RITTER DRESSAGE — NEW PROGRAMME WITH CATHERINE MCCRUM
Your hands can communicate to your horse the essence of what he needs to carry you and himself, with balance harmony and ease ...
A 16-week introductory course using the Feldenkrais Method with your horse. Deepen your understanding of how your horse moves, and learn to use your hands to listen, redirect, and improve that movement from the ground up.
HOW IT BEGAN!
The FeldenHorse origin story . . . from our very own Catherine McCrum
FeldenHorse started to come to life in the moment when I realised...
“When Thomas is talking about the aids of his legs, sitting bones, and the intelligent use of his hands on the reins, he is really describing a hands-on Feldenkrais Functional Integration lesson - except he is using his whole body rather than just his hands.”
— Catherine McCrum, Feldenkrais Practitioner
The moment Thomas’s words clicked, I wasn't in the saddle. I was standing beside my horse, QQ, with my hands on him, experimenting with what I'd just heard Thomas Ritter describe.
I listened to him describe where he applied his aids and what response he was feeling for. I started to trace out the same thing with my hands. Although I was on the ground not in the saddle, QQ responded exactly as Thomas had described.
Before that moment, it had never occurred to me that the skills I'd spent years developing as a Feldenkrais practitioner could become a way in to teaching my horse the co-ordination that forms the foundation of classical dressage movements (and Thomas’s ridden exercises).
Yet suddenly, on that day, Thomas’s framework for training wasn't theory anymore - I could feel it emerging under my hands.
Let me back up a little though and tell you a bit more about how I got to this point...
and how hands on work enabled me to bridge the gap between knowing and doing
I'd returned to horses after many years away and quickly found myself in trouble after taking on my horse QQ who was unbalanced, did not particularly enjoy being ridden and was utterly adept at blocking any attempt I made to change this.
After a series of frustrating experiences with instructors, I connected with Thomas and Shana Ritter I appreciated their intelligent, sympathetic horse training approach.
And they loved what I could offer as a Feldenkrais Practitioner and movement teacher.
I started to support their students with their seat, and through The Aware Rider programme, and through their teaching and generous support, I made huge gains in my understanding of the What, Why, and How of training my horse.
But I still felt that I struggled to ride well enough to help QQ enjoy carrying his rider.
Feeling disheartened, I started to think laterally.
What did I already know how to do?
What could I bring to this that wasn't about becoming a better rider in the conventional sense?
I knew I could teach riders to improve their balance, posture and co-ordination in the saddle through Awareness Through Movement lessons.
But... I also had another area of expertise: my hands-on Feldenkrais work (Functional Integration).
In these sessions, through my hands, I explore the person's habitual movement patterns, specifically the ways they unconsciously tighten and brace, and guide them out of stiffness and discomfort towards more pleasurable and functional ways of moving.
What if QQ could learn from my hands just as easily as my students?
That was the moment that I realised
“When Thomas is talking about the aids of his legs, sitting bones, and the intelligent use of his hands on the reins, he is really describing a hands-on Feldenkrais Functional Integration lesson - except he is using his whole body rather than just his hands.”
THE CENTRAL PREMISE...
functional integration is a way that you can Allow your horse to experience what it’s like to move free from habitual tension.
Learn how to hold a two-way conversation about how your horse moves, notice how the ways they are moving is getting in the way of moving with comfort and ease. Ultimately the aim is to give them an experience of what it’s like to move free from habitual physical and emotional tension and rediscover their full power.
My first teacher, Scott Clark, describes the quality of touch we're looking for as akin to martial arts:
"We often think that the forces of pain and discomfort in our bodies require equally strong forces to oppose them. But Feldenkrais, like Aikido, sidesteps the negative forces, blends with them, redirects them. The way I touch you starts by agreeing with you rather than opposing, then redirects your own power into directions that can be useful and effective."
When this kind of touch works—and it can work in a moment—people report feeling looser yet powerfully balanced, with more space for breathing. They feel taller, more expanded - with a sense of well-being.
Using touch and observation learn about their particular patterns of movement and how they approach core movements.
Each horse is individual with different athletic potential and displays characteristics unique to them. There will be recognisable patterns of behaviour and movement, but often it’s in the subtle nuances that show up in the conversation of our riding that we want to ease and improve.
Observing and making such small differences requires subtle and intelligent movement interventions.
To make such an intervention, we need to hone our ability to, observe, connect, communicate and work hands on with our horses.
How can Feldenhorse have such an impact on the horses body and movement?
Catherine McCrum an Accredited Feldenkrais Practitioner figured out that she could use hands on Functional Integration sessions to help her horse QQ expand his range of movement possibilities and discover better and more fluid ways of moving.
In real terms, Catherine was able to see his left hind leg stepping under became his choice rather than something she was trying to achieve with him.
There is a concept in Feldenkrais...
Every movement, big or small, is an action of the whole body.
Your breath not only stabilises you, it has a profound affect on your posture and dynamic balance. In addition when you regain the full volume of your breath in your torso, your limbs are free to do their job. Legs that move freely and lightly through space and arms that can lift, reach and express with spontaneity and ease.
‘Our breathing reflects every emotional or physical effort and every disturbance.’
- Moshe Feldenkrais
CATHERINE MCCRUM, FELDENKRAIS PRACTITIONER:
“After I fell from my horse and hurt my right ribs, I was surprised to feel that the whole of that side contracted. I couldn't breathe as easily into my right lung and it affected my confidence on my horse. I began to experiment with directing my breath to all the places that had tightened in protection when I fell - ‘massaging' myself from the inside’ and exploring how I could ease my injured ribs. I explored the relationship of my diaphragm and pelvic floor and regained my internal 'springiness'. Gradually I restored the full volume of my torso, and my balance - and inner calm - returned. I had to share these discoveries with you! ”
INTRODUCING...
A 5-Day Online Self-paced Feldenkrais Workshop Experience
with Catherine McCrum, Thomas Ritter, and Shana Ritter.
This self paced self study workshop includes 5 Days of 5-17 minute Pre-Recorded Feldenkrais Lessons (PLUS the recording of a LIVE Q&A).
- Day 0, Introduction to FeldenBreathe (5 min) - A clear, rider‑friendly tour of the diaphragm, lungs, ribs, and pelvic floor as a living cylinder of support and how internal movement creates external ease.
- Day 1, The Dimensions of the Abdomen (9 min) - Begin your journey toward deeper, more effortless breathing. In this first session, you’ll explore the dimensions of your breath with a focus on your abdomen — reconnecting to the full internal volume of your torso.
✨ Discover the power of mindful breathing — from the inside out. - Day 2, Pulling the Belly In (18 min) - Continue your FeldenBreathe journey by exploring how your abdomen shapes your posture, balance, and ease of movement. In this session, you’ll refine your awareness of expansion and contraction — discovering how the subtle act of drawing your belly in and letting it go can transform the way you breathe, stand, and move.
✨ Find new space, strength, and softness from the inside out. - Day 3, Lengthening the Right Lung (14 min) - In this session of FeldenBreathe, you’ll shift your focus from your abdomen to your ribcage — creating space, flexibility, and awareness through the right side of your body. Through guided attention, you’ll explore how breath flows in to the three lobes of your right lung, expanding your ribs in all directions to create a sense of depth, width, and length.
This session helps release tension in the intercostal muscles, improves posture, and creates balance and lightness through your whole body.
✨ Discover how expanding your ribs can expand your sense of stability, freedom, and presence. - Day 4, Diaphragm and Pelvic Floor (19 min) -In this FeldenBreathe session, you’ll explore the powerful relationship between your breath, diaphragm, and pelvic floor — the foundation of stability. Through gentle guided awareness, you’ll learn how these deep structures coordinate with each breath to support posture, balance, and internal space.
By the end, you’ll feel more grounded, connected, and supple from the inside out — with a breath that naturally supports your whole body.
✨ Restore inner strength, softness, and effortless stability through the rhythm of your breath. - Day 5, Breathing in an Arc (16 min) - In this final FeldenBreathe session, you’ll bring everything together — exploring how your breath supports you in sitting, balance, and upright movement. Through subtle, mindful exploration, you’ll sense how the flow of your breath in all directions — front to back, side to side, and lengthways — helps you feel grounded, centered, and light.
✨ Breathe your way to balance, freedom, and presence — from the inside out.
Recording of Q&A with Catherine McCrum and Thomas & Shana Ritter.
BONUS 1, FeldenRide: Breath in the Saddle (~15–20 min): A practical ride‑along session that explores how to direct your breath to create direction, stability and lightness for quiet, confident riding.
