2024 Enrollment IS OPEN!!!
The perfect program for riders who truly want to be the best partner for their horses.
Next Level 1 course begins on June 21, 2024 - Next Level 2 course begins on September 20, 2024
You want to train and ride in a way that FIRST does no harm
You don’t want to harm your horse. You don’t want to sacrifice your horse’s wellbeing for your ambitions. Sure… you’d like to ride the movements, but you don’t want to do it in a way that hurts your horse. You want to do this in a HORSE-FRIENDLY, HEALTHY way.
"Because, as a rule, the horse must take pleasure in his work. Otherwise, he and his rider will not be able to accomplish anything graceful."
- Antoine de Pluvinel, 1628
In addition to this, you want to strive to improve your horse’s soundness and help him to move better.
Horses can move well on their own. People often say you don’t have to “teach” horses the movements because… well, just look at them in the pasture, they can do it all. What those people forget is that the horse is doing all of this without the weight of the rider. When you add the weight of the rider (even when the rider is well-balanced, but even more so when the rider is not)!, it changes everything. The center of gravity is different. Imbalances and asymmetries get exacerbated to the point where it becomes harmful to the horse. Sometimes, in fact, the horse can hardly even move at all because he is too busy trying not to fall over. GOOD, CORRECT DRESSAGE teaches the horse to balance with the load of the rider on his back (and adjust to the higher center of gravity this causes) so he can regain his freedom of motion. Part of the purpose of dressage is to educate the horse so that he can move (with the weight of the rider) in a BALANCED AND HEALTHY WAY that doesn’t injure him or break him down prematurely.
"A dressage training whose final result is not at the same time preservative has no raison d’être and ought not to be attempted at all."
- Waldemar Seunig, 1949
You want to be a better rider for the sake of your horse.
You want to do right by your horse. You want to learn to sit in balance and not hinder your horse’s movement. A stiff, crooked, unbalanced rider has to grip in order to not fall off . When you are unbalanced, you will grip with your legs and hang on the reins because otherwise you would fall off. This makes it impossible for the horse to move in a healthy way and to relax under the rider. This makes it impossible to for the horse to balance himself and it HINDERS THE GAITS, because the unbalanced, stiff, crooked rider interferes with the horse every step of the way. You need to learn to ride in such a way that is COMFORTABLE for the horse to carry you. You need to learn to stay out of the way and not interfere. Furthermore, you need to learn TO BE HELPFUL TO THE HORSE.
Egon von Neindorff used to say, “If we could ask the horse how he feels then the horse should say he feels comfortable under his rider.”
You want to be the best partner possible for your horse.
It’s not about the tricks. It’s not about having a super fancy horse. You want to do what is RIGHT FOR YOUR HORSE. Moving up the levels (although you wouldn’t mind that) is less important than the QUALITY OF RELATIONSHIP and doing what is beneficial for your horse. You’re not opposed to moving up the levels, but its got to be done right. You’ve seen enough of the “other” type of dressage, too much blue tongue/tortured horses... the type of dressage that aims for success at any cost - and you don’t want anything to do with that! You want a HAPPY HORSE that is comfortable in the work. You want to have fun WITH your horse (and you want your horse to enjoy the training, too).
"No Horse can afford any pleasure in the Manège, unless he expresses a satisfaction while under tuition."
- Philip Astley, 1801
You want to learn to be self-sufficient and independent.
The more you know, the better you can evaluate whether the advice a trainer is telling you is right or wrong, whether it is good information or not, so you can’t (so easily) be led astray at the expense of your horse. You don’t want your horse to suffer, and you want to be able to make SMARTER CHOICES of the trainers you work with. You want enough independence so that you can make progress in your training even when you don’t have a trainer standing in the middle of the arena telling you what to do. You want to eventually learn to solve training problems on your own, which can only come from understanding where problems stem from and what different strategies you can choose from to address them. You need to UNDERSTAND the what, why, and how.
"The noblest task of the riding teacher is to form the mind of the student as well, so that the latter comes to depend on the teacher less and less."
- Waldemar Seunig, 1956
You want to learn to train your horse in a way that is functionally-based and makes SENSE to you and the horse.
You want to ride in a way that is logical and systematic. You want to learn to use gymnastic exercises to improve the horse’s body awareness, balance, suppleness, straightness, thoroughness, and lightness - and you want do all of this in a way that is based on CORRECT, CLASSICAL PRINCIPLES AND BIOMECHANICS. You want to help your horse to move in a healthier, more energy-efficient way so the gaits can develop and the horse can become more BEAUTIFUL.
"Riding dressage does not mean performing difficult airs, but making the horse smarter, more supple, and to improve his balance."
- Nuno Oliveira, 1998
So... what is the secret to becoming a Thinking Rider when it seems the world around you has gone simply mad?
…especially when Riding and Learning are your Passion…
…or you feel like a misfit in the world of Dressage.
It’s time to step away from the “beating your head against the wall because it never gets any better” lessons and methods... for good.
It’s time to say...
“What?!!! Are you kidding me?” to those who tell you to stop asking questions and just do what you’re told to do (a.k.a. “Just shut up and ride.”)
It’s time to...
listen to your heart and intuition that has been SCREAMING at you (or maybe only whispering perseveringly) that there has got to be a BETTER WAY to ride and train your horse and what you see looks wrong because it is wrong.
The problem is that it is NOT working. That approach DOESN’T work for everyone. And it is definitely NOT working for YOU or your horse.
(If you had known that learning Dressage would be this exasperating, you would have taken up gardening or golf...
luckily not all Dressage has to be like this!)
This is exactly what I found myself saying 30-ish years ago.
No matter how I tried to rephrase my questions, they were met with sighs and the, “you did NOT just ask me another question, did you?” sort of look. I thought there was just something wrong with me that I wanted to thoroughly understand it before I could go ride it. Not to mention the eyerolls I would get when I asserted I wanted to ride "classically" and in a way that was GOOD for my horse. They made me feel alone in thinking that this is what Dressage should be about. Maybe you feel the same way.
After witnessing many trainers who paid lip service to “classical principles” but this didn’t seem to carry over to their teaching and training. And then also riding with a variety of trainers, some of whom were incredibly talented riders, but they were unable to explain what they did, why they did it, and how to do it in a way that could be translated to my own riding…
And after being humiliated by trainers who believed the way to exert their dominance over me was to make me feel stupid for asking the questions I asked (and because I dared to question what they were doing)…
I almost gave up.
Until one day Thomas and I met each other,
and we discovered we were kindred spirits. We both had the same passion for riding, thirst for knowledge and answers, and unwavering perseverance to uncover the answers to the questions we had.
We joined forces and pursued our ongoing riding education together. We found trainers (such as Karl Mikolka, Egon von Neindorff, Arthur Kottas, Dorothee Baumann-Pellny, Thomas Faltejsek, Hubert Rohrer, and Charles de Kunffy) who were able to explain some of it, and together we hammered out a system that tied it ALL together.
We both came at it with a different set of inherent talents, but we brought these together to develop a comprehensive system that tied classical principles into biomechanics and was immediately applicable to all riders and horses. This was our breakthrough and this is what we now share with riders like YOU.
I started in the dark, not sure how to improve on basics taught years ago but knowing there was 'more to it'. I can't believe how much I have learned from Thomas and Shana. I now have the building blocks to work with any horse, not just mine. The improvement in my own horse is measurable. I am so motivated to ride and explore every single day. Massive thank you. I no longer go round in circles with no purpose.
- Ann Savage, Lincolnshire, UK
"I hear what you say but I don't understand what you mean"--this has been the thought in my head for years now during different classes by different instructors. Until I found the online course on the "what, why and how" by Shana and Thomas Ritter. Who would have thought that you can improve your riding ONLINE? Yes, you can. Based on a strong fundament of theory, flanked by teaching videos, an interactive Facebook group and weekly live Q&As this course is real gem. Now I understand what happens while riding and I am equipped with the tools to improve it.
- Anja Schröder, Germany
If you've ever felt "stuck" in your riding or teaching, this course is the answer. The Ritters combine theory with practical application for all stages of riding. A great aspect of the instruction is that one can see how a movement or concept applies up the levels of riding. This perspective has helped "unstick" our riding and we have made great progress in a short amount of time. This is also a great resource for instructors who need different ideas for teaching. I'm so glad I took a chance on this course!
- Julie Graber, Indiana USA
We teach riders to ride and train in a way that serves the horse first.
We teach you to train your horse in a horse-friendly, healthy way. Moving up the levels (albeit wonderful, and it does happen inevitably as a result of good, quality training) is less important than quality of RELATIONSHIP and doing what is beneficial for the horse. We will never advise you to do something that serves ambition or “progress” at the sacrifice of the horse’s WELL-BEING AND HAPPINESS.
We teach riders the what, why, and how of training.
We explain all of it - the what, the why and the how. With many years of teaching experience under our belts, we have many different ways of explaining concepts and application. We use a combination of experiential tools, theory, and imagery lessons to help students develop the feel and understanding they need to really understand what they are doing, why, and of course, HOW TO DO IT.
We teach Dressage based in biomechanics and horse psychology.
All riders need to have at least a basic understanding of biomechanics and horse psychology in order to train the horse. This enables you to be a more compassionate rider. It is pointless to punish the horse for doing what he cannot do, yet this is what happens when riders don’t understand the biomechanics and psychology. Resistance in the horse is often a lack of understanding or ability, rather than disobedience.
We teach riders how to gymnasticize their horses.
We teach riders how to use the three toolboxes: the seat & aids, the movements, and gymnastic exercises/arena patterns to thoroughly and effectively GYMNASTICIZE their horses. We have a huge library of riding exercises that serve a myriad of uses designed to develop the horse effectively and systematically. These exercises improve the horse’s body awareness, balance, suppleness, straightness, throughness, and lightness. They also help the horse move in a healthier way that preserves the SOUNDNESS of the horse, DEVELOPS THE GAITS, and helps the horse become even more BEAUTIFUL.
We teach based on classical principles.
With many years of study of classical training, we bring the historical perspective from numerous equestrian traditions into our teaching. Add to this, we tap into our many years of instruction from our own teachers based in the Spanish Riding School tradition: Karl Mikolka, Egon von Neindorff, Dorothee Baumann-Pellny, Thomas Faltejsek, Hubert Rohrer, Arthur Kottas, and Charles de Kunffy. With this heritage and background, you can be sure that you are learning CLASSICALLY-AUTHENTIC DRESSAGE that honors the time-honored priorities of horse’s health, soundness, and happiness.
We implement philosophically-compatible perspectives to complement our teaching.
Beyond Dressage, we subtly incorporate zen and taoist concepts and imagery/visualization practices as well as Feldenkrais methodology to help complement your ability TO LEARN AND UNDERSTAND with less struggle, misunderstanding, and frustration.
We teach riders to move with the horse.
It isn’t good enough to sit pretty at the halt or walk - you need to also sit well at the trot and canter, as well as doing movements and exercises. It isn't good enough to sit pretty but be unable to help or influence your horse - you need to learn to MOVE effortlessly with the horse and to USE your aids effectively. The word "aids" means "helps" in German, and that is what they are designed to do! Your seat needs to be fully-faceted and based on function rather than empty form. This is necessary for coordination of the aids and effective communication with your horse. We teach you how to USE your seat, how to FEEL the footfalls of the horse, and how to FEEL the horse with your seat. This develops your seat into one of your most useful tools, not to mention making you more STABLE, SECURE, AND CONFIDENT in the saddle.
We empower students.
Our goal is to help you learn to train your horse so that eventually, you no longer need us (although we hope to stay friends!). We want you to know how to evaluate, diagnose, and correct training issues accurately. We want you to always have a clear, objective perspective that offers you the ability to see the training holistically. We want you to have all the tools in your toolbox, so that you always have many ways of coming at an issue, and you can customize what you do for each individual situation and horse. This enables you to treat your horse as the individual that he is. This is not cookie-cutter, factory-production training. This is HEART-CENTERED TRAINING that teaches you to think and feel effectively always in the best interest of the horse.
The What, Why, How of Gymnastically Training your Horse
A systematic, logical, and comprehensive approach to Dressage training that places the horse’s well-being and happiness as the top priority.
The perfect program for riders who truly want to be the best partner for their horses.
Next Level 1 course begins on June 21, 2024
Next Level 2 course begins on September 20, 2024
Enroll in Level 1, Level 2 or the complete 4-Level Program (see full details below
THE Complete Horse-Rider Approach
A horse that is well balanced, straight, and supple, will move through his body with a bascule (roundness) of the neck, the back, and the croup.
A rider who is well balanced, straight, and supple, will have an elegant, quiet seat with invisible aids.
The Tools of Classical Dressage
You will learn how to work with the three “tool kits” of classical dressage: the rider’s seat and aids, the arena patterns, and the dressage movements to develop your horse to his full potential... into a healthy, happy, athletic, and most beautiful version of himself.
The Goal of Dressage
The main purpose of dressage is develop the horse’s natural gaits in a healthy way so that they stay sound as long as possible. Balance, suppleness, straightness, and throughness are the highest priorities because, on the one hand, they allow the horse to develop his full athletic potential, and, on the other hand, they protect the horse from wear and tear and unsoundness. You will learn how to train your horse in a way that maintains alignment with these goals and standards.
A Function-based approach that prioritizes healthy movement for both the horse and the rider’s seat.
A beautiful form (for horse and rider) is the consequence of healthy function. Rather than emulating a “frame” or static posture, you will learn an approach that is more effective, more correct, and more healthy and beneficial long-term for horse and rider. Correct training of the horse improves the soundness of the horse. Correct training of the seat is GOOD for the rider’s back and long-term riding longevity.
An approach that addresses Causes rather than Symptoms
In order to make true, sustainable progress, it is necessary to identify the underlying cause of the symptoms that we see and feel. You will learn how to differentiate between causes and the myriad of symptoms, and you will learn how to address them with gymnastic exercises, classical technique, and biomechanics-based dressage movements which act as physiotherapy on the horse’s body and way of moving.
