Dressage
B in the exact center so don’ t ride past the invisible line between markers E and B. When at X facing the other long rail look at 45 degrees to your new contact point on the opposing long rail while riding the circle. Just touch there one stride and come off continuing on the circle back to your starting point at the rail opening in front of A.
This sounds so complex but by challenging yourself to this type of accuracy you are learning how to steer with your rein and leg aids. If the circle gets too big you can push your horse inward using your outside aids and if its too small you can use your inside aids to push it open larger. It’ s just a game of learning how to use the aids together softly to accomplish something new and to make it pretty by the correct application of the aids in needed adjustments all while preserving your horse’ s roundness, tempo, rhythm and bend. Bend means that your horse’ s spine is curved to match the curve of the circle being ridden. Think of your horse as looking slightly inward bent around your inside leg which holds his line of travel on the circle.
Building Communication
You are probably thinking that this sounds way too hard to bother with. It definitely is if you expect results in one day but if you choose to play the game and only try to improve a little each day it is an amazing challenge that changes how you and your horse communicate with each other. You are teaching a language of pressures that will always be there for the rest of your horse’ s life giving him value based on what he knows instead of what his pedigree reflects. He will always be viewed as a trained mount to what ever level you choose to seek. He will also be rideable by most other horsemen from any other breed because he is classically trained and his understanding of the aids gives him a precise
language of pressures to follow into successful action when given by any classically trained rider. Our breed’ s gait doesn’ t change how the aids work so they produce the same responses as when used on other breeds.
Back to the test, we see that there are diagonals where we change rein( change directions) from right bend to left bend. That is to insure that both sides of the horse’ s movement while on bend in corners of the arena or on circles are tested equally. This would be very important when testing the canter at a higher level. It is important to note that the letters are mostly for marking the beginning and end of diagonal lines of travel and have very little to do with circles which becomes much more obvious in the upper level tests. When riding a diagonal line be sure not to leave the rail until the departure letter gets to your horse’ s shoulder and be sure to aim a little in front of the letter you are riding toward so that on your first stride on the new rail your horse’ s shoulder is at the letter and not past it. Again you are engaged in a game of points and the directions in the pattern called for a diagonal ridden from Marker K to Marker M, not near or in the area of the marker but from and to exactly for more points.
Sample dressage patterns
There will also be transitions to the medium walk and to the free walk. Most people feel comfortable that their gaited horse can go from a flat walk to a walk until it is requested for it to be precise in a specific location and accomplished in one stride while staying round. Thankfully this precision is not asked for in the beginning, some leeway is provided within an area to make these transitions of gait in the corner of the arena. Each level of advancement brings slightly harder challenges so your education with your horse can continue on for years. You may be able to imagine
22 NWHA National News | March 2026