Dressuur

Bringing rider and horse together so they can move as one is a complex equation. Now, sports physiologist and movement expert Eckart Meyners has combined efforts with German Riding School Head Hannes Muller and St. Georg editor Kerstin Niemann to provide a book with the answers. Top-quality color photographs—many featuring 2014 World Equestrian Games gold-and-silver-medal-winning rider Helen Langehanenberg—and a depth of detail not yet found in other books on riding theory and biomechanics make Rider+Horse=1 necessary reading for all those who aspire to a true understanding of movement, function, and their impact on performance. This book enables you to: Interpret the difference between skills and abilities in rider and horse. Use unique exercises to improve your balance and aids. Master three fundamental riding techniques: flexion, bend, and half-halts. Explore ways of creating “positive tension” in the horse. Discover the three-dimensionality of the rider in new ways. Learn how to identify and respond to the motion sequences of the horse. Meer info

Do horses think of the rider on their back as a 'supporting partner' or a dangerous predator? Author Ulrike Thiel faces this question head on, putting readers in the horse's position and allowing them to experience the 'process' of being ridden both physically and psychologically. Thiel discusses classical schooling and modern competitive dressage from the horse's perspective, offering precise advice for bettering the horse-rider relationship based on recent scientific findings in psychomotor education, horse training theory, horse and human biomechanics, and equine behaviour. Meer info

Special limited edition at the occasion of the 25th anniversary. Interviews with all winners incl. Anky van Grunsven & Steffen Peters. Followed by exclusive statistics on horses and all competitors of the previous 24 years nowhere else gathered but here; thanks to the database of dressagedirect.com Meer info

At last, a dressage book with a difference: how to train your horse – and enjoy it! National Champion Carl Hester gives us a fresh slant on dressage training – the key words being enjoyment and fun. Inspired by their hugely successful articles in Horse & Rider magazine, Carl Hester and Bernadette Faurie have combined their talents to make dressage training accessible to everyone. They offer advice on training all types of horse and all levels of rider. They explain how to set about improving the horse’s paces and suppleness, whilst keeping him happy and enthusiastic in his work. They describe how to ride dressage movements, from simple circles to flying changes, pointing out common mistakes and how to correct them. The pages are peppered with vital tips and step-by-step instructions, and there are over 100 specially shot colour photos of Carl schooling his horses at home, bringing on youngsters, and fine-tuning the more experienced superstars. This book is about every rider making the most of his or her own potential and, in the process, producing a horse that is more pleasing to ride and more athletic in its body Meer info

This is a step-by-step training program for horse and rider blending together one of the most successful schooling systems in the world and the cutting edge principles of equitation science.The highly respected German Scales of Training, which aims for lightness and self-carriage in a calm, settled horse is the basis of the system which, combined with clear instruction, makes the technique accessible to anyone.Practical explanation and riding exercises provide a framework for achieving the six elements of a schooled horse, identified as: rhythm, looseness, contact, impulsion, straightness and collection.Clearly defined qualities and standards to aim for at every stage allows measurable progression and provides reassurance that help is always at hand should something go wrong. Contents: Introduction - 1. Preparation - 2. Relaxation - 3. Rhythm - 4. Contact - 5. Impulsion - 6. Straightness - 7. Collection - Useful contacts - Further reading - Index Meer info

Michael Kunz deals with the most important dressage movements from medium level to Grand Prix. He describes their execution, typical faults and effective methods for correction. A better theoretical understanding paves the way for a successful practical outcome - this makes the book an indispensable source of reference for riders, trainers and dressage judges. Meer info

Training advice from Novice to Grand Prix - Follow Carls training system as he works with different horses at different levels and adapts his training to suit each horses' welfare and management, and why these are so important to him. Learn how he manages to achieve such polished performances, be it in elementary work with a five year old, or in the dizzy heights of Grand Prix - then do it yourself! Meer info

"Riding Masterclass" offers a rare opportunity to experience tuition from the elite trainers of the equestrian world, including Carl Hester, Richard Davison and Christopher Bartle.Each lesson takes a 'real' horse and rider through an area of training with which they are struggling. Topics covered range from improving the way the horse moves to developing confidence in horse and rider. Lessons are enhanced with tips and fresh guidance from the experts themselves, offering riders new ideas and fresh insight. Contents: Foreword PART ONE - The Masters at Work Holistic schooling - Leg yield - Shoulderin - Flying changes - Travers - Renvers - PART TWO - The Masterclasses Flexi-time - Spooking solutions - Soft and supple - Balancing act - Hot stuff - Fine tuning - PART THREE - Being Tested Move on up - The tests - Get active - On the right track - Developing expression - Acknowledgments - Index. Meer info

Using the German training system -training considered-basic training-jumping-paces and simple movements-working to advanced level Three top German trainers join forces and provide a problem-solving training manual for dressage riders from novice to Grand Prix level. The German training principles, including the establishment of losgelassenheit (looseness), durchlassigkeit (submission and responsiveness) and schwung (impulsion and swing), are emphasized throughout, giving some insight into why and how Germany produces so many world-beating horses. The book covers the main elements of the horse's education - from early schooling on the lunge through to Grand Prix movements - stressing, throughout, the need for sympathetic management of the horse both during work and when at liberty. It includes a chapter on jumping, with gymnastic grid exercises to supple the dressage horse. It also discusses rider psychology and how to acquire the right attitude to training and competing. Training techniques are presented in an accessible "problems and tips" format, identifying training difficulties and offering solutions. The work may be used as a quick reference, to be dipped into at leisure or as the need arises. Meer info