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Piaffe in the Pillars. Painting by Ludwig Koch. |
Tapestry depicts horse and rider in the Capriole. |
Pirouette by George Hamilton c. 1700. |
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Mary Stuart in the Piaffe, Sidesaddle. |
Capriole in the Pillars, 1890. |
William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle |
Equestrian Portrait of Henry IV (1555-1610). King of France before the Walls of Paris, 1594. |
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Queen Isabel of France by Velasquez |
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The Dressage Blog
May 20, 2009
The Medicine Principle
©Thomas Ritter 2009
All exercises and movements are like medicine: they all heal specific "illnesses,“ but when they are applied at the wrong time, or with the wrong horse, too long, too intensively, too often, or too early, then they will have undesirable side effects. A medication is useful only as long as the patient is sick. As soon as the illness is cured, however, the medication becomes superfluous. If the patient continues to take the medication after he has recovered, then the same medication can make him sick again through an overdose.
The same thing applies to riding. Even the best exercise can harm the horse if it is done incorrectly, or if it is continued for too long without a change. The rider therefore has to detect any positive or negative change in the horse right away and keep up with the horse’s development, so that he is able to adapt the training plan every day to the constantly changing needs of the horse.
Feel free to e-mail me with questions and comments. Read some of the feedback we've received on our Letters and Testimonials page.
Thomas Ritter
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