The Academic Art of Riding Blog from Poland
You know you live in Poland when you’re calling five degrees Celsius warm… With the weather turning colder again, I want to share some pictures I took last week on a sunny, warm January day. We’re having a mild winter this year, more rain… Continue Reading “Warm Days in January (Stable Zen 4)”
When I cleaned one of the paddocks yesterday, my horse stood some 20 meters behind me and snoozed. Suddenly, something poked my right shoulder. I turned to the right and didn’t see anything. I looked to the left, and there stood Nazir. Not only… Continue Reading “Do Horses Have a Sense of Humour?”
Stretching forward-down is probably one of the easiest and yet most useful exercises in horse training. The little exercise produces great results and can provide a good starting point for a human-equine relationship based on mutual trust, politeness, and cooperation. Most of us have… Continue Reading “Stretching Forward-Down: A Little Exercise with Big Effects”
The time between Christmas and New Year has always been a special time for me. The old year is not quite over and the new year hasn’t begun yet. It’s a sort of ‘in between’. As every year, I use these still, almost magical… Continue Reading “In Between the Years. Where Do I Go From Here?”
Before Christmas I had my first training day with Marius Schneider, a licensed Bent Branderup Trainer in the Academic Art of Riding. My short summary: just WOW. So far I’ve been studying the Academic Art of Riding from books and online video courses, but of… Continue Reading “Close Your Eyes and Feel: Training Day with Marius Schneider”
Do you know the feeling when suddenly something changed in the relationship between you and your horse for the better and it’s hard to put into words? I’m just beginning to realize how much the last three months have changed things between me and Nazir.… Continue Reading “Letting Go (Stable Zen Part 3)”
A few days ago, it was another beautiful autumn day. Nazir dozed in his mini-paddock when I arrived at the stable. The air was warm and the smell of dried leaves and earth made you suck in every sun ray with the knowledge that… Continue Reading “Stable Zen Part 2: Being Useful”
It’s a girl’s Sunday at the stable again! I love that me and Karolina seem to have a habit of driving out to the stable at the weekends. I wanted to post these photos already for three weeks, but you know how it is. With the… Continue Reading “Girl’s Sunday at the Stable, Part 2”
A few months ago I decided to turn my back on modern sports riding and educate my horse according to the principles of classic dressage. My decision came when I saw myself on video. I always thought that I had a soft hand, that… Continue Reading “Re-Educating a Horse (when you’re not a pro…)”