The Classical Process
You will learn how to understand and USE the classical process of training your horse. You will learn how to lead the horse into a state of balance which allows him to relax and seek correct contact with the reins. Through specifically selected exercises for each stage of progress, you will learn how to improve your horse’s body awareness, supple his stiff areas, and strengthen his weak areas. You will learn how to teach your horse the skills he needs to be a truly healthy, happy, athletic partner. You will learn how to teach your horse the skills to develop his strength and stamina so that, over time, he can perform even the most advanced movements.
Less is More! An efficient method that enables you to work smarter, rather than harder
You will learn how to implement the concept of smarter training instead of harder training for both the benefit of your horse’s well-being and happiness, as well as the development of your seat. As a thinking rider, you will learn how to take your horse on a learning journey that systematically develops his body awareness, balance, straightness, suppleness, understanding, strength, and stamina through classical-based gymnastic Dressage exercises so that there is no psychological or physical stress. This step-by-step approach eliminates wear and tear for both horse and rider, because you don’t need endless repetitions, drilling, or hours of endless 20m circles. You will learn how to break complex movements and concepts into smaller component parts which helps you to eliminate frustration, resistance, misunderstanding, and injury.
You will learn ingredients and strategies for effective training.
Learning how to focus first on body awareness, balance, understanding, and coordination enables you to proceed systematically from simple movement patterns to complex ones. This builds a staircase of small learning steps for the horse (and you, too).
You will learn how you can use gymnastic exercises, effective use of your seat and aids, and strategic application of dressage movements to systematically train and develop your horse. You will learn the elements and HOW to use them within the time-honored and proven classical principles. You will learn a scientific approach to training your horse that removes all the mystery and confusion, yet provides you with maximum possibility for customization so you can train your horse how he most NEEDS to be trained. You will learn how to effectively problem-solve and troubleshoot issues, under our guidance and assistance.
A Nature-Based approach for YOUR horse
Using the seat and aids (no gimmicks or fancy gadgets) as your primary means of communication with the horse, combined with the arena patterns and movements to gymnasticize your horse, you will learn how to develop your horse’s body awareness, coordination, balance, straightness, and suppleness. The dressage movements are not ends in themselves, or tricks that we teach our horses, but they are gymnastic tools that teach the horse certain skills which they need in order to move with the utmost efficiency so that their natural gaits can develop to their full potential.
You will learn how to work WITH your horse’s natural gaits so that he becomes the best horse he can be. We can’t bring something out that nature hasn’t put into the horse. It would be unreasonable to expect a Fjord horse or a Haflinger to move like a warmblood sporthorse. That wouldn’t be fair to the horse or the rider. It would break the horse down physically as well as mentally. Each horse has a different walk, trot, canter, piaffe, and passage, and it’s our job as riders and trainers to find them and bring them out, like a sculptor brings out the statue that is hidden within a block of marble. Michelangelo said that he saw the finished statue inside the marble, and he chipped everything away that was not part of the statue. You will learn how to understand your horse’s breed characteristics, conformation, and personality so that you can bring out the best, healthiest movement possibilities for your horse.
Improve your Transitions.
Skillfully prepare, improve, and polish all of your transitions (no more ugly, head in the air, crooked, and embarrassing transitions that make you want to hide in the tack room)
Remove Resistances.
Remove resistances by isolating and dissolving blockages in the horse’s body. This creates suppleness and a more efficient horse (no more begging the lethargic horse to trot with nagging aids)
Supple your horse.
Supple the horse’s entire body and help your horse develop agility, lightness, and ease of movement (no more crying over a stiff, resistant horse and not knowing what to do about it)
Correct Bending.
Understand how to achieve authentic, correct bending of the horse and how to introduce the different phases of bending in the training... and how correct lateral bend precedes longitudinal flexion
Biomechanics.
Identify and diagnose exactly which biomechanic fundamentals are the ones your horse is having problems with (so you can accurately identify the source of the problem rather than chasing after the symptoms)
Accuracy.
Improve the accuracy of your lines, patterns, and turns. Whether you compete or not, this is vital for improving effectiveness of your training (no more scrambling for the center line after you overshot it)
Use Movements as tools rather than tricks.
Use the Full Pass, Plié, Pirouette Renversée, Mill exercise, and Zigzags to supple and strengthen your horse (so that you always have a variety of tools in your toolbox, because more tools means you are less likely to run out of possible solutions)
Lateral Movements.
Introduce, develop, and improve all of the lateral movements - even the ones that seem like a mystery to you (shoulder-in, haunches-in, renvers, counter shoulder-in, half pass, pirouettes)
Learn how to correctly use Counter Movements.
Learn the power of using counter movements (i.e. counter shoulder-in, renvers) as a secret weapon to isolate horse crookedness and quickly improve and progress the training of the horse.
Arena Geometry.
The geometry trains the horse! Use the sacred geometry of the arena in a way that facilitates the development of the training (so your riding makes interesting use of the natural geometry of the arena)
Correct use of Corners.
Corners are often neglected and their usefulness is not understood. Use corners as the perfect gateway to every other movement (no more wasted opportunities)
Exercises and Arena Patterns.
Quickly draw upon exercises which reliably address the exact biomechanics deficiencies your horse has in his training (no more choosing the wrong exercise for the job or riding exercises that only perpetuate your horse’s problems)
Building Blocks.
Simply break down any exercise into its building block components (so that you can you never overface or confuse your horse with more than he can handle)
Step by step.
No gaps, no skipped steps. Whether starting your horse from the beginning, working with an advanced horse, or retraining a horse with issues, being able to follow a systematic approach helps you ensure you do not leave gaps with create later problems.
Modify any exercise.
Learn to modify any exercise at any time. Make any exercise simpler for your horse - or more challenging (so that you custom-tailor it to YOUR horse’s needs and YOUR desired outcome)
Abilities and skills.
Test and improve specific abilities and skills in the horse (so you can address exactly what your horse needs and not waste time on what he doesn’t need)
Target specific parts of the horse.
Target specific parts and areas of the horse’s body with exact gymnastic exercises and movements (so you can artfully choose exercises which address the body parts you want to focus upon)
SRS Heritage and Methods.
Become part of the heritage and learn to use the exact Spanish Riding School methods we learned from our teachers such as stirrup-stepping and using the “tests of the hind legs” (which are a vital part of the development of the horse in the SRS tradition).
Move WITH the horse.
Sit beautifully and effectively. Sit with grace, balance, ease, and suppleness so that your horse has an easier time carrying you and you don’t hinder your horse’s movement.
Troubleshooting.
Troubleshoot any problem, analyze any situation (so that you can eventually be your own trainer and figure out solutions to any problem you or another ride may have)
Ask Better Questions.
Ask yourself better questions which will yield better quality data about your ride (so that you are not addressing the wrong things at the wrong time). Better questions yield better data!
Seat and Stirrup-Stepping Aids.
Unlock the magic of using the subtlety of the seat aids and stirrup-stepping to communicate on a fine level with your horse (no more confusing the horse with contradictory aids which just cause the horse to tune out or worse, get angry)
Feel your horse’s feet.
Learn how to feel where your horse’s feet are at any time and learn how to influence the footfalls to improve the horse's gaits and balance. Learn to decipher the feeling of the movement of the horse so you know where the feet are at all times.
Timing of the Aids.
Give your aids at the exact timing that will have the best influence on the horse (so you’re not just wildly guessing and hoping for the best)
How to Half Halt.
