Melodye Sweetin Dressage Alternative

03/17/2025

Stay safe 🌻

02/16/2025

This is a fantastic diagram with an
AMAZING detail - see where the
"center of mass" is. This must always be observed when riding. The rider's job is to stay "with" the center in order for the horse to stay balanced. When you're riding if you find your horse coming above the bit or behind the bit try to adjust your weight in the saddle by moving your shoulders forward (or back) one centimeter at a time until you find the "sweet spot". It works, guaranteed.

02/16/2025

Fantastic

Vente organisée par Les amis du Cadre noir - En 2025, le Cadre Noir de Saumur célèbre son bicentenaire. Pour marquer cet événement, nous lançons une campagne de précommande pour un livre magnifique retraçant 200 ans d'histoire équestre. Ce livre illustré racontera l'évolution du Cadre Noi...

02/16/2025

“The student must make an effort to look friendly at all times, to caress his horse often, and not to correct impatiently. Even if not everything succeeds according to his thoughts occasionally, he should not get upset and choleric, and mistreat his horse, in other words pr******te himself in front of the observers.

For there is nothing more unpleasant than seeing a rider spur and beat his horse, especially when he himself is the cause for the mistake. And it happens quite frequently that the rider causes the horse to make this or that mistake through an imperfect seat or an unsteady hand, for which the horse is not to be punished, but the rider is to blame.

A horse that is trained to subtle aids and who pays attention to the rider’s smallest movement, will inevitably react as soon as the hand, the legs or the seat move incorrectly. However, the horse must not be punished, since he only did what the rider asked for with his careless movement.”

Anonymous ~ 18th century chief rider of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna

12/22/2024

What’s under your Christmas tree this year? 🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲

09/04/2024

About time.

Charlotte Dujardin. Cesar Parra. Andreas Helgstrand. Blue tongues and hyperflexion. The dressage world has been hit by a series of controversies and scandals that have caused concern far beyond the confines of the horse community, leading riders and the general public alike to question just how high...

09/01/2024

This.

Working with young horses is tough.

And not just in the "hold on and hope you stay in the saddle" kind of way.

No one warns you how challenging it truly is. How often you'll doubt yourself, wondering: Am I doing this right? Am I moving too fast? Too slow? Is this too much? Not enough? You'll constantly be questioning your approach, trying to figure out the best way forward while tuning out the opinions of the trainer down the road or the livery next door, who throws judgmental glances every time you do groundwork.

No one tells you how, on some days, you'll feel like you're failing. You'll question if this horse would be better off with someone else, convincing yourself you're either wasting their potential or outright ruining them. After all, there are four-year-olds excelling in young horse classes while yours is still struggling to trot in a straight line.

No one tells you how attached you'll become. This horse is your baby, maybe one you helped bring into the world. Every setback feels personal, like a wound to your heart. You care so deeply about their well-being that it physically hurts when things go wrong. You’ll also become fiercely protective—God help anyone who dares to criticize your horse.

No one tells you how humbling, even brutal, these horses can be. They'll expose every weakness you have and practically shout it from the rooftops. While they are forgiving, they have a way of knocking you down a peg, reminding you there's always more work to be done.

No one tells you how these horses will change you. They'll force you to look inwards, to question everything you thought you knew. If you thought you had everything figured out, this horse will quickly show you that you don't. But they'll also ignite in you a fierce determination to prove everyone wrong and show them what you saw in this horse from the very beginning.

No one quite tells you how difficult young horses can be, but anyone who's been through it knows...

As tough as they are, they’re absolutely worth it.

08/03/2024

This.

In the wake of the whipping scandal involving a three-time gold medallist, some want equestrian sport removed from the Olympic roster