New and Upcoming Courses
Intermediate Work in Hand CourseĀ
(This is a brand new never offered before course)
Starts August 23, 2024
This is a 10-week online course for riders who want to develop their work-in-hand from beyond the basics into the lateral movements and half-steps as development towards the piaffe.
Perfect for riders who are passionate about exploring classical technique to train their horse yet donāt have a trainer to work with who can show them how to do this work or have tried to figure it out on their own but found it to be a mystery or encountered difficulties they didnāt know how to resolve.
This course includes:
ā Theory lessons with video demonstrations
āĀ Practical exercises for you and your horse so you can implement the new learning in your training
āĀ 5 live hot seat sessions - so you can get feedback on your training
āĀ 6 live Q&A Sessions where you can get your questions answered
āĀ Facebook Community for ongoing support and feedback. Check-in withĀ videos and questions at anytimeĀ
Rising Trot Mastery
8-week Guided Program
CourseĀ Starts August 16 2024
A Powerful, 8-week Trifecta Experience toĀ FIXĀ all your Rising Trot woes and miraculously, almostĀ magically, transform your rising trot from embarrassing and clumsy toĀ elegant,Ā refined, and EFFECTIVE.
6-module course taught by Dressage Trainer, Dr. Thomas Ritter, and Feldenkrais Practitioners, Catherine McCrum and Charlotte Zetterberg.Ā
Weekly theory lessons covering the what, why, and how of each problem so that you understand the foundation of each issue.
Weekly imagery lessons you can put to use whether you are riding regularly or unable to ride at all.Ā
Weekly Feldenkrais lessons you can do OFF the horse and reap the benefits while ON the horse.
š“ 6 Rising Trot Theory Segments
š“Ā 6 Seat Imagery lessons
š“Ā 6 Feldenkrais lessons
š“Ā 5 Live Q&A sessions
š“Ā 9 weeks of continued support and feedback
š“Ā Lifetime access to the Facebook Community
š“Ā Lifetime access
*Hot Seat Video Coaching add-on is available in the checkout
2024Ā Total Canter Transformation Course
August 2, 2024- January 23, 2025
A Step-by-Step process that takes you (with your horse)Ā from āOMG, no,Ā please, NOT the canter!ā to āYes, thank you, my horse does have an AMAZING canterā
This 18-week Total Canter Transformation ProgramĀ Ā Ā Ā
Includes:
Ā Ā āļø Pre-Canter Preparation
Ā Ā āļø Main Canter Development Program
Ā Ā āļø The Counter-Canter finishing course
š“ Guided, Proven Process
š“ Gymnastic Exercises for the Horse
š“ Classical Training, Biomechanics-based principles
š“ Canter Course Completion CertificateĀ Ā Ā Ā (Value priceless!)
š“ Lifetime access to the 2024 course material
š“ "Mobility for All" Feldenkrais Lessons for your seat
š“ Rider Imagery Lessons to help develop your seat further
š“ Curated weekly yoga lessons to help your seat even more
š“ Instructional and Demonstration VideosĀ
š“ Feedback on your videos all the way through
š“ Support & Feedback from Thomas Ritter and the team of Ritter teachers
š“ ALL your questions answered along the way (even questions not related to the canter) in ourĀ Office hours Q&A coaching program
š“ The Amazing Canter Transformation Course community
Young Horse Training Course (beta)
This is a brand new, never-before-offered course.
Course Begins July 15, 2024
This 4-month course with Thomas Ritter will guide you through the entire process of the Gymnastic Training of the Younger and Lower Level Horse.
This is an exercise-based course to develop the gymnastic development of the younger/lower-level horse.
With simpler arena patterns and without the advanced movementsĀ often featuredĀ in our other courses.
It is designed for any relatively green horse that has been ridden off the longe line on a 20m circle and around the whole school for a few weeks.
It goes without saying that working on the basics is always beneficial for horsesĀ who are further on in the training too.
Includes simple work-in-hand exercises to improve the horseās understanding of rein aids, transitions, and sidestepping.
š“Ā More than 50 exercises
š“Ā Adaptable to any level of training
š“Ā Most of the exercises can be ridden in all three gaits
This course will be complete with Q&As and all the bells and whistles you expect from a Ritter Course.
As a beta course member, your input and questions will be integrated into the creation of the course. This way we make sure we create the most complete course on the topic as is possible AND you can be confident that you will get what YOU need out of this course!
The Ritterize Membership
The Ritterize Membership
(previouslyĀ EOTM)Ā
Infuse your Training with Ritterize - your monthly infusion of Ritter Learning. Click on the button to learn more.
