levels of Haute Ecole, and in the most beautiful fashion.

I think the most important thing is both having fun not perfection . Timber and Ester are also far from perfect but on the other hand so am I

Cisco looks younger by the way.

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wonderful pics! what a change. He looks so much better.

Can I ask how you achieve that natural collection and the flexion of the neck?
If i do this with my horse he just put his neck down, not so straight like yours.

Tlove wrote:


Actually, I like the neck position in the first photo more - it is more uniformly curved and a more natural position for Cisco. In the second photo, he is actually breaking at the third (??) vertebra, which is not good for him. This means he was trying too hard.

I clicker train Cisco, and if I ask him to "look pretty" he will hold his head a particular way, and if I don't tell him he is right, he then changes the position. For the second photo, a friend was standing behind him asking him to look pretty, but she didn't have anything to reward him with, so Cisco was moving his head to different positions to get her to reward him .

The position in the first photo is the one that Cisco will hold his head while lunging on the cordeo, or slightly lower. Cisco is a Quarter Horse, and his shoulders do not allow a highly arced neck...he ust isn't built for it, so his natural position is lower.

For his "pose" though, I first lured him with a treat. Then found out from the NHE site that I wasn't supposed to do it that way. But it worked. He figured it out despite my mistakes. He holds it that way himself in movement, but still has to be cued to do it at a standstill.

We work on "goat on a mountain" to add to the stretch. I will ask for the Goat position, then ask him to raise his head just a little (as far as he is willing to go on his own). Or I will ask for the head position, then ask him to also step forward with his back feet.

The two exercises combined (in any way that is still comfortable for the horse) extends the stretch from the neck, through the shoulders, and up over the back to the croup.