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The Purpose of Dressage
The true purpose of dressage has always been simple:
To develop the horse into a powerful, balanced, supple, happy athlete—
and to develop the rider into a thoughtful, educated partner worthy of that horse.
Classical dressage was never about shortcuts.
It was about cross-training horses so they could perform any job with ease and longevity.
It was about riders putting in the time, the feel, and the discipline to become the very best for their horses—because the horse’s long-term welfare depended on it.
Somewhere along the way, we drifted.
We started looking for faster results, quicker fixes, and “hacks” that skipped over the foundational work. We forgot that true development—of both horse and rider—requires patience, consistency, and correct training.
It’s time to return to the original purpose.
To ride with integrity.
To train with empathy.
To prioritize the long-term soundness and confidence of the horse over the short-term picture.
Let’s get back to training athletes, not ornaments.
Partners, not machines.
Let’s honor the classical principles that keep horses healthy, willing, and proud to work with us.
As fast as today's world moves and changes, the horse is still the same.
Dressage was never meant to be rushed.
It was meant to be right.
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Timing of the Infamous Flying Change
The flying change happens during the moment of suspension in the canter. This is the instant when all four feet are off the ground. Many riders are taught that this is also the moment when they should cue for the flying change. But that can’t be correct—because a cue must always come before the movement can happen.
So how can the cue and the actual change occur at the same exact time?
Short answer: they can’t.
The cue for the flying change must be given before the moment of suspension, because the horse needs time to recognize the cue and adjust their footfall pattern in the moment of suspension.
To understand this, you need to look at the canter sequence.
The last footfall before suspension is the third beat—the inside front foot. As soon as this foot hits the ground and begins to bear weight, both hind legs are about to be in the air. This is the moment when the hind legs are free to switch their pattern.
Once the inside front foot is relieved of its weight bearing duties, the shoulders can follow the new lead.
You should cue for the flying change when the inside front foot (the third beat) is on the ground and bearing weight. Not before, not after—right as that foot lands and bears weight.
Before you ever attempt a flying change, your horse must have smooth, prompt, consistent canter transitions and a well-balanced, three-beat canter.
A flying change is simply a reflection of the canter quality beneath it.
If the canter is balanced, adjustable, and straight—the change will come.
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That Special Feeling
At some point in our riding journey, every one of us has had that ride—the one that sends us straight to cloud nine. The kind of ride where you feel like you’re floating across the ground, as if the sand beneath you has turned into a cloud itself. It’s almost an out-of-body experience, a moment where everything aligns and you feel weightless, connected, and completely alive.
Even now, if you think back to that ride, you can still remember exactly how it felt. Maybe you can even feel it in your body. Those moments stay with us because they are powerful, rare, and deeply meaningful. They’re a gift that horses give us—one of the greatest gifts they can offer.
So how do we recreate that feeling?
First, remember:
It’s a feeling you’re trying to recreate—not a movement, not a shape, not a frame. A feeling.
And here’s the magical part—you’ve already felt it many times before. You know it. Your body knows it. Your mind knows it. When you think back on it, even now, the memory brings the feeling right back to the surface.
So instead of waiting for the feeling to appear while you ride, create the feeling before you even get to the barn.
Show up already in that mindset.
Show up with intention, softness, openness, and the belief that harmony is possible today.
If you become the leader of the feeling—if you hold that clarity and carry that energy—your horse will be more than happy to follow. Horses are mirrors. They reflect the emotional and energetic state we bring to them. When you arrive grounded, positive, and receptive, your horse can settle into that space with you.
The more you learn to lead with the feeling, the more often you’ll recreate those cloud-nine rides—because they don’t just happen to you…
you create them.
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With Perseverance Comes Success
We all have goals we want to achieve with our horses—big goals, small goals, training goals, relationship goals. Each one takes time, effort, and sacrifice. And along the way, countless things can get in our way.
If you want clarity, start by listing everything that could interfere with your progress. Then highlight how many of those obstacles are self-imposed.
How many days do you choose not to work your horse because it’s too cold… or too hot?
Because you’ve had a long day?
Because friends invited you to dinner?
Because your motivation dipped?
If you truly want to reach your higher goals—whether in riding or in life—you will have to persevere. You’ll have to put on your Nikes and “just do it.” The more outs you give yourself, the more days you skip. And skipped days add up. You might need to wake up earlier, go to bed later, or ride in the heat of the day.
Success is always worth the extra effort. In fact, it’s the extra effort that makes success feel so great.
For many riders, horses aren’t the number one priority—and that’s okay. Family may come first. A career may come first. Your friends, community, and personal life may also rank higher.
All of that is valid.
But it’s important to adjust your goals and expectations to match your life.
If you have big dreams but several higher priorities, it isn’t fair to your horse to rush in, try to “catch up,” or push harder because you missed a week due to weather or schedule. Horses need consistency, fairness, and a rider whose goals realistically match the time available.
Commitment comes in levels. Sometimes we need a break—to rest, reset, and recharge so we can show up better. There is nothing wrong with a different level of commitment than someone else.
The key is to make sure your commitment matches your goals.
When your expectations align with your schedule, your horse’s progress becomes fair, steady, and enjoyable for both of you. This alignment will save you frustration, prevent pressure on your horse, and spare you a lot of sore muscles.
Perseverance isn’t about perfection—it’s about consistency. It’s about showing up when you can and being honest when you can’t. And it’s about building a partnership that grows through time, patience, and intention.
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You do not have to try to collect your horse in order to ride lateral movements. Lateral work is not the result of collection—it is what creates it.
Lateral movements exist to balance, stretch, and strengthen your horse. They teach the horse how to carry themselves, how to coordinate their body, and how to respond softly to the rider’s aids. Over time—through shoulder-in, haunches-in, renvers, travers, half-pass—the horse gradually develops the strength, elasticity, and confidence needed for true collection.
Collection is not something you can demand.
It is not created through pulling, holding, or driving.
Collection is an increase in balance, an increase in suppleness, a willingness of the mind, and an inner peace of the horse. None of these qualities can be forced. They only appear when the horse feels safe, strong, and prepared.
Your job is not to manufacture collection—it’s to guide the horse to it and allow it.
Let the exercises do the work for you.
Let the horse experiment and grow into the feeling of the lateral movements.
Don’t try to “help” your horse so much that you end up forcing what their body isn’t developed enough to offer yet.
Give them the time they need to build the physical ability and the time they need to figure out what collection actually feels like.
When you give a horse the freedom to develop correctly, collection appears not as a trick or a pose, but as a natural, effortless expression of strength, confidence, and harmony.
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