My new favorite quote....

From USDF Connection, March 2009 editorial, by Jennifer Bryant:

About her new horse:

“Faira is the horse of my heart. Every day is a gift. I have no ambitions for her, which is to say I want to do everything and nothing. I will let her tell me what she is ready to do. I have waited for this horse all my life, so why not enjoy every day and see where the journey takes us?”

:slight_smile:

Signs on dressage show office:

“Unsupervised children will be given a shot of espresso and a free kitten”

“If you are rude, annoying, or pushy there will be a ten dollar fee for dealing with you”

“PLEASE don’t feed fingers to horses”


“Dressage: You’re always stumbling towards grace.”

“When your horse has reached his potential, leave it. It’s such a nice feeling when you and your horse are still friends.” -Reiner Klimke

And this one I made in to the design http://www.cafepress.com/dressageart.359625623 (actually inspired by this thread to create something):

“Dressage [dress-ahzh] Noun. The passionate pursuit of perfection by the obsessively imperfect.”

I heard a lovely poem on NPR a while back, on Garrison Keillor’s program “The Writer’s Almanac.” Can’t remember the author, but it gave me my mantra regarding all the naughty horses I seem to accumulate: “Keep a leg on each side, and your mind in the middle.” :slight_smile:

I remember coming across an old issue, 70’s, of some dressage mag that had an article about a gal who had the opportunity to train with Herbert Rehbein for three weeks.
After training with him for those three weeks she rode her last ride that day thinking how far she had come from riding with such a master, and then he came in the ring riding and her heart sank. She knew she would never be as good as Herbert Rehbein and made a comment to him expressing this feeling. His quote" My dear, it takes two lifetimes to learn how to ride correctly". As depressing as it may seem when I think of it, it puts it in perspective.

I once got asked by passersby on a trailride:

“Do you have to take his bridle out when he’s chewing his cud?”

My favorite was something so simple that a clinician said over and over again - and I can’t remember if I saw this in person, or watched a video. I’m sure someone else will be able to recall who said this, about giving forward with the inside rein: “Make him an offer!”

I don’t know who said it first but one of my all time favourites, especially for green horses, and it is just a great theme for training young horses:

“Set him up to succeed”

Attributed to Bengt Lundquist:

“Just remember, no matter what you are doing with your horse, it would rather be eating grass.”

[QUOTE=spotted mustang;4366085]
I once got asked by passersby on a trailride:

“Do you have to take his bridle out when he’s chewing his cud?”[/QUOTE]

Thanks, I almost choked on my water over that one! :smiley:

From the 2003 Dressage Symposium with Kyra Kyrklund - she got on a horse that had been very naughty with his rider - and as she rode him bucking in canter across the diagonal, she just sat solid, drove him forward and said (may be slightly paraphrased):

“There is no need to punish your horse. To make your horse go forward is enough.”

Thought that was priceless and have used it as a personal mantra since - works wonders.

“The man at the top of the mountain didn’t fall there” My teacher at farrier school always said that too encourage us to work hard. It worked well. :cool:

To a frustrated rider dealing with a horse who just didn’t seem to want to co operate… “It may not be your fault, but it is your problem…”
Mette Rozencrantz

NJR

Said by a WELL-KNOWN clinician who shall remain nameless to protect the not-so-innocent, to a local who thought they were ALL THAT and a bag of chips.

“You have a lovely horse. Too bad you ride like a monkey.”

NJR

I’m paraphrasing and if someone knows the source of this quote PM me. It’s by Reiner Klimke re: draw reins. " Some may have hands good enough to use them but as for me, I do not." Love that.

I need to print all of these off and paste them to my bathroom mirror.

[QUOTE=BaroquePony;3476090]
I like to just hang onto the mane, it takes all of the complexity out of it.[/QUOTE] :lol:

German Trainer instructs: Teeeets up!

Same trainer: Now fix it, but without me being able to see it!
Your leg needs to go back. BACKER!

International Judge on the problematic/overly dramatic TB: Give him just one request at a time. Then let him think about it. AND: Talk to him, he likes that!