Cowboy Dressage Biomechanics.
This is Dressage the cowboy way.
Left Hind
As a Cowboy Dressage rider you probably picture a dressage arena and the different movements required at each test. Think rhythmic four-beat walk, a supple jog with an active hind leg, and a three-beat lope, nice and straight. To get there we commonly use transitions from gait to gait or within a gait, curved lines, circles and serpentines as well as movements like shoulder-in for more advanced horses. We all strive to present our well-trained and schooled horse at a competition and show off how well we have done our homework. But there’s more than one way to get there, and that’s where cavaletti and ground poles work comes in.
Left Front
“Communication and Moving the Feet From the ground, and in the saddle, you progress to moving the horse’s feet with purpose. Driving and directing the horse’s movement, you can begin to connect aids to each of the feet and build responsiveness and lightness. You can help to develop and maintain forward. All of the lateral maneuvers can be started on the ground. Groundwork gives you the tools that you then take into the saddle to begin directing the horse through maneuvers or obstacles. The Cowboy Dressage School of Horsemanship provides multiple cavalletti and ground poles that can be used to help direct the horse’s feet and build responsiveness”.
Right Hind
“Lightness and Acceptance of the Aids Learning a new shared language takes time and patience. You must be consistent in your aids and timely in your release to guide the horse to understand how you guide him with the use of your body through your aids. When the horse learns to seek the quiet place within your aids, he is ready to move on to more advanced skills and maneuvers”.
Right Front
