Available as a Self-Study Program! Only €150.
Riding can be described as a sport
Riding can be described as a sport, since on the one hand, it transforms the horse into a four-legged ballet dancer, and on the other hand, it requires physical agility, stamina, a good sense of balance, good coordination, as well as a certain core muscle strength from the rider.
Riding can be described as art
Riding can also be described as an art, since it requires great intuition, creativity, and mental flexibility of the rider. The rider begins the training of the green horse like a sculptor begins with a block of marble or like a potter begins with a lump of clay on the potter's wheel. The artist shapes this raw material into a finished sculpture through the application of all his/her technical and artistic skill. The equestrian literature, therefore, mostly uses the term "equestrian art", whereas the term "equestrian sport" was not invented until the 20th century.
Riding can be described as a science
The authors of the 18th and 19th centuries often referred to dressage, in particular, as "equestrian science", since it follows scientific rules and principles. For this reason, some classical authors refer to dressage also as "academic equitation".
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In Holistic Biomechanics-based Dressage Training,
everything is interconnected.
Knowing how to apply skills and techniques in your riding is important but first you have to understand what the principles are and why they are important.
Most people relate to “Dressage Training” as a toolkit of strategies, techniques, and exercises. And Dressage is, in fact, all of these things. But it is also more than these things. The rider needs to also understand the general underlying principles in order to breathe LIFE into the training work because as is often said, “It is not as much WHAT you do, but HOW you do it.” The principles help you to embed the life energy of that HOW into the application of the strategies, techniques, and exercises.
These principles are your compass that help guide your ethics, direction, and vision when working with your horse. They can help you to apply what you have learned with one horse to any other horse that you meet or situation that you encounter, and they can help you to come up with your own solutions to problems as they come up in the training.
Biomechanics-based Dressage is based on three main ethical standards which I have adapted from Permaculture Design (of which we are advocates and practitioners, as well). These are: Horse Care, Rider Care, and Fair Share.
Horse Care is about making sure that everything you are doing is in the best interest of the horse. This begins with ensuring that the horse is kept in a species-appropriate manner and fed according to his nutritional requirements. It means that the horse is handled with love and consistency. Everything you do, every exercise you ride, every activity you undertake with your horse needs to be done with the intention to preserve even improve the horse. So, for example, we aim to ride in a way that benefits the horse physically, rather than in way which creates stiffness, wear and tear, and lameness down the road. Correct gymnastic dressage keeps the horse healthy and rideable into old age. We interact with the horse in a way that respects the horse as an individual with his own needs, rather than an object that is here to serve our needs. We guide the training with the horse in a way that helps the horse to easily understand, rather than setting the horse up for failure by not preparing the horse for our requests.
Rider Care is about making sure the needs of the rider are met in a holistic way. In instruction, the student needs to be treated with respect and taught in a way that supports their learning. The rider needs to be able to learn how to preserve their body, as well, from stiffness, wear and tear, and injury. The riding student needs to be given the tools to be able to learn successfully, and they need to be supported in that process. As humans, we need to support and uphold each other’s love for the horse, rather than encouraging the objectification and belittling of our equine partners.
Fair Share is about being fair to the horse and rider, never asking for more than we should at any time. It is about setting limits that are sustainable, both for ourselves and our horses, so that their energy, willingness, and generosity are never exploited. It is also about investing in the future of Dressage, which we can all do in our own ways. It is about “paying it forward” to future generations of riders by sharing our knowledge and supporting the growth and evolution of understanding as a community. This last part - about Community - is vitally important... it comes down to every single one of us to foster the KIND of community we want to be in. What kind of community do you feel safe to learn and explore concepts in? One that is critical and sees the worst in each horse/rider or one that is encouraging and supportive?
Now, we get to the Principles...
