Ashley Donadt explains how riding every corner mindfully can translate to higher test scores in competition. Her simple exercise offers training benefits such as improving your horse’s balance and focus, getting him tuned in to your aids, naturally teaching the half-halt, and ultimately setting u...

Steffen Peters coaches a successful young rider currently advancing toward Intermediare I and Prix St. Georges level. Steffen explains that to succeed at these levels, the horse needs to become more sensitive overall and get in front of the leg while achieving more collection. They warm up with a...

Join Steffen Peters for a schooling ride on his new horse, Mani’s Endeavor. Following their first time showing Prix St. Georges together, Steffen continues developing the horse. Starting with movements like half-pass and walk pirouettes, Steffen works through his warm-up and gets the horse’s atte...

Steffen Peters and the rider work on schooling piaffe. Steffen explains the rider needs to use her legs to correct the piaffe, not maintain the piaffe. He also wants to think about this work playfully. They might do some different movements in between and then test a little piaffe to see if it is...

Steffen Peters talks about tempi changes. He suggests getting the two tempis extremely reliable before starting with the one tempis. It is also important to always keep the quality of the canter in mind. Since this horse gets tight in the changes, he suggests allowing the horse to stretch down in...

Steffen Peters and a clinic rider work on lengthening and collecting the canter on the long side with the goal that the transitions are easily available to the rider. In the canter pirouette, Steffen explains that the outside leg is a reminding leg – not a constant aid. There is a careful balance...

The 2023 Developing Horse Prix St. Georges s test is demonstrated. Judges Mike Osinski and Kari McClain score and comment on the test.

Steffen works with a talented pair showing Prix St. Georges. With this forward-thinking horse, he wants the rider to really make sure the horse is listening to the bending and half halt aids. It is okay for this horse to be below tempo in all the gaits. Then when the horse is relaxed and listenin...

In the canter work, Steffen suggests spiraling down into a canter pirouette, but he doesn’t want the inside hind leg to come in too far. When the canter gets too short, there should be less haunches in and slightly enlarge the circle to improve the activity. Then he likes to let the horse stretch...

When schooling flying changes, Steffen wants the rider to think about the canter quality first. The horse also needs to be able to move off both of the rider's legs so that he has room to cleanly change. If the horse wants to anticipate the change, it is important to make the horse wait.

After the canter work, Steffen has them do trot work, including passage, piaffe and half pass. He wants the focus on cadence, and since the horse has a good passage, he suggests using that to help collect the trot. In the half pass, if the rider feels the trot getting flat, Steffen suggests going...

This German Riding Pony tends to rush and get too low in front so they start the warm-up with a slower tempo and higher neck carriage. Steffen comments that usually diving in front and being too quick go together. They do the same thing in the warm-up canter. Then they go back to the walk and try...

They work on schooling pirouettes. Steffen says to try to keep the movement and the aids simple. When schooling the movement, keep it large and only do as many strides as the horse can do with quality and then go forward out of the movement. He stresses to set the horse up correctly and then allo...

They start with flying changes on the long side slightly off the rail so that there is some room for straightening the horse or moving him a little off the leg. Steffen emphasizes the need for straightness before asking for the change. He also wants the rider to use the legs as the primary aids a...

To finish the ride, they school trot work, including some half-steps, passage and half pass. When asking for cadence in the passage, Steffen still wants the horse to be forward thinking. The steps should be shorter, but higher than the working trot. Anytime the horse gets flat, the rider can thin...

David Hunt works with Endel Ots, a USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold medalist and a Diamond Achievement recipient having also earned all of his Freestyle Bars. He is riding King's Pleasure, an eight-year-old KWPN stallion owned by Heidi Humphries. They are part of the Markel/USDF Dressage Emerging You...

David Hunt again works with Endel Ots, a USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold medalist and King's Pleasure, an eight-year-old KWPN stallion. They build on what they worked on during the first day.

Laura suggests building the passage from the trot rather than the walk. She wants the horse to get a big, bouncy trot before asking him to come back. She advises passaging to the hand rather than bringing the horse back to passage. Similarly, she wants the half-steps to come back from a bouncy, f...

Laura takes some time to explain how to take the next step in training the piaffe. If you drive the horse in the piaffe, you are basically telling him not to stay on the spot. However, the horse needs to be more active. To make this happen, bring him back in the trot and then ask him to have quic...

Laura suggests doing fairly quick changes of direction and lateral movements in different directions to help loosen the horse's back. She wants the horse to be even on both legs and both reins regardless of the tempo and movement.

They school the beginnings of canter pirouettes. They start with bringing the canter back on the long side and then on a circle. When that feels good, they ask for more of a pirouette turn. They also work on the canter going into and coming out of the movement. Then they practice the pirouette on...

Laura helps the rider get the quality and tempo of canter she wants before asking for a change. That has to be there first. She warns, however, that when the changes are successful, not to just stop. It is fine to reward the horse, but it is important to finish the canter and ride a down transit...

To finish their ride, they work on the trot. Once the trot is regulated, the rider asks for a quick reaction from her inside leg to build the trot power. However, the trot doesn't have to be bigger. It has to be more reactive with greater articulation of the horse's joints.

Lars Petersen and the other experts help this rider work through several trouble spots before working on the flying changes and pirouettes. They discuss the importance of the rider position and how she must work on a softer contact with a softer shoulder and elbow.