What online training site do you find the most useful to train your horse ? I am enjoying your riding success. Any others that you would recommend ?
Well, I donât think anything can replace IRL training. And Iâd stay clear of sites that overpromise and say they can get you from beginner to grand Prix fun, fast and easy.
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As an Aussie, I canât stand the woman on YourRidingSuccess. Her information is good, and solid, and actually very correct, doubtless, but Iâve heard through the professionals network that sheâs very hard on those big Frisian stallions. Like âwhippy whacky u piaffe NOWâ hard.
Online can be dodgy. Whatâs better Iâve found is really robust and credited DVD series. Isabelle Werthâs is great - and Aussie GP rider and Chef dâequipe for the xc team. Brett Parberyâs Professionals Series - how to ride each test from Prelim to PSG is really good. These I think are available through amazon?
My dressage riding academic pal KT has coughed up for Mary Wanlessâs online program - dressage training online. And sheâs enjoying it. She was in the UK last autumn and took a couple of âliveâ lessons with MW and her 2IC.
But Iâm interested myself, and keen to see what others have found useful.
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The way she introduces herself as a âgrand prix dressage rider from Australiaâ and then spends the whole video being condescending or complaining about comments turns me off.
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Exackerly!
Curious myself, Iâve found out that dressagetrainingonline is now
https://video.dressagetodayonline.com/
You have to subscribe, with the same over 1700 videos. And a new FB site.https://www.facebook.com/dressagetraining/
And thereâs a thread about online sites over at Horse and Hound with lots of ideas and suggestions. ddx
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Thanks thatâs really helpful. I find I learn and understand much better by watching someone ride and them explain what they are doing ! rather than have a lesson and have someone tell me from the ground. Thank goodness for the internet !!! Iâll check out those sites.
I second doctordarlings recommendations for those DVD training series. I also dont really recomend the yourridingsuccess online. Overall the information is good but is drip fed to you, and because the programs content is so drawn out over the 6 month modules it becomes a very expensive way to obtain the amount of information you receive during that time. I felt that i benefited more from books & dvds eg Ingrid Klimke series and also youtube which has allot of free content.
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Somebodyâs gotta pay for her new glass indoor, office building, and brass stall frontsâŠ
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It depends what your goals are but you cannot truly advance in your riding by not confronting your skills and understanding to more advanced riders.
Problems with books and videos : what you understand might be totally wrong or might not apply to your horseâs needs. or you might not apply the techniques correctly.
I remember a lady at a friendâs barn who was following one of the old French masterâs training plan⊠Like 5minutes this and that and all the right exercices⊠It sounded perfect on paper.
And then I saw it in action⊠Yeah. I doubt the French master had that in mind. Everything was there but a real understanding. She had fun and since there was no harm, no one cared saying anything. Anyway.
There is a reason why even the best riders in the world have trainers and helpers on the ground.
Having your trainer ride your horse a few times, riding schoolmasters or more advanced horses, auditing and participating in clinics where you can ask questions too are good learning options.
I also think there are trainers who can evaluate and comments ride on videos. So you donât have the cost of travelling or bringing them in; just the lesson.
That could be a good option.
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Ritter Dressage is fantastic. They do a lot for free and have courses that are well worth the money. They are mainly on FB under Ritter Dressage and Artistic Dressage. I am doing their Flying Change course right now and participated in others.
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Thanks for the suggestions. Thatâs great! I have been riding for some 35 years however dressage has never been my strong point. Iâve had numerous lessons over the years, spent a fortune! and not really progressed. My lessons would be along the lines of⊠trainer yelling more leg, outside rein, look over there, leg, hand, look up, leg, hand, do a circle at AâŠmost of my lessons kind of like this. Only in recent years have I truly understood what inside leg to outside rein means, importance of straightness, half halt, forward and rythym and how to get a horse correctly on the bit. The clarity i have gainned on those basics has been from online just watching riders explain what they are doing. This has helped immensely.
Coming out of lurkdom to defend the riding success/dressage mastery program. While I donât think it replaces a GOOD instructor on the ground I have been a member for almost a year now and have learned an amazing amount from it. For less then the cost of a lesson I get several hours of video a month, and good quality manuals to keep me in track. I cant afford to be in full training but I do like the structure it gives me. Most of Natashaâs videos are both positive and no nonsense, which I appreciate. Different strokes for different folks I guess
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Yes me too, I have found Natashaâs explanation of the basics outstanding ! Particulary inside leg to outside rein, straightness, contact, forward etc. She was the first online person that really transformed my riding. Iâve struggled along for many years prior with so many lessons and my riding no better! I followed art2ride also but found the lack of contact created other issues, although took away from it teaching a horse to relax and stretch down has its merits.
I just really donât see it. Sheâll be saying one thing but then the horse is doing another.
A lot of these things have their method of dressage, but honestly, one of the best things Iâve been using lately is free. Joseph Newcomb, who is an assistant trainer to Steffen Peters at Arroyo Del Mar, has a really great youtube channel showing groundwork, translating groundwork to riding, and examples of how to school through some common young horse issues. He doesnât take himself too seriously and in fact today his video was about how he needs to work on how he sits because itâs not right. His sister, Amelia, has a youtube channel where she goes through tests, how to school more advanced movements, shares lengthy videos of her lessons with upper level riders, etc.
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Check out dressagepro.com. Itâs pricey, but several very credible pros in my areanrecommend it to supplement real lessons.
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I like watching her Youtube videos. Short succinct lessons on a specific issue. I have listened to a bunch of hers which has been nice to go over after a lesson.
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I found her videos to be helpful back when I had a terrible instructor and didnât really know what I was doing (heck, I was showing her videos to my crappy trainer and SHE was learning from themâŠ), but she changed her program a lot since then and her videos have been less informative and more advertising for her paid services.
It bums me out to hear that she is harsh to her big guys. I know everyone says this about something, but seriously - friesians as a breed are such good citizens. If sheâs hurting them, that just makes me sad.
OP - if you are looking to watch and learn, I strongly suggest finding a reputable local trainer who will allow you to audit lessons. The nice thing about that is that you are able to get a view that will always be clearer than any video, plus you can ask questions as they come up. Most good trainers will let you come and audit lessons.
I think the problem with online learning is that you just canât get a full picture, no matter what materials or info is provided, there is always that crucial something that is missing.
I just watched a few of Joseph Newcombâs videos and I quite like them. Great suggestion and resource. Especially because I have a young horse and I have been focusing on ground work translating to riding. I am at the mid point of teaching piaffe in hand and his video series on that was was practical and straight forward in my opinion. Iâm very interested in checking out more when I have time.
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I think the videos are good to compliment your training program. Dressage Today channel on YouTube has awesome short clips with tidbits. I was actually watching the playlist for baby dressage horses last night and took away some new goodies.
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