Real Life Dressage: Training Advice from Novice to Grand Prix

In Real Life Dressage Carl Hester shares his training methods and shows how they can be adapted to suit individual horses. Assisted by co-writer Polly Ellison, he outlines his training regimes and favourite exercises, following some of his own horses up the levels to Grand Prix. As the training progresses Carl examines the problems that are commonly encountered, and explains how he and other riders might overcome them. As Carl says, 'I have deliberately chosen horses with differing conformations and mental attitudes in order to illustrate the factors that need to be taken into account when training a horse to these levels.' Carl's training philosophy is very much on the lines of the German training system, the 'Richtlinien' or broad path, that German trainers use so successfully. 'With each of my horses, no matter what type or temperament, the fundamental ground rules from the "scales of training" apply. In working up the levels to Grand Prix you will see that I regularly refer back to various aspects of the training scale, as I believe these ground rules should be applied constantly if you want to get the best out of your horse.'

Table of Contents

1 Training Principles; 2 Top Dressage Horses - Are They Born or Made? 3 Intelligent Riding; 4 Further Philosophy - For Young Horses; 5 Training the Four- and Five-Year-Olds; 6 Training the Six- and Seven-Year-Olds; 7 Training the Seven- and Eight-Year-Olds; 8 Training the Nine- and Ten-Year-Olds; 9 Training the Grand Prix Horse; 10 Other Horses - Other Techniques; 11 The Team

Author Biography

Carl Hester made his British team debut at the 1990 World Games in Stockholm on Rubelit von Unkenruf - then the youngest rider to make a British dressage team. Two years later he was Britain's highest placed dressage rider, making the final at the Barcelona Olympics on Giorgione. He went on to represent Great Britain at European Championship level in 1997 and 1999 on Legal Democrat, also making the final, and it was on this horse that he won three national Grand Prix championships in a row. He was back in the team in the 2000 Sydney Olympics on Argentile Gullet, and in 2004 Carl was chosen to ride for Great Britain on Escapado in the Athens Olympics. Carl has run his own training yard since 1993. Since then, his tally of National Championships has risen to thirty-two, and he has trained several horses to Grand Prix championship level.