Give a half-halt that goes “through” and know how to correct it when the horse doesn’t respond appropriately to the half-halt (no more disappearing half-halts, no more ignoring your aids)
Effective Aids.
Understand which aids to apply for every purpose and exactly HOW to apply them to achieve exactly what you aim to accomplish (no more wondering if you’re doing it right)
Be consistent.
See the entire training as a coherent, and connected system where each part influences every other part (no more confusion and not understanding how everything ties in to everything else)
Have Fun Together.
Use fun variations of little known exercises and movements to bring diversity and inspiration into your training program (so you never get bored, your riding never gets stale, and your horse always looks forward to the training sessions)
Subtle, fine aids.
Use subtle weight aids to communicate discretely with your horse and learn to ride him with “fine, light aids” (no more riding like a lumberjack)
Aid combinations.
Combine different aiding elements to achieve new and better results (so that you can ride with greater and greater sophistication and achieve clearer and clearer communication)
Willingness and Eagerness.
Help the horse learn to have a positive attitude about the training and particularly about the introduction of new movements or eercises (so that he learns to love dressage as much as you do)
No bored horses (or riders).
Ride exciting combinations of exercises that inspire and evoke your horse’s focus, interest, and curiosity (no more of the “watching paint dry” kind of dressage riding)
Training Structure.
Structure your training sessions so that you guide the horse through the right sequence of elements in a ride (so you know what to do in the warm-up, when to introduce new elements, and when to bring the session to a happy ending)
Clear and Consistent Strategy.
Strategize your day-to-day training and your overall training plan for your horse so that it makes sense to you AND your horse (no more lack of cohesiveness from one day to the next or even within the session)
Responsiveness.
Improve your horse’s responsiveness to the aids (no more frustration for you because your horse is ignoring your aids and no more frustration for your horse because he doesn’t understand your aids)
Harmony and Relationship.
Cultivate a healthy collaborative relationship with your horse (so that you can begin each ride with enthusiasm and end each ride with a happy, content horse)
Dialogue.
When you and your horse treat each other with mutual respect, it opens the ability to have a deep, enriching dialogue through the training.
Partnership.
Develop the kind of partnership with your horse that you always knew was possible (but you didn’t know how to get there from where you are now).
Rather than a training scale that is rigidly structured as a pyramid, we prefer to look at the training scale as a wheel where each element is connected to all the other elements. This is how training actually works. Every element influences (and improves) all the other elements. Every time you improve your horse’s straightness, the relaxation, impulsion, contact, etc. will also improve. By combining the approach of targeting the movement patterns of the horse with specific biomechanics-centered exercises, we can holistically and positively influence all the parts of the training scale in unison.
Rhythm.
Learn to use your aids and exercises to help the horse find a clear, steady rhythm.
Confidence and Relaxation.
Create better confidence and relaxation in the horse by improving his body awareness and coordination (so that he focuses on you and not the Pokemon in the bushes)
Contact and Connection.
Develop a supple, elastic rein contact that allows you to have a two-way dialogue with your horse that is pleasant and enriching for you both.
Suppleness.
Learn to mindfully supple each body part of your horse so that you can unlock your horse’s most beautiful natural movement.
Throughness.
Connect the horse’s body parts to each other so his whole body works together holistically (no more riding a horse that looks like two different half-horses haphazardly stuck together with duct tape)
Balance and Impulsion.
Connect the horse to the ground to improve his balance and impulsion (so that the movements are easy and fun for you both)
Strengthen and Straighten.
Supple, strengthen, and develop specific body parts in the horse with targeted gymnastic exercises (so that you can help your horse with the precision of a surgeon)
Correct Collection.
True collection isn’t about shortening the gaits or the frame. It is about shifting the weight to the hindquarters and teaching your horse true flexion and articulation of all the joints of the hind legs. Learn how to enable collection through the classical use of your aids, patterns, and movements.
Gymnasticizing the Horse: The Foundation that supports the entire training
Athletic Suppleness: Unlocking the horse’s potential and developing the gaits
Permeable Impulsion: Awakening the horse’s true talents and inner beauty
Balance, Lightness, & Collection: Preserving Longevity through Athletic Fulfillment
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN EACH LEVEL OF WWH:
BIOMECHANICS THEORY
Biomechanically-based theory components which explain how the interplay between the horse's body and the dressage training are spread throughout the entirety of the program. The theory is designed to stimulate your mind and cultivate your understanding. Each theory lesson builds upon the previous module, but they can also be used as a reference library, to refer back to at any time.
GYMNASTIC EXERCISES
Each module has a selection of biomechanically-based gymnastic horse exercises which correspond to the theory instruction, so you are are able to immediately apply the theoretical lessons into your riding, and experience first-hand how they work. Each exercise comes with a PDF and video with complete instructions outlining what to do, why to do it, and how to do it.
INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS
Each horse riding exercise and every theory component is accompanied by an instructional video in which we expand upon the material further, showing you where the problem spots are and how to address the various problems that can come up while riding. We also explain how to modify the exercises if you need to make simpler for a less trained horse, or more challenging for a higher level horse.
DEMONSTRATION VIDEOS
Demonstration of exercises and concepts by Thomas and our team of qualified assistant trainers, with our commentary explaining what is happening and why. This is one of the most important parts of the course because we know so many riders learn best by SEEING the exercise being ridden, and also because there is no better way to understand the gymnastic influence on the horse than to see it in action. You can learn through watching what to do, what not to do, and how to correct the mistakes that commonly occur.
FELDENKRAIS LESSONS
The rider's seat is a SUPER IMPORTANT part of riding and training, and Feldenkrais works like magic for the Rider's Seat! Regardless of your age or experience level, Feldenkrais has the amazing ability to meet you exactly where you are now and help you achieve the next step in your development (and will improve your life outside of riding, too!). Each module of the course includes Feldenkrais lessons which help you, as the rider, to learn better body awareness, coordination, flexibility, and control. Taught by Feldenkrais Practitioners, Catherine McCrum and Charlotte Zetterberg... you are in for a real treat!!!
AN AWESOME COMMUNITY
One of the most thrilling parts of this course is the incredible community. You will join the amazing WWH Alumni Community! Since its original inception in January 2017, the community that is built around this course is the most tight-knit, supportive, and stimulating group we have ever cultivated. As a member of the course, you are granted a lifetime VISA into the community. It spans many continents, several languages, includes riders of all levels and types, and is your new homeland. Welcome home! (Lifetime Access)
Q&A COACHING SESSIONS
You have questions and we actually encourage that!!! You can ask your questions at any time in the Facebook Group but there is just nothing like getting your questions answered live. You will get access to all of the upcoming Q&A sessions for the duration of this course (two sessions each month). For a super small upgrade fee, you can always add access to future Q&As as well.
RESOURCES LIBRARY
It’s a bonus but it is worth mentioning here because the value is exponential and worth mentioning. You will get access to an extensive library of Q&As from our past What, Why, How (WWH) courses. You will also get the recordings for a huge library of other trainings we have done on a long list of topics. Never run out of fun trainings to binge-watch!
