The Academic Art of Riding Blog from Poland
When we talk about “lightness” we refer to the horse’s body, to the level of intensity with which we would like to give aids. Softness, however, refers to the horse’s mind. The horse can be light on the aids and yet not be fully… Continue Reading “Lightness vs. Softness”
There is a lot of talk about RESPECT in the horse world. Mainly, that the horse needs to respect the human. For many, respect is the magic ingredient that makes everything else possible. If you have the horse’s respect, then communication and training comes… Continue Reading “Thoughts about Respect and Horse Training”
My horse Nazir has a girl friend. Ever since Walia, a beautiful brown mare, has joined the group of horses in the paddock paradise in May, she and Nazir are inseparable. They do everything together: grazing very close to each other, exploring the forest,… Continue Reading “Must Be Love”
About two months ago, I started to notice that something was different in my training with Weto. At first I didn’t know what it was, only that I stopped every training session with a grin on my face. Then one day on the way… Continue Reading “When a horse decides to give you his best”
Spring is coming to Warsaw, finally! I grew up in the south west of Germany where winters are very short and mild, so the winter in Warsaw, even if it’s a relatively warm one like this year, feels like an eternity of frost to… Continue Reading “Springtime!”
The horse has to work is a sentence I seem to come across frequently, on Facebook just as much as in life. What is the actual meaning behind this sentence? Let’s have a look in which context(s) riders and trainers use The horse… Continue Reading ““The horse has to work!””
Want to develop a balanced seat? Here are eight ways of how to do it: Not iron knees but a good balance keeps the rider on the horse. (François Robichon de la Guérinière (1688-1751)) Ride bareback or with a saddle pad It… Continue Reading “8 Simple Ways to Improve Your Seat”
This year, I’ve met two of the greatest contemporary classical riders in Europe, Bent Branderup and Marius Schneider. I have started my journey in the academic riding, a journey, which also confronted me with a darker side of myself. With my impatience, ambition, and… Continue Reading “My Horse, My Touch-Stone”
Since ten days I am an intern, again. This time at Marius Schneider’s stable “Gestüt Moorhof” in Germany. Three words: I love it! Stable work is stable work, where ever you do it, and, of course, I would rather stay in bed when my alarm… Continue Reading “The First Ten Days: Dreams Come True”
In a few days I will start another internship, this time at Marius Schneider’s place Gestüt Moorhof in Germany. It all happened very fast! Last days, I thought a lot about how to continue, how to learn more, how to gain enough knowledge and… Continue Reading “Another Horse Adventure. Off to Marius Schneider!”