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Discouraged about your Dressage?

Dressage is a REALLY HARD sport. It takes a long time to become even somewhat competent in the saddle where you are able to just balance and control your body. Then you have to figure out how to influence and effect your horse.

One of the hardest parts about Dressage is that you’re dealing with another living creature. In most other sports, you only have to worry about controlling your own body, your own movements and your own mind. In Dressage you are also dealing with a horse: a living, breathing, and thinking animal that has their own thoughts, opinions, physical ailments, and limitations.

It can be very discouraging when training Dressage to decipher the root of the issue. Are you not asking the horse in the right way? Are you blocking the horse with your aids? Is it uncomfortable (or impossible) for the horse physically? These are just a few of the questions that you have to consider…

Here are some tips to try when you’re feeling discouraged and want to give up:

Take a break and do something different: get out of the arena for a change, work on some cavaletti work, or give your horse the weekend off!

Take a lesson: Sometimes what you are feeling and what is actually happening are VERY different. Having a coach that can help you figure out strategies to solve your problem can be very helpful.

Watch some top riding: it can be very inspiring and comforting to watch the top riders in this sport. Even they have bad days and make mistakes.

Don’t forget your why! Why do we do this? Because we LOVE our horses and we LOVE the feeling of riding and the joy that they bring into our lives!!

Happy Riding!

Amelia

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR
A smiling woman wearing a helmet and riding gear stands beside a chestnut horse with a black bridle and white saddle pad, holding its reins outdoors in a sunlit, green setting.
Hey there.
I'm Amelia Newcomb
At Amelia Newcomb Dressage, I work to develop a trusting and confident relationship between horse and rider. I draw on theories from both natural horsemanship and classical dressage, creating a holistic training approach that adapts to the unique needs of each horse and rider.
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Rated 5 out of 5
I want to thank Amelia from the bottom of my heart for creating this group and learning module for us. I've followed your suggestions religiously even when it felt like we were hitting a wall at times. Finally, it all came through, all at once! I never thought I'd get a connection and have such light hands in the left lead canter, and yesterday we pulled off a 7 in left canter and an 8.5 in right canter in our WDAA Basic 1 test, with a total score of 67.3!
Amber Primm
Amber Primm
Holy Moly. I just learned that I earned 1st place at Training 1 with 5 entries in the class in a virtual show. I received a 65.00. Wow. This is starting to work. Thank you Amelia. Thank you supportive new friends. I encourage you all to try virtual shows. I have tried Greystone, Lower Puget Sound and Oregon. Very helpful for building confidence. I really support this idea. It works like this: you ride at home, send in your video, and then you receive your test with judge comments and your ribbon in the mail. See you all in Strides!!
Joanna Sachs
Joanna Sachs
We see and feel the difference!! Thank you Amelia for this difficult but very helpful program. Our #1 issue was giraffe head in transitions. Downward as well as up. Don't look at my position, I was giving everything to the aids for him to maintain roundness in the trans. Now it will be time to work on our position more!
Carol Anne Marano
Carol Anne Marano
I can't stop making progress, thanks to this awesome program. Today my horse and I could do the counter canter on both hands on the first attempt without our trainer.. Thank you so much for explaining my missing parts! I have to wait until tomorrow, 8 hours of time difference, to see who is the lucky one, but I think we are all lucky to join this incredible program!!
Sandra Künkel
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