Training with Glirtna and Jarl

Glirtna and Jarl are bouth from Iceland, and belongs to my friends, Elisabeth and Ann Kristin. Their training has been mostly groundwork without riders and light riding in on the roads and nature. I have been given permission to ride them in the arena, slowly presenting for them the principles of the aids in dressage. 

Dressage - summer 2011

The past week I found some inspiration to train dressage. Taktur has been lovely to work with, and is always improving. It is challenging to ride dressage on a Icelandic horse because of the size and the gaits. When I look at old pictures I can see that we have learned something. My goal in dressage is to make my horse sound, flexible and strong, and for me to achieve coordination and balance to be a better rider. Riding dressage is just a part of our training.

 Pictures taken by Elisabeth Eika, Telemark

Dressage and Biomechanics

Trough dressage we can train the horse more elastic and strong. The horse will then become healthier and better prepared for the riders weight.

Participants, assitants and teachers

In July 2010 I attended a week long seminar with dressage trainer Alexandra Myhren and Veterinary Tone Lygren. Tone is a horse vet, doing a PhD in tendon strength in horses.

Tone was explaning goals of dressage trough biomechanics

Tone has a special interest for understanding the anatomical function of the horse and how we can influence the horse`s movements in a healthy way. She bases a lot of her teaching on actual scientific results. She explained to us the recent studies done in this field. Tone discussed why different head positions have different effects on the horse`s movements trough an anatomical understanding.

We learned to recognize anatomical features that might be a challenge when we want a horse to be a sound dressage horse. In individual lessons we where guided to be aware of the quality of the movement towards our goal of a more elastic and engaged horse.

Tone is conducting seminars in Denmark and Norway – and I strongly recommend these to everyone that wants to gain more knowledge and understanding about the horse`s biomechanics in riding.
Her website is: www.dressageinharmony.dk

Dressage lessons on Bucanero

The dressage lessons where excellent. I rode the PRE gelding Bucanero, wich I have ridden once in a while for some years. Alexandra has a unique positivity and natural teaching skills combined with a deep respect for the horse and the rider. She started to teach me dressage 3 years ago, and it really works!

Bucanero - a lovely horse to ride

This a short clip from the riding lessons:

(the clip is added in April 2011)

Alexandra Myhren has this website: www.ridekunst.no

All photos wher taken by Hanne Bratholm. www.hannebratholm.dk

Make the horse feel like a sucsess

When the lesson is done, how does your horse feel?
As most of riders have learned, positive feedback is very important for the horse`s motivation. I always praise my horse and feel proud of his attempt to do his very best when we are riding together.
But the way we are feeling is also absolutely crucial to the horse experience. I have learned from my horse that even if I praise him with all my heart for his effort, he is not really happy with the day`s work if I don`t own that feeling too. It means that I have to feel proud of myself, content with my part of the riding. And we can not camoulfage our feelings from the horse.

So if you want your horse to feel like a succsess - you must feel like a sucsess to! What a wonderful challenge.

Christine Mortensen and Fathia

This is my friend Christine on her lovely Arabian mare, Fathia, attending a dressage clinic with Dave Thind in Arendal this month. We were lucky to ride with a trainer that combines the focus from the classical training scale with the feeling within. We where all amazed by the process and the results when he took the time to let her work with her inner state as she was riding the lesson. Just beautiful.

The Dressage in the Fourth Dimension Expirience

I had the privilege to take the first part of this clinic series and meet Sherry Ackerman in her home at Mount Shasta.

Mount Shasta is located in northern California, and this volcano mountain has the magic and the most perfect beautiful surroundings for a real Fourth Dimension experience.

Sherry absolutely has what it takes to teach such an integrated clinic. The days where thoroughly planned so that everything was flowing almost by itself. I had lessons of yoga, meditation, philosophy and psychology. And of course, there were several lessons with dressage riding and theory. All off this was put together in a way that allowed me go even deeper in my understanding of relating to horses and riding dressage.

The morning started with some fresh air Yoga. The Yoga lessons had the purpose to enhance the body awareness, to notice where the body can be softer. It also teaches how it feels to stretch, like we always ask the horse to do in dressage, and it is not always that comfortable.

I got closer to the horse I was riding every day. Lippy challenged me a lot where I needed to change my attitude, attention and balance.
Lippy and Sherry taught me how to strengthen my intention and energy into the dressage and the movements.

One of the things that made a lot of difference in my dressage-riding  is the awareness of how to use the Psoas-musculature. Knowing of to use them is really a key to good riding. My own horse was amazed when I got back.

This first clinic comes with a workbook which was great during the clinic and now is a wonderful resource when I continue to work with processes that was initiated or strengthened during the clinic.

I think this kind of clinic is especially interesting if one has their own students, because it offers so many tools that helps one understand many more of the issues that comes up for all riders in the process of training dressage.


Sherry Ackerman is the author of the book Dressage in the Fourth Dimension.