BONUS 2, The FeldenBreathe Podcast: An exclusive podcast of the recordings from this workshop so you can listen anytime, anywhere (especially while on your horse) with just your phone. So easy!!
Join the Community each day for discussion in the FeldenFit Facebook Group
Full, Lifetime Access to all recordings, course materials, and the Facebook Group beyond the 5 days of the Workshop.
Workshop Price = €49
*Other Currencies Available.
"I was excited to try out this Feldenbreathe series because I have already found immense improvements with Feldenfit, and I am an advocate for intentional breathing in my riding. And this series delivers all of that in spades. But I wasn’t expecting the extra depth that Catherine brings to these exercise, giving instruction on moving my breath within myself. Actually being able to change my internal volume (or at least, that is what I felt) was a revelation to me. But warning… these sessions are very relaxing and be aware that you might find yourself drifting off before the end…"
Jacky Davies, U.K.
"FeldenBreathe is really fascinating. I know I breathe into certain parts of my body quite well, I can breathe into my belly, and I do breathe into my hips quite often because I ride such a wide horse, I was made aware of, or perhaps re-acquainted with, finding those spaces, making them available, and inhabiting them with breath.
In the second session, I became sharply aware of how little ability I have to engage the muscles on the left-hand side of my body. As suggested, I may not even be able to identify how to start that organizational pattern of engaging the left-hand belly muscles. I tried prodding with my finger, I tried emulating the right side, alternating between the two to find a system that gained me access. I wasn't successful in this first instance. Something to work on.
I was amazed to find how far up you can extend the breath- into the armpits and neck areas I hadn't even thought of until the side-lying position. I think I could get very attached to doing that! When I'm lying in bed at night, it will be an excellent practice to continue teaching my body to access those areas more naturally, without the need to artificially force breath into unfamiliar areas by locking out and bracing other parts of my body."
Naomi Betts, AU
"I absolutely love Catherine’s FeldenBreathe lessons! I discovered that I was actually blocking my own breathing without even realizing it. Through her gentle guidance, I’ve learned how to release those patterns. It’s made a big difference in my overall body awareness and my breathing. Catherine has such a wonderful way of guiding the process, her use of mental imagery helps me sense and connect with parts of myself I didn’t even know I could feel. The experience has opened up a whole new level of awareness in how I breathe and move in general. I highly recommend her courses, especially for riders. They bring such a valuable connection between the body, breath, and movement, both on and off the horse and have helped me immensely over the years gaining, or regaining, flexibility and improving my strength."
Terrie Douglas, U.S.
"Breathing has fascinated me ever since I began exploring the Feldenkrais Method. In Feldenbreathe, I became aware of how many subtle things happen when I breathe . It’s such a gentle, surprising way to discover myself."
Cat, DE
And just who is Catherine McCrum?
And her horse, QQ
ACCREDITED FELDENKRAIS PRACTIONER, GESTALT PYSCHOTHERAPIST, DRESSAGE RIDER
Catherine McCrum is an accredited Feldenkrais practitioner and has been teaching sport, fitness and movement since 1986 as first a ski instructor/coach and then as a Personal Trainer. She is also a Gestalt psychotherapist with a particular interest in working with developing awareness of how her clients embody their emotional and psychological patterns. Catherine assists in most of the Artistic Dressage Program courses by providing riders with Feldenkrais-based lessons to improve their body awareness, coordination, balance, and suppleness.
ALSO JOINING FOR THE LIVE Q&A
Thomas and Shana Ritter
We are Thomas and Shana Ritter. Thomas is German and Shana is American, now based in Portugal on our farm of mostly Lusitanos (also a few Lipizzans + one seriously awesome pony for our daughter) by the ocean. Together we run a program of online courses and programs which educate riders how to train their horses themselves, in accordance with classical principles and biomechanics. Thomas is an International Clinician and author of two books and countless articles in many publications. Shana is a USDF Bronze and Silver Medalist. We have studied with Karl Mikolka, Egon von Neidorff, Arthur Kottas, Charles de Kunffy, Hubert Rohrer, Dorothee Baumann-Pellny, and Thomas Faltejsek. Together we create and orchestrate the Artistic Dressage program helping riders all over the world to have better, happier relationships with their horses through correct, gymnastics and a thoughtful, heart-centered approach.