SeptemberĀ 2024:
Warming up the horse
Warming up the horse
Top in the mind and heart of many Dressage riders right now are questions around the ethics of Dressage training. What does it mean to be ethical in the training of the horse and what should this look like? And what about the rider? How should students be treated? These are topics very central to our ethos here at Ritter Dressage, so we are going to bring it for discussion this month inside of our Ritterize Membership. Bring your wine or whatever beverage you most enjoy, and letās have a discussion together about this.Ā
Also this month in Ritterize, we will be holding a Masterclass on āWarming up the Horseā. What should your objective be in the warm-up? How does warm-up change in the course of training the horse? What do you need to make sure you accomplish during your warm-up to best prepare your horse for the rest of the training session? How can you customize the warm-up for your horseās individual needs and character? Bring your notebook and questions because Thomas will explore all the facets, strategies, and his preferred practices of warm-up for horses.Ā
The featured riding exercise this month is called, āEgg Cup.ā It is one of Thomasā favorite exercises to use for warming up the horse because it creates calm, quiet focus in the horse while suppling the shoulders and hips. This is a great warmup exercise that you can ride at the walk, and you can do a version of it in hand as well. We hope you love it as much as we do!Ā
Catherine has selected a Feldenkrais lesson this month called, āFinding the Feet,ā which is a really nice companion to the theme for this month, as well as the featured exercise of this month. In our quest for mobile stability, we explore how even the pads of the toes can be tiny bases of support. Itās fun to do this on one side only, then stand up and feel the amazing supportive springiness you can get from this short session. Of course you can follow immediately with the second side. Just one thing... watch out for overdoing it in this session as you may end up with cramps in your feet!
As always, we will wrap up the month with a Members-only Hot Seat session for the āEgg Cupā riding exercise. This is a live session where Thomas will choose several member-submitted videos to to provide feedback, tips, and suggestions for improvement. You can submit footage riding the exercise, or doing it in work-in-hand. 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.Ā
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
ā Improve your relationship with your horse
ā Easily teach new movements to your horse
ā 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...
āļø RecordingsĀ of allĀ theĀ Challenge trainings and Q&AsĀ
āļøĀ PDF copies of the slides and horse exercises
āļø All recordingsĀ downloadable
āļøĀ Lifetime access
So that you can...
ā
Ā UNDERSTAND the problem with crookedness, and the attributes of straightness and balance
ā
Ā learn an exercise you can use with your horse to identify your horse's stiff and hollow side
ā
Ā UNDERSTAND how the rider can contribute to the horse's crookedness
ā
Ā learn an exercise you can use to diagnose your own crookedness
ā
Ā UNDERSTAND how dressage training can be used to straighten the horse
ā
Ā learn an exercise you can use to help straighten your horse
ā
Ā UNDERSTAND the basis of a Straightness based method of training.Ā TrainingĀ that is better for your horse's health and better for your dressage.
All of this for only ā¬27.
The Canter Blueprint Training Recordings
Learn more about the biomechanics of the canter and create a targeted training plan for your horse.Ā
This training is all about the canter and the pre-requisites for a quality canter.
It will help you understand:-
ā the training principles on which the canter is built
ā identify the KEY areas your horse needs to improveĀ
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.
GetĀ lifetime, fully downloadable access toĀ theĀ training, plus the recordings from the Q&As we held each day for VIP members.
All of this for only ā¬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...
āļøAll the recordings to theĀ Challenge trainings and Q&AsĀ
āļøĀ PDF copies of the slides and horse exercises
āļø All recordingsĀ downloadable
āļøĀ Lifetime access
The Challenge Proposition...
Anyone can train their horse to do simple and flying changes.Ā Anyone.
ā That means you donāt have to be a professional trainer.
ā You just need to know the pathway.
Ā š 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 ā¬97 = ā¬388Ā
Today's Price = ā¬297 (other currencies available)
FeldenFit 1Ā 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.
FeldenFit2Ā 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 3Ā 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 4Ā - The Freedom Series!Ā This fourth set of 30 days of daily 5-15 minute FeldenFit lessons.Ā Designed specifically for riders the lessons in this programme are focussed on creating freedom in the saddle.Ā In freeing our bodies from the constraints of poor posture, unconscious muscular tension, disturbances in breathing and poor co-ordinationĀ we as riders, achieve the ultimate freedomĀ to feel and be truly capableĀ
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-ordinationĀ we as riders, achieve the ultimate freedom to feel and be truly capableĀ
"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.
