I spent 2 days scribing for a WE judge. She did not seem to emphasize “bend” for the sake of bend, just for functional performance of movement. As I said in my earlier post…bend is required as needed for the movement.
Here is a link to the USAWE dressage tests…they are in English, so we can see what is required.
Microsoft Word - App A cover.docx (usawe.org)
I agree that Stacy Westfall is a great rider and has a lot to teach.
I grew up riding western, taught my horse some reining moves, and still find it very easy to transition from English to Western.
Horses like to turn off the seat and neck rein onc they get it. Leverage bits do work best for neck reining.
You have to be much less handsy. If you (g) are the kind of dressage rider that rides on strong contact and tries to micromanage everything it will be a learning curve.
I suggest continuing to look for trainers that are interested in true “classical” riding. It was considered the epitome of training to ride one-handed. Here is a video trailer for someone selling a DVD on Baroque riding. The video cuts back and forth from riding to the engravings taken from classical training books of the time of manege riding.
You can see the bend with riding reins in one hand.
Here is a Bent Branderup video discussing how the seat is the principal aid and the rest (hands and legs) are secondary aids. At 3:05 he shows an excellent haunches in and shoulder-in with great bend riding one handed.
I’ve had these prints in my living room for years (still do, even though I just moved into a new house). Apologies for the reflections in the glass, I just took a couple of quick cell phone pics. But as you can see, these are French from the 16th century. Monsieur le Marquis is riding with one hand, a curb bit in the horse’s mouth in both illustrations. I think two hands and a Weymouth bridle are much newer additions to dressage (Pluvinel knows more about this stuff than I) and classical equitation would have been ridden like this. I’m loving this discussion. I think I’m going to incorporate one-handed exercises in my teaching going forward. I recall my coach, many decades ago, when teaching me canter pirouette said to get the collection required, then “neck rein him around while keeping your leg on.” It made so much sense to me. I will add that I agree with the folks who suggested a good reining trainer if your dressage folks are no educated in riding with one hand.
Mondo - Congrats on your collection. Your engravings are from the Duke of Newcastle’s book “A General System of Horsemanship” with Bolsover Castle in the background. Typically, the book was broken apart for the engravings and the engravings were hand colored.
I happen to have a collection of them. One of my favorites is the one I call “The Wall is Your Friend.”
Here is the book
Oh, thanks! I’m glad to know the actual provenance. “The Wall is Your Friend” 
is what I have on my Facebook page. It’s such a cool illustration.
One of the regrets of my life is not purchasing an early edition of “A General System…” when I had the opportunity. Sigh.
I’ve always found asking a learner rider to use only one hand is a very useful tool to improve their seat. It shifts their concentration away from the front of the horse (and the urge to hang on that tree-living primates generally have) and makes them consider their own balance and position in the saddle.
I rode my mare in her curb bit today and one-handed. She was so good. Probably the best she has been ‘on my seat’. To avoid another horse I asked for a small loop of counter-canter and it was the smoothest and most balanced CC she has ever given me. We also worked on downwards (canter to walk) and they were great. What a fun ride. I would say…practice. This was probably my 20th ride in this bridle and I can tell that things are coming together!
Susan
I’m interested to know how people ride one-handed without a curb bit. All the classical riders also seem to use curb bits.
I went for a hack yesterday on my guy and discussed this topic with my husband (who also rides horses). He said, as some have said here, that one-handed riding is just neck reining. I demonstrated to him that I can neck-rein my horse just fine, but the problem is that he is either straight or slightly counter-bent when I turn him like that. The part I don’t get is how to get the horse to look in the direction of travel without having an independent rein to be able to indicate that.
I’m in France so reining trainers don’t really exist here. I get lessons sometimes from a classical dressage lady who has talked about one-handed riding so I will have to pick her brain about it.
My only experience with one handed riding was in the Camargue with Florent Maini’s horses. It was great but yes, curb bit, very small spurs, and a lovely trained Barb horse.
That said, I have seen very nice dressage tests ridden in a “cordelette”…once the horse is trained to bend around your leg and work from your seat, he should be fine to ride in whatever “embouchure”…
This is why I recommended trying to find a reining trainer who is willing to work with you for a few lessons. In western neck reining, all of the turning and bending comes from your seat and legs. The outside rein just slightly touches the horse’s neck - your hand shouldn’t move more than an inch or so from the neutral position. On my horses, the inside bend comes from the weight on my inside seat bone and an opening inside leg that “invites” the horse to turn inwards. Hopefully that explanation makes sense.
One handed riding has little to do with a bit. I used to do bridleless demos with a string around the neck, riding one handed because you ride 95% off your body.
No, but France has mounted bullfighting in the south near the Camargue. Google the women rejoneadoras Marie Sara and Lea Vicens…maybe they will give you lessons.
The premier bullfighting stallion, Merlin was bred by the rejoneador Jacques Bonnier in France. Here is a link to help start your journey
https://www.torofiesta.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84&Itemid=28
Léa Vicens, torera à cheval
https://youtu.be/bqhlVmvFC-8
You have to get the correct bend from your seat and legs. I would work on some circles at walk with loose reins. Get him turning and bending correctly from your seat and legs without relying on the reins to do it. The reins are for refinement…not the initiation of the movement. Also, where is your focus? You should be looking where you want to go…not down at the horse. You can practice by picking a point and riding straight to that point that is using your focus and body to steer, not the reins. You can make small corrections but it an exercise for the horse to follow your weight and legs.
@fermecinqsens how are you doing with your search for trainers?
France would seem to be a great location to find instructors familiar with Academic Equitation. I am sure that some of the riders in these organizations do teaching or can refer you to instructors who can teach riding on-handed.
The ENE L’Ecole Nationale d’Equitation has training traditions that go back to the Baroque era
In Paris you have the Garde Republicaine who do the ridden tandem
Then you have Bartabas at the Royal Stables in Versailles
Here is Bartabas and his l’Académie Équestre de Versailles. He beat out Michel Henriquet to operate this spectacle out of the old royal stables. This is where the Olympic equestrian events will be held.
And how could I forget Alizée Froment and her competition horse Mistral du Coussoul doing a bareback, bitless ride after Mistral retired.
Here they are in competition at Hickstead
Late to the party here. I ride one-handed when I use a garrocha pole. I don’t know if there’s a specific way you have to hold the reins in WE, but I put multiple fingers between me reins and use those fingers to work the reins separately. My horse is used to bending on my regular seat and leg aids and he doesn’t seem to have a problem listening to them when I put the reins in one hand. I’d say try riding with a garrocha pole (not hard to make, or use a long long piece of bamboo if you can find it on the road side). Doing things like turn on the forehand or hind-end under it, switching if from being on the right or left side of the body at walk and trot, cantering 10-12m circles while the tip stays stationary or makes a small circle in the middle of the circle are really great exercises to figure out how to ride movements and figures with one hand. As well as playing with gates and fun WE-type exercises.
I would think you could find a coach that does WE.
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