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YourDressageCoach.com gives you the 'heads up' on some of the best Dressage reads.
Winter 2009
Dressage Masters-Techniques and Philosophies of Four Legendary Trainers
by David Collins
Klaus Balkenhol
Ernst Hoyos
Dr. Uwe Schulten-Baumer
George Theodorescu
The author, David Collins, does a spectacular job of interviewing all four of these legends. His insightful questions bring to light the teaching and training techniques of each.
He introduces each master with a brief bio and asks some general questions specific to each personality. He then goes into questioning regarding training techniques, when and how to start the young horse and finally inquires regarding training and riding collected movements.
In my reading I was pleased to find that all four have similar views on the appropriate age for starting horses and how much and of what kind of work a horse should be introduced to at any given stage of development. They also appear to agree on the types of mistakes being made in training, such as over training (horses being worked too hard) and horses not being taught to use their backs properly.
My conclusion regarding training the dressage horse, after reading about these four successful trainers, is that if the methods work, don’t fix them.
JW