THE WWH PODCAST
Life is busy enough! You need an easy, quick way to integrate your learning into your daily life and we have the solution for you! You will get access to an exclusive WWH members-only podcast where you can listen to every video in the WWH course (for all levels you purchase) including the 2024 Q&A recordings. Turn your car drive, walk, or even washing dishes into your learning time! With a few simple clicks, you can download the Podcast feed to listen anytime, even while offline (long commutes and plane trips just got a whole lot better!).
THE WWH STUDY GROUPS
Join a study pod! Accountability accelerates performance.
The American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) found the following in a recent study:
* 65% of their participants completed a goal if they asked someone to hold them accountable to their goals and fully committed to accomplishing their project with their accountability partner.
* 95% of people successfully met their goals when they did the above and attended a specific appointment with their accountability partner/people to discuss their progress and success. (Participation is optional, but highly recommended.)
LIVE HOT SEAT SESSIONS
You need precision feedback and we know that. That is why we include Live Hot Seat Coaching Sessions twice per month when you enroll in the Complete Program (available for add-on with registration of individual levels). We get together on a live Group Zoom session and watch your submitted videos, and we break down what is happening, often frame by frame to point it out clearly so you can SEE and UNDERSTAND what is happening. Then we give you exercises and tips to address what we see. You can ask questions right there, and there is a chat where you can talk to the other participants in real-time. You can even ask questions about other participants' videos. If you cannot attend live, you can watch the recording afterwards - all recordings are time-stamped so you can find your spot easily.
LIFETIME ACCESS
You never lose access to your course materials, as long as we are alive and able to support the course platform (and we hope that is a very, very long time). That means that you can work as fast or as slow through the materials as you wish. That means that if you get sick, tired, injured - you can pause at anytime and come back to it whenever you and your horse are ready for more. It will always be there for you, and so will we. For a small Admin fee, you can register for Q&As for future years. For a reasonably modest Upgrade fee, you can register for Hot Seats for future years.
Three WWH Enrollment Options:
The Complete 4-Level
What, Why, How Training Program
‣ The entire What Why How Training Program: Levels 1-4 (lifetime access, repeat the levels as many times as you like)
‣ Introduction to WWH Mini-Course
‣ What Why How Exclusive Facebook Group (lifetime access)
‣ Lifetime Q&As (lifetime and ongoing access to all the Q&As for each level)
‣ Live Hot Seat Coaching for all 4 Levels
‣ What Why How Accountability Study Pods for each level (optional participation)
‣ What Why How Completion Certificate for each Level
‣ Eligibility to participate in the Ritter Trainer Certification Process at the completion of all 4 Levels
‣ Bonus #1: Virtual Élève Bundle (value €200)
‣ Bonus #1: Mindset for Riders ‣ Package (value €200)
‣ Bonus #3: WWH Resources Library (Value €300)
‣ Bonus #4: Arena GPS 1.0 ebook (Value €30)
‣ Bonus #5: The Ritter Way Digital Journal (Value €19)
‣ Bonus #6: Real Deal Challenge Recodings (Value €25)
‣ Bonus #7: Dressage Principles Masterclass Series (Value €150)
‣ Bonus #8: Classical Lessons for the Modern Rider Series (Value €150)
‣ Bonus #9: Rider Development Series (Value €150)
Complete Program Registration - €3897**
** available in other currencies. Payment Plans Available.
(get started for as low as €190/month!)
REGISTER IN WWH COMPLETE ⭐️
What, Why, How -
Level 1 Only
Gymnasticizing the Horse: The Foundation that supports the entire training
‣ Level 1 of the What Why How Training Program beginning June 21, 2024 (lifetime access)
‣ Introduction to WWH Mini-Course
‣ What Why How Exclusive Facebook Group (lifetime access)
‣ Packet of 2024 WWH Q&As for Level 1
‣ What Why How Accountability Study Pods (optional participation)
‣ What Why How Completion Certificate for Level 1
👉 Does not include 2024 Hot Seats (available separately in the checkout)
‣ Bonus #1: WWH Resources Library (Value €300)
‣ Bonus #2: The Ritter Way Digital Journal (Value €19)
Complete Program Registration - €997**
** available in other currencies. Payment Plans Available.
(get started for as low as €125/month!)
REGISTER IN WWH LEVEL 1
What, Why, How -
Level 2 Only
Athletic Suppleness: Unlocking the horse’s potential and developing the gaits
‣ Level 2 of the What Why How Training Program beginning September 20, 2024 (lifetime access)
‣ Introduction to WWH Mini-Course
‣ What Why How Exclusive Facebook Group (lifetime access)
‣ Packet of 2024/2025 WWH Q&As for Level 2
‣ What Why How Accountability Study Pods (optional participation)
‣ What Why How Completion Certificate for Level 2
👉 Does not include 2024 Hot Seats (available separately in the checkout)
‣ Bonus #1: WWH Resources Library (Value €300)
‣ Bonus #2: The Ritter Way Digital Journal (Value €19)
Complete Program Registration - €997**
** available in other currencies. Payment Plans Available.
(get started for as low as €125/month!)
REGISTER IN WWH LEVEL 2
The What, Why, How Guarantee!
We promise that you CAN do this.
But the best part is… you don’t even have to believe us.
If you’re not 100% satisfied with the What, Why, How course program, the training exercises and strategies, or our extensive support after 30 days, we will offer you a full refund, rider’s honor!
That means you can enroll today, and you don’t even have to decide if you’re in for good! Take the full 30 days to explore the materials, bonuses, and the life-changing experience of the What Why How family and Ritter Riders culture, and make your decision then. That enables you to make the decision then based on the experience you have first-hand in the course materials, rather than making the decision based on what you don’t yet know.
Wait. A tiny bit about who we are...
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.
Thomas wrote about this system in his first book, "Dressage Principles based on Biomechanics,"
and over the next few years he fleshed it out even further through teaching the concepts in his clinics all over Europe, Canada, and the US.
In sharing these concepts in his lessons, he was able to define the core elements that all riders needed to know in order to successfully train their horses. In the process we witnessed first-hand how these concepts and this system was able to dramatically improve the lives and training success of thousands of horses and riders.
Eventually this was developed it into what we now call
"The What, Why, How Method".
We were teaching The What, Why, How Method in our clinics but we with only being able to teach a finite number of hours a day, we were limited in the number of people we could help. We had requests from all over the world to come teach clinics, but with a finite number of weekends in a year, we could not accommodate all of the requests.
That is when we decided to develop the system into an online course where we could teach the concepts and method to many riders all at once, regardless of which continent they lived in and regardless of their ability to get their horse to a riding clinic.
"I'm really pleased I made the decision to invest in the What Why How course. ”
“The course has given me so much more confidence. It's improved my relationship with my horse a lot. The course came at the right time for me. I was struggling quite a bit. I wasn't really sure what direction to go in with my horse. And this just gave me so much more confidence to have a plan in my riding. And it gave me some structure to my rides, which gave us some purpose and it's really, really helped us develop over the course of 18 months. I've made some friends through the group as well. People that I'm in contact with outside of the course. And these are people from all around the world that I probably wouldn't have chance to meet. And now I've got the network of like-minded people from lots of different countries, which has been abenefit I didn't expect to achievement online course."
