Free learning opportunity...
Free 3 Day WorkshopÂ
Gymnastic Development of the Dressage Horse
The Gymnastic Development approach to Dressage Training focuses on developing the horse’s physical and mental capabilities by systematically improving balance, suppleness, straightness, and collection through thoughtfully prepared exercises. Rooted in classical principles and tailored to the horse’s individual needs, the training uses natural, gymnastic movements to strengthen and supple the horse while refining rein contact and engaging the hindquarters. Each exercise builds on the previous, addressing specific challenges and enhancing overall athleticism of the horse. This thoughtful, nature-based approach ensures that dressage movements retain their purpose and beauty, promoting the horse’s soundness, vitality, happiness, and long-term well-being. Â
In this 3-day Workshop, we applied this gymnastic approach to the three primary challenges that the horse/rider pair tend to face as the training progresses beyond the elementary stage and into more intermediate work:
- Introducing and effectively working with Lateral Movement such as Shoulder-in and Haunches-in
- Developing the horse’s energy and pushing power for Lengthenings and correct Medium gaits
- Using the Counter Canter with tact to improve the straightness and quality of the horse’s canter.
New and Upcoming Courses
The What, Why, How Online CourseÂ
Training in partnership |Â through our comprehensive, biomechanically based approach to classical dressage
We have been teaching the What, Why, How Course for six years.
This course gets results! Not from any quick fixes, but through thoughtful progressive training which treats your horse as an individual.Â
WIth the What, Why, How method many, many riders have been able to realize their dreams of riding in a way that aligns with their values of respect, harmony, classical principles, the well-being of the horse, and relationship/connection.
This comprehensive online course addresses both the horse and rider. The programme includes:-
- Biomechanics-based theoretical instruction grounded in classical principles and tradition. Explaining the interplay between the horse's mind, body, and the dressage training.
- Gymnastic strategy and exercises designed to develop the horse systematically with building blocks of skill development. Learn how to immediately apply the theoretical lessons into your riding.
- Instructional and demonstration videos. Understand it and see it before you try to ride it with your horse
- Seat and mindset training for the rider. Feldenkrais lessons, seat and aids development, and trainings designed to develop the WAY you think, not just WHAT you think.
- Full and total guidance, support, and help every step of the way. You don't have to do this alone.
As with all our courses, you'll get lifetime access to the course materials because we know that horses don't follow a timeline!
Ready to transform your riding? Choose between our Level 2 program (starting January 3, 2025) or the complete 4 level training experience. You can begin your journey today.
The Ritterize Membership
The Ritterize Membership
(previously EOTM)Â
Infuse your Training with Ritterize - your monthly infusion of Ritter Learning. Click on the button to learn more.
December 2024:
Collection
Collection
This month in Ritterize we are celebrating the completion of a year and a cycle. Here in Portugal (where we live) it isn’t looking a lot like Christmas, but this month is sure shaping up to be something that “Smells like Christmas Spirit” and we sure hope you will be joining us!
With that in mind, we will be finishing up the year with a Masterclass training on Collection, taught by Dr. Thomas Ritter. Collection is essentially synonymous with flexion of the haunches. Acting as coil springs, the joints of the hind legs fold to absorb the shift of weight and energy, which can then be released into movement, resulting in springy, elastic gaits. Correctly trained collection also serves to keep the horse sound and makes the horse more comfortable to sit.Â
The beauty of collection is that it is the culmination of potential movement and movement potential. It contains within it the possibility to move quickly and effortlessly in any direction, and it allows the horse to reach his full movement potential.
In addition to this, we will hold our annual end-of-year celebration and Holiday Party. Members join us! You will be invited to share their triumphs, discoveries, and celebrations from 2024. Holiday beverages and Christmas cheer (as well as Christmas hats and sweaters) optional… but highly recommended!Â
The featured riding exercise this month is called “Frosty”. It is an exercise designed to build collection, but it is also a really FUN exercise to ride. A bit advanced, but we will also show you how to simplify it for the less-advanced horse. And even if you don’t have a corncob pipe or a button nose (or two eyes made out of coal), this exercise will make you a jolly happy soul. There must be some magic in this exercise because it will bring you and your horse to life!
Catherine has selected a Feldenkrais lesson this month called, “Finding Your Back (on all 4’s)”. What would it feel like to move as a connected whole, to understand the relationship of your head and neck, to your chest and pelvis by way of your spine? And how every small movement you make with your head and eyes affects your balance over your feet? In this session we go down on all 4's to explore these relationships. Of course we are two-legged creatures and we have a great deal of freedom in our spines because we are not supporting our weight on our hands. We also have collarbones whereas your horse has a thoracic sling to support the chest in relationship to the front legs. However I think the movements in this session will give you a feel for how every part of you (and your horse) is involved in every small weight shift forward, backwards, upwards and downwards and side to side.
As always, we will wrap up the month with a Members-only Hot Seat session for the Exercise of the Month. This is a live session where Thomas will choose several member-submitted videos to to provide feedback, tips, and suggestions for improvement. Even if your video is not selected to be featured or you choose not to submit footage, you are sure to come away with tips and pointers from this session which you can put to use in your own riding right away.Â
Join us and try this month’s exercise “Frosty” before it all melts away.
Self-Study Courses
A Course About Straightness with Ritter Dressage
Achieve Straightness as a horse-rider unit and see the benefits in everything you do in your riding!
The Straightness Course is THE course to answer all your crookedness woes!
This is a course about achieving Straightness as a horse-rider unit. This is THE course to learn the fundamental biomechanics of straightness (and its opposite, crookedness) and how it impacts everything else you do in your riding.