Within the framework of these ethics, we have found 12 basic training principles which have proven to be valuable in our own practical riding. These principles are not the typical German FN basic principles. They go far beyond that to bring dynamic life to the way we can approach the training with our horses. These principles are not mutually exclusive, but they all play an important role in the training of horses. While you do not have to follow every principle at every moment in order to train your horse, these are guidelines that you will find useful in your journey with your horse. It is not necessary to apply these in any particular order. Each one stands on its own, but we encourage you to study and explore them in this order with us. Then, once you have explored all twelve principles, it will be up to you to choose the appropriate one for each individual situation.
1. The Alphabet Principle
2. The Root Principle
3. The Water Principle
4. The Principle of the Economy of Motion
5. The Aikido Principle
6. The Pottery Principle
7. The Medicine Principle
8. The Basketball Principle
9. The Ping-pong Principle
10. The Corner Principle
11. The Principle of the Narrow Track
12. The Pendulum Principle
Over the next 12 months, Dr. Thomas Ritter, the author of Dressage Principles based on Biomechanics (Cadmos Press, 2012) will be teaching a series of Masterclasses on each of these principles. We will cover one per month, and each one will be accompanied by homework and ongoing discussion in an exclusive, private Facebook Community to help you learn how to apply and experiment with the principles in your riding.
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This is your invitation to join us in a guided exploration of these principles.
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HORSE TRAINING LEVEL REQUIREMENTS: Basic. Able to be ridden at the walk and trot.Â
RIDER TRAINING LEVEL REQUIREMENTS: Basic to Advanced. You will find that these principles will mean different things to you, and will be applied, differently, depending on which stage of the riding journey you are on. Because of that, you can take this course even if you are at a very basic level of dressage.
TACK / EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS: At your discretion. You can participate in this course bareback. You can use any kind of saddle that suits you and your horse best. You can participate with a basic snaffle bridle, or if you are quite advanced a double bridle is fine. A moderately level riding space is advisable. Optimal is a 20x40 level riding arena, but our philosophy is to work with what you have. Cones or other markers are always our recommendation, but again- work with what you have.
TECH REQUIREMENTS: You will need a device with which to access the internet, course materials, and Facebook Group. You will need a (free) zoom account to attend the masterclasses and a (free) Facebook account to access the Facebook Group. If you wish to video yourself riding in order to get feedback from us in the Facebook Group, it is recommended to have either a smartphone/video camera and a person to video for you or a Pivo robotic camera. If you wish to do this, we recommend you set up a YouTube account (free) to upload your videos and share the links in the Facebook Group because uploading videos to Facebook can be glitchy.
What's included...
12 Masterclasses
Exclusive Access to the recordings of twelve Masterclasses taught by Dr. Thomas Ritter. Lifetime access. Watch whenever you like, as many times as you need.
Apply the Principles
Each Masterclass will be accompanied by a lesson, exercise, or experiment you can do to experience and apply the principle to your own riding.
The DPBM Podcast
Listen to the recordings "on the go". We know that often the best way to appreciate long-form content is while you are driving, walking, mucking out, etc. so we have made it super easy for you with our Podcast Player. With just a couple of clicks, you can access all of the materials and listen whenever, wherever you want. Even download and listen while offline!
Lifetime Access
Your access does not expire. We don't remove the recordings after a certain time. You don't lose your ability to rewatch them or discuss them after a certain date. You will retain full 100% access 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for the entire lifetime of the program.
“This is an experiential approach to relating to the biomechanical principles of Dressage. Rather than studying them as dry, theoretical concepts, you will learn how to bring them to life by exploring them in practice through riding exercises and experiments that invite you to look and experience on a deeper level.”
In this 12 part programme, you can take a journey led by Thomas Ritter through 12 different non-conventional principles towards approaching Dressage. In each Masterclass, he discusses a different principle with food for thought and ideas, suggestions, and exercises you can try out to bring the principle to life in your riding. You will be encouraged to take the principle into the arena to experiment with your horse and see what you both can discover.