- Katharine Trevelyan , UK
"You don't feel daunted, you don't feel judged. You don't feel over faced. You don't feel challenged beyond what you are capable of doing.”
“You'll have a paradigm shift in your understanding particularly if, like me, you only had a functioning, fundamental understanding of dressage and only dressage as sport, not classical dressage as a training strategy for building a better horse, a stronger, fitter, healthier horse, and doing the same for you as a rider. Everything you learn makes you a better rider - makes you a more reflective rider, makes you think about things, makes you stop and take note, helps you build a connection, gives you the tools to talk to your horse and gives you the tools and the mental headspace to listen to what the horse has to say back.“
- Naomi Betts, Australia
"This course has really made me a better horse person, a thinking horse person.”
“Without this course, I would be still struggling on a number of issues and not knowing how to solve them. The What Why How course gave me a roadmap. It gave me a way to work through problems and solve them. It made me basically a thinking rider. It was so super that through the course, I've solved issues that I couldn't solve for ages. One, for instance, my one horse was very spooky and we weren't really sure why. What it turned out to be was she was actually protecting herself because she was so athletic and yet had an injury. And by he helping her discover her own abilities through various exercises as directed through the course, I was able to give her the confidence that her spooking is completely, completely switched off. And she's now a much more rideable horse.“
- Kim Underwood, Canada
"The quality of instruction is far higher than I've ever had from a live trainer.”
“I would recommend the, what, why, how course to every single rider, you can't go wrong taking this course. You will learn whatever discipline you are following. You will learn so much and you will never ever regret the investment. The investment you make on this course is GOLD for your learning and for your experience. And you will learn more and you will see improvements in your horse than you have ever found with a live trainer. I was, uh, very, uh, surprised how effective the hot seats were. And I can highly recommend the hot seats to any prospective course members. The quality of training and the sharp eye of Thomas to analyze the ride. And it's not at all critical. It's just training your eye and training yourself to see and know what you can do to improve things for you and your horse.“
- Bella Collins, Germany
"This is the course that I would recommend beginning with. It's so complete. There's nothing lacking. ”
“I've really grown in my knowledge. I've learned more in this course, in the first couple months than I've had in the last 40 years. I am here pretty much alone because there aren't people around me that have horses that ride regularly. So I was starting to almost lose interest. I really was wondering how long I could keep riding. And now I see myself riding well into my late seventies, without a problem, I've lost weight. I keep fit because now I see how important that is for my riding. And it's really changed my whole life. And having the community support! I have friends all over the world now. And so it's really been a huge augmentation to my life. I already had a great life, but now it's even so much better! I just I'm really thankful for the course that started me off on this.“
- Carla Powell, USA
"I finally feel like I'm not faking it anymore.”
“I kind of feel like I've just been like, faking it to make it. I mean, I have a USDF bronze medal that I kind of did on my own with, with trainers, but I was always kind of training the horse while I was learning myself. So I didn't really know what I was supposed to be feeling, and I didn't really know what made each movement to be done correctly. And so for me, The What Why How Course was around understanding biomechanically what the horse is supposed to be doing, what I'm supposed to be doing, and then Feldenkrais on top of it has allowed me to feel my body again. That combination of understanding the theory from a real sense, and being able to feel it in my body was pretty powerful for me.“
- Kate Murray, USA
"I couldn't have asked for more. It was brilliant.”
"If you are gonna start any of the courses, start with the What Why How because it covers everything. It's not just one thing. It covers everything, everything you need to know, it's the best course. It was worth every bit of money. You can pay for an hour's lesson for 20, 30, 40 euros per week and not come out with anything. And I came out with so much more. I can't remember where I worked out at a week, but I come out with so much, it was unbelievable. I recommend this course to everybody. All levels. Even high level people could learn a lot, a lot. That speaks volume. I can't believe how much I learned.”
- Bev Slack, Ireland
"No question. I would recommend this course.”
“I was very suspect of an online course. I mean, I did have access to SuperDuper trainers and clinics in Europe. And so, and where I am here in Canada, there are super trainers here too, but they're just not close to me. So I was really not thinking I would get much out of the online course. But, in fact, I just found it to be very fulfilling and the progress and the improvement in my horse, he was looking a bit old and that's normal at 21. But these days I find that he looks great. The horse chiropractor came the other day and she said to me, ‘oh my God, he's the new 12, not 22!’ And so it's really a return on investment because the horse just made leaps and bounds in progress. But so did I, and that was really, really, really great. No question. I would recommend this course.”
- Kimberly Dawne Allen, Canada
"It’s been quite a life changing experience.”
“I would highly recommend the, What Why How course to absolutely anybody who would like to learn and becomemore proficient in training their own horse, or even training other people's horses or even just for, for fun. Really. You can do anything with it. You build confidence within your yourself as well. In every way you can, you can improve yourself and your horse, no matter what level, where you are, even in your life. I've never ever come across anybody that's ever given me the details and the support that the Ritters have. It’s been quite a life changing experience. And I would highly recommend it. Absolutely. One hundred percent.“
- Sharon Gallagher, USA
"I think the lifetime access is one of the biggest arguments as to why to take the course.”
“What struck me as different from the beginning with Ritter Dressage was the direct conversations in real time that Thomas has with the students. And so, when one has a question to ask whether one asks it on the Facebook page or in one of the Q&As, you actually get an answer back in person. You genuinely can have a back and forth conversation. And, I don't think many other online courses offer that.“
- Jacky Davies, UK
"I've learned how to help my horse.”
“The biggest progress is I have, have learned to train my horses. I've taken other courses, but this is very different to a lot of other courses, because you start in the very beginning and working through everything where dressage starts. So you can start with an uneducated horse and you work through everything dressage. It's possible to do this for every horse, every kind of horse. I feel confident with what I am doing.“
- Katrin Malmqvist, Sweden
Avoid past mistakes so you keep a steady rate of progress in your training
(no more wasted time on endless plateaus or dead-ends)
Jump-start stalled progress
(because you finally have answers to the questions you always had)
Surpass your own perceived limits
(no more assuming you are not cut out to be the rider you always wanted to be - the one your horse needs you to be)
Achieve greater harmony and enhanced communication with your horse
(when your aids and intentions are clearer, your horse can understand what you are trying to say, and vice versa, when you can interpret your horse’s responses better, you have more accurate information to work with)
Maybe you’re tired of scavenging
through all the many articles, blogs, videos, and posts online to find a system that will work for you and your horse
Maybe you are isolated
and don’t have access to good instruction within many driving hours.
Maybe your horse doesn’t trailer well
so you feel like you are stuck trying to figure it out yourself at home.
Maybe you feel unheard or misunderstood
because no one can (or is willing to) answer your questions, and they just give you “that look” when you ask yet another question.
Maybe you’re confused
at all the conflicted advice and information out there. What is right? What will work best for YOUR horse?
Maybe you feel despondent
about the state of Dressage “out there” and you can’t seem to find a trainer or a community who feels the same way as you.
Maybe you’re on the brink of giving up
because no one seems to speak a “Dressage language” that can be translated to YOUR riding.
Imagine finding concrete answers to your training questions - that actually make SENSE and WORK, and imagine developing your understanding so that eventually you can come up with your own solutions without having to always search outside of yourself for the answers.
Imagine never having to start over again because you went down another detour that initially looked like it could be THE golden promised solution but didn’t pan out, or didn’t translate to results for your riding.
Imagine finding a solution where all the pieces actually worked together in one complete holistic system, not an assembled mess of disparate techniques and “Dressage-isms” that don’t really work together well.
Imagine learning the real understanding of dressage training, not an assembled mess of generic “Dressage-isms” that don’t really convey what you need to do and how (like “Make the horse ROUNDER” or “More inside leg to outside rein” or even “More Forward” for a horse that is already out of balance).
Imagine dramatically reducing the frustration for you AND your horse because you are no longer contradicting your training with techniques that don’t work together holistically or that, frankly, just do not work because they are not based in sound, classical technique or valid horse-friendly practices.
Imagine jumpstarting your progress because you have a clear path and system to follow that lays out the entire training process for you in a methodical, straightforward manner… AND doing it in a way that is best and right for your horse, too!
Imagine the joy of greeting your horse who nickers at you happily when he sees you because he is excited and eager to experience what the day’s training session will bring. Imagine having a partnership that fosters the dialogue between you and horse throughout the training process.
Imagine the satisfaction of having the clarity and confidence that comes from being able to solve your own training problems, yourself, because you understand how it all works together (and eventually even being able to help others with their training problems, if that is what you would like to do!)
Imagine learning Dressage on your schedule, at your home, on your schedule, and at your pace! You don’t have to trailer to clinics or lessons. You can ride when and where it works best for YOU and YOUR horse.
I feel as if this course began at ABC and went right through to XYZ. Thomas and Shana share ALL their knowledge and not just little titbits of information that still leaves you in the dark wondering why something you are doing isn't working for you and your horse and making you feel like you are a useless rider. They don't just advise 'try shoulder in' to help you with an unbalance in your horse...they tell you EXACTLY how, why and what for in SUCH fine detail they leave you with no doubts about what you are doing, why and how it will help you and your horse. This course builds into a detailed encyclopaedia of how to ride and train your horse, no matter what discipline you enjoy, that you can refer to for years to come.
- Carol Kosy, NE Somerset, UK
The course has provided a huge amount of technical detail, in an easily accessible format. The exercises are explained in careful detail with variations depending on your and hour horse's level of experience. Although I have done this course with a young horse who certainly can't do the complicated stuff, he has improved and I have a far better understanding of what we are trying to achieve, and tools to use to achieve that understanding.
- Jean de Klerk, South Africa
Take this course!!! It has changed not only my relationship with my horse but has honestly restored my faith in people too. I have never felt more supported and less judged in my dressage career of 25 years. Not only are Shana and Thomas amazing but the people in the course have been wonderful also. I have learned so many important and sensible things, most importantly how to effectively half halt my horse by FINALLY knowing where his feet are! Can't say enough about this experience, just plain fabulous.
- Maureen Shinsky, Michigan USA
This online-riding course is the best you can choose right now! My hopes to find out how to transfer classical dressage movements practised from the ground into the ridden work with my young horse have been fulfilled completely. Thomas and Shana Ritter have been able to define exactly what happens biomechanically when we start to ride and want to gymnastize our horses from the saddle in a sound and profound manner. They have come up with numerous creative exercises for classical movements from easy to difficult to guide our horses fluently from relatively new under saddle towards more balance and then further through advanced exercises which in the end will lead to collection and with that the beauty of riding our horses lightly because they have learned how to carry a rider with strength and suppleness using the power of the hindlegs.
- Nan Brünig, Germany
In this course, there aren't just instructions, how to ride a specific exercise, like you're getting them elsewhere. You get all the background, why to ride a specific exercise at a specific point of education and what should be achieved with this exercise. And of course, there are also explanations on how to improve the exercises. But every hint or suggestion comes with an background explanation, so that every course participant learn to think and not just follow instructions. This online course was the best thing, I ever did for my riding development!
- Sandra Schindlbacher, Austria
I find that this course has given me a thorough understanding of how I can work with my horse in a healthy way. I have learned what questions to ask in order to find out, and actually get, answers when things feel wrong. It has also given me a confidence as a rider which a haven’t felt before. This has made the communication between me and my horse almost tangible. My horse has gone from having a stiff side, headstrong and often unwilling to work to being in balance and a horse that wants to work. That is simply awesome. I really want to emphasis Shana and Thomas ever present and invaluable support and I really appreciate your enthusiasm. This course is simply great.
- Alexandra Westermark, Lidingö Sweden
How much time is required?
Will this course work for me?
How fast can I expect to see results?
What level is this course appropriate for?
What type of tack or equipment do I need?
What is a "Hot Seat" Video Coaching Session?
When are the live Q&A and Hot Seat coaching sessions and how do I attend?
What if I can’t watch the Q&As live?
What if I can’t watch the Hot seat sessions live?
When are the modules released?
What if I can’t keep up, my horse or I get sick or injured, or I need a different pace?
What if I want to watch the videos off-line?
What if I am not riding right now? What if I don’t ride anymore but wish to learn this to improve my teaching?
What if I want to take a future What, Why, How course?
I already took the Dressage Biomechanics Framework Course. Will this still work for me?
What if I want to take a future What, Why, How course?
I am already in the Ritterize Membership. How is this different?
What kind of support can I get if I get stuck?
Is there a community with this course? Are there any in-person events?
What if I do not like Facebook or want to join the Facebook Group?
Is everything available immediately?
I take weekly lessons with a riding instructor. Will this still work for me?
I don’t have access to a competent trainer or riding instructor. Will this still work for me?
I have taken other online programs for dressage, horsemanship, straightness, etc. Do I need this?
Can I use this for my Icelandic/TWH/Quarter/etc. Horse?
Can I share this with a spouse/parent/child?
Do I need a special program to access the materials?
What if it is not what I expect? Is there a guarantee?
Do you have people who’ve used this with success?
What is my obligation in this course?
What if I have more questions about the course or have trouble enrolling or with the payment process?
How do I enroll? What forms of payment do you accept? Can I pay with bank transfer?
Catherine McCrum
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.
Charlotte Zetterberg
Based in Sweden, Charlotte is a Riding Instructor, Authorised Feldenkrais Practioner, Certified Mindfulness Instructor, and author of the Swedish book "Feldenkrais for Riders". She is also a hypnotherapist, a reflex integration therapist, and a mindfulness instructor.
Marcella Becker
Marcella Becker, a dressage instructor based in Germany, benefited from several years of study under Thomas and Shana, gaining deep insight into their approach to educating horses and riders. With a keen eye for rider seat and horse movement honed over time, she offers valuable input on improving seat, horse movement, and rider-horse interaction.
Kristen Guest
Kristen Guest is an amateur rider residing in a remote area of Canada. Since she followed Thomas home from a clinic in 2009, she has been his student, developing her horse from backing to showing FEI tests under his supervision. Currently focusing on schooling the movements for Grand Prix, Kristen plans to debut her self-trained Lipizzaner at Grand Prix in 2024.
Yvonne Lübcke
Yvonne has been a part of the Artistic Dressage online courses since 2018, and now teaches within the program as an assistant teacher. She is a Holistic Equine Therapist, working with many different modalities including Acupuncture (with and without needles), Homeopathy, Bach Flower remedies, Cranio-Sacral Therapy, Animal Communication, and Emmett Therapy. She also specialises in Work-in-Hand and Liberty work with her horses, following the principles of biomechanics.
Caroline Duff-Riddell
Caroline Duff-Riddell, a resident of South Africa, has experienced various equestrian disciplines including jumping, racing, and eventing before transitioning to Dressage due to unsoundness. She began with Artistic Dressage in the very first online course and has become an invaluable source of wisdom and guidance for the course members. She shares her life with two cherished mares, DarlingDay and Lily.
When thinking about this crazy and fascinating dressage journey, I’m reminded of one of our students, Kristen Guest in Prince George, Canada. She started riding with us when we still lived in the U.S. Her first clinic with us was in Edmonton, Canada where she brought a cranky Thoroughbred she had previously been told was absolutely unsuitable for dressage.
In her words, “The results of three days of lessons were so good that I ‘followed him home,’ so to speak. I spent a month training with him and Shana in 2009.
The effects of this relationship have been profound: I began to develop as a rider, and my “unsuitable” horse demonstrated the capability for upper level work both physically and mentally.
My skinny thoroughbred developed dramatic muscling across his topline and changed his posture both under saddle and in the pasture. As he began to trust that the demands placed on him would be progressive and fair my cranky and untractable horse became happy and co-operative.
At the end of the first year of training with Thomas the same people who had said my horse was untrainable began to ask where I got this new horse.”
But a year later when we moved to Germany, Kristen was not so easily able to just ‘follow us home’ so we began a program of online coaching.
Since that time she began to work with her young Lipizzan, "Scorpio". Through ONLY coaching online and no other lessons or training help, she has been able to bring him along from untrained, totally green to upper level dressage work including piaffe, passage, canter pirouettes, series of flying changes.
She and Scorpio WON her classes their first time out at Prix St. George, competed successfully at Intermediere I and II, and have just made their successful debut at Grand Prix.
Kristen is now one of our Assistant Instructors in the What, Why, How course.
Watch the interview with Kristen here to hear her whole story (it's quite inspiring!!):
And while you are at it, here are a few more inspiring stories from some of our other previous WWH Alumni:
HERE'S THE TRUTH...
Every method of learning doesn’t work for every rider.
For as many riders who can learn just by watching and doing, or being told to just “shut up and ride,” there are just as many riders who need to think and understand BEFORE they can do it.
They NEED to know what to do, why to do it, and how to do it. They need to know what is going on in their horse or their body, they need to know why that is happening, and they need to know how they can change it.
IF YOU HAVE BEEN FRUSTRATED...
If you have been frustrated trying to cram your “square peg” horse into a “round” hole and wondering WHY it is just not working…
IF YOU HAVE BEEN SHAMED...
If you have been shamed for standing up for your horse, wanting to adhere to the classical standards, or for asking too many questions purely just in an attempt to thoroughly understand something…
IF YOU'RE LOSING FAITH...
If you have started to lose faith in your ability because it doesn’t seem as “figureoutable” as you thought it would be…
IF YOU HAVE WONDERED...
If you have started to wonder if this whole riding thing is even something you were cut out for…
THEN LET US ASSURE YOU...
You are finally in the RIGHT place where you and your horse will be supported WHERE YOU ARE NOW and AS YOU ARE NOW. The only reason it has not worked for you YET is because you needed to find a method that works for you and your horse. This is good news, because it means the breakthroughs you have been waiting for you are just around the corner.
Let us help restore your faith in your ability to learn, your ability to understand, your ability to figure this out, and your ability to train your horse.
Or even if nobody has made you feel bad for being the curious, inquisitive, and studious learner you are, you can BOOST what you are already doing and take your learning to a whole ‘nother level.
We’ve broken the entire system down and we will guide you through the entire process with our complete support every step of the way, never holding anything back.
Let’s get started.
xoxo Shana
Three WWH Enrollment Options:
The Complete 4-Level
What, Why, How Training Program
‣ The entire What Why How Training Program: Levels 1-4 (lifetime access, repeat the levels as many times as you like)
‣ Introduction to WWH Mini-Course
‣ What Why How Exclusive Facebook Group (lifetime access)
‣ Lifetime Q&As (lifetime and ongoing access to all the Q&As for each level)
‣ Live Hot Seat Coaching for all 4 Levels
‣ What Why How Accountability Study Pods for each level (optional participation)
‣ What Why How Completion Certificate for each Level
‣ Eligibility to participate in the Ritter Trainer Certification Process at the completion of all 4 Levels
‣ Bonus #1: Virtual Élève Bundle (value €200)
‣ Bonus #1: Mindset for Riders ‣ Package (value €200)
‣ Bonus #3: WWH Resources Library (Value €300)
‣ Bonus #4: Arena GPS 1.0 ebook (Value €30)
‣ Bonus #5: The Ritter Way Digital Journal (Value €19)
‣ Bonus #6: Real Deal Challenge Recodings (Value €25)
‣ Bonus #7: Dressage Principles Masterclass Series (Value €150)
‣ Bonus #8: Classical Lessons for the Modern Rider Series (Value €150)
‣ Bonus #9: Rider Development Series (Value €150)
Complete Program Registration - €3897**
** available in other currencies. Payment Plans Available.
(get started for as low as €190/month!)
REGISTER IN WWH COMPLETE ⭐️
What, Why, How -
Level 1 Only
Gymnasticizing the Horse: The Foundation that supports the entire training
‣ Level 1 of the What Why How Training Program beginning June 21, 2024 (lifetime access)
‣ Introduction to WWH Mini-Course
‣ What Why How Exclusive Facebook Group (lifetime access)
‣ Packet of 2024 WWH Q&As for Level 1
‣ What Why How Accountability Study Pods (optional participation)
‣ What Why How Completion Certificate for Level 1
👉 Does not include 2024 Hot Seats (available separately in the checkout)
‣ Bonus #1: WWH Resources Library (Value €300)
‣ Bonus #2: The Ritter Way Digital Journal (Value €19)
Complete Program Registration - €997**
** available in other currencies. Payment Plans Available.
(get started for as low as €125/month!)
REGISTER IN WWH LEVEL 1
What, Why, How -
Level 2 Only
Athletic Suppleness: Unlocking the horse’s potential and developing the gaits
‣ Level 2 of the What Why How Training Program beginning September 20, 2024 (lifetime access)
‣ Introduction to WWH Mini-Course
‣ What Why How Exclusive Facebook Group (lifetime access)
‣ Packet of 2024/2025 WWH Q&As for Level 2
‣ What Why How Accountability Study Pods (optional participation)
‣ What Why How Completion Certificate for Level 2
👉 Does not include 2024 Hot Seats (available separately in the checkout)
‣ Bonus #1: WWH Resources Library (Value €300)
‣ Bonus #2: The Ritter Way Digital Journal (Value €19)
Complete Program Registration - €997**
** available in other currencies. Payment Plans Available.
(get started for as low as €125/month!)
REGISTER IN WWH LEVEL 2
The What, Why, How Program with Ritter Dressage - artisticdressage.com - All Rights Reserved - Terms & Conditions