The Introduction to Work in Hand Course
âś” Improve your relationship with your horse
âś” Easily teach new movements to your horse
âś” Improve your horse's balance, suppleness, coordination and body-awareness
"Hands-down” the very best way to introduce your horse to the work in hand.
Learn how to do simple transitions and exercises with your horse with coordination, communication, and confidence.
Get lifetime, fully downloadable access to the training,
The Better Dressage Through Straightness Challenge Recordings
You will get...
✔️ Recordings of all the Challenge trainings and Q&AsÂ
✔️ PDF copies of the slides and horse exercises
✔️ All recordings downloadable
✔️ Lifetime access
So that you can...
âś…Â UNDERSTAND the problem with crookedness, and the attributes of straightness and balance
âś…Â learn an exercise you can use with your horse to identify your horse's stiff and hollow side
âś…Â UNDERSTAND how the rider can contribute to the horse's crookedness
âś…Â learn an exercise you can use to diagnose your own crookedness
âś…Â UNDERSTAND how dressage training can be used to straighten the horse
âś…Â learn an exercise you can use to help straighten your horse
✅ UNDERSTAND the basis of a Straightness based method of training. Training that is better for your horse's health and better for your dressage.
All of this for only €27.
The Canter Blueprint Training Recordings
Learn more about the biomechanics of the canter and create a targeted training plan for your horse.Â
This training is all about the canter and the pre-requisites for a quality canter.
It will help you understand:-
âś” the training principles on which the canter is built
âś” identify the KEY areas your horse needs to improveÂ
So you can prioritize your training work and plan HOW you will approach your training from here on out so that you can HELP your horse to canter at his best.
Get lifetime, fully downloadable access to the training, plus the recordings from the Q&As we held each day for VIP members.
All of this for only €37.
The Path to Simple and Flying Changes Challenge Recordings
Learn how to train and develop your horse so that the changes become the most logical, easy thing to do.
You will get...
✔️All the recordings to the Challenge trainings and Q&AsÂ
✔️ PDF copies of the slides and horse exercises
✔️ All recordings downloadable
✔️ Lifetime access
The Challenge Proposition...
Anyone can train their horse to do simple and flying changes. Anyone.
❌ That means you don’t have to be a professional trainer.
âś… You just need to know the pathway.
 👉 We show you how to do that.
Feldenkrais Courses for Riders
FeldenFit 4-Pack (BEST DEAL!):
***Scroll down the page to purchase FeldenFit 1-4 individually***
Purchase all 4 FeldenFit Programmes and get a discount!
4 x €97 = €388Â
Today's Price = €297 (other currencies available)
FeldenFit 1Â is the original FeldenFit program with Catherine McCrum with 30 days of daily 7-15 minute lessons. Catherine uses her knowledge as a Feldenkrais teacher and blends this with her background in sport and fitness to make a flowing sequence of exercises that enhance co-ordination, agility, suppleness and effortless power.
FeldenFit2Â is the follow-up program to the original FeldenFit program. Join us and Catherine McCrum for 30 more days of daily 7-15 minute lessons. Catherine uses her knowledge as a Feldenkrais teacher and blends this with her background in sport and fitness to make a flowing sequence of exercises that enhance co-ordination, agility, suppleness and effortless power.
FeldenFit 3Â is a series of 30 lessons that specifically address how to take your riding to the next level. Lessons and imagery that improve your foundation and support from the ground up, movements that free your head, neck and eyes from long-held patterns of muscular contractions, experiencing how ribs that are springy and supple impact the independence of your legs and hip joints. Clarifying the wave like oscillations of the pelvis, spine and head that make riding the more dynamic gaits smooth beyond imagination. And finally 4 specific lessons to do in the saddle, or in the barn before you get on. This is truly the rider's series!
FeldenFit 4 - The Freedom Series! This fourth set of 30 days of daily 5-15 minute FeldenFit lessons. Designed specifically for riders the lessons in this programme are focussed on creating freedom in the saddle. In freeing our bodies from the constraints of poor posture, unconscious muscular tension, disturbances in breathing and poor co-ordination we as riders, achieve the ultimate freedom to feel and be truly capableÂ
FeldenFit 1
The original FeldenFit program with Catherine McCrum with 30 days of daily 7-15 minute lessons. Catherine has created a flowing sequence of exercises that enhance co-ordination, agility, suppleness and effortless power.
FeldenFit 2
FeldenFit2 is the follow-up program to the original FeldenFit program. We take a deep dive into the key concepts that we introduced in our first programme and we added the requests of the course members.
FeldenFit 3
Riders will love these sessions that clarify support from the ground up. When your feet, ankles and lower legs are well-organised, you can access the potential for both mobility and stability in your centre.
FeldenFit 4
The lessons in this programme are focussed on creating freedom in the saddle.
In freeing our bodies from the constraints of poor posture, unconscious muscular tension, disturbances in breathing and poor co-ordination we as riders, achieve the ultimate freedom to feel and be truly capableÂ
"How Can Feldenkrais Help Riders?"
A 7 day Free Challenge.
Together with Feldenkrais Practitioner, Catherine McCrum, we have put together a set of off-the-horse lessons that you can use to improve your coordination, balance, suppleness, and feel. In this challenge, you will do one Feldenkrais lesson per day. These lessons are pre-recorded so regardless of timezone or location in the world, you can do it on YOUR schedule and terms. Then, once you have completed the lesson, meet us in the Facebook group for a discussion about the lesson.
The Aware Rider Program
Parts 1 and 2. Feldenkrais with Catherine McCrum, fused with Dressage with Shana and Thomas Ritter.
What is the Aware Rider Exploration About?
How can we improve how we move ultimately with the aim of having a better relationship with our horses: One in which we can listen to ourselves as well as listen to them in such a way that they hear what we're saying. This is a conversation about the conversation we have with our horses.
