Re: [RC] dressage instruction for endurance riders - DESERTRYDR1I would suggest a different instructor and individual lessons. I take dressage lessons from a certified instructor who is thrilled to teach a wide variety of students with a wide variety of riding interests. She used some of our lessons as examples in her certification testing. She is teaching me correct seat (which I feel is important no matter what my eventual riding style is) and correct use of the aids. She has done lots of work with me on control, as one of my horses was a runaway, and the other was very green (bucking and running backward during lessons) She looks at each horse/rider combo as an individual unit. I have taken lessons on three different horses from her, and with each horse she started in a different place, and emphasized different things, because that was what that particular horse (with me as the rider) needed. She has a wonderful communication style, and does NOT stand in the middle of the arena and yell (except when my horse bucked, then she was yelling "SIT BACK!!!"). Working individually rather than in a group will benefit you more, even though the lessons are more expensive. A good instructor will taylor the lesson to the riding you do, but there are certain things that you have to learn, like the proper seat and aids, before you can go on to a half seat. If you learn the proper seat and aids, then all of your riding will be more balanced, and your horse will respond better to your aids. You will be in a better rhythm with your horse, and riding will be more fun. I have learned so much from her that my original horse, the runaway mare, no longer tries to run away. This is so interesting to me, because I hadn't ridden her for about 2 years (she was leased out as a broodmare) and when I started riding her again, lots of problems that I had previously had with her had just disappeared! She obviously knew I was a better rider than I had been before she went away. jeri =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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