03/05/2026
ā¢ Grandiose gaits are not healthy long-term
ā¢ The big passagey trot that wins competitions, is not sustainable for any horse that is not an elite athlete with darn near perfect confirmation
ā¢ ļæ¼ Top lines that are braced in a convex position are still braced
ā¢ likewise, spines with extreme undulating movements are hyper mobile, and lax stability
ā¢ if competitive Dressage culture has trained you to think that hyperflexion looks normal and even āgoodā then actual healthy movement might look dysfunctional to you.
And I get it! I thought I wasnāt anybody if I wasnāt competitive in Dressage. I was jealous of the big grandiose gaits until I learned how to produce them. ļæ¼
But when we learn better, we do better.
Iāve come full circle back to true classical riding, and now I just want a balanced uphill horse that is light in the hand. ļæ¼An advanced horse is one that can sit behindā¦. Not one that bounces up and down. Todayās modern competition passage- where the front foot literally makes a circle and goes backward before coming back down- itās not healthy. It doesnāt feel good. Itās not sustainable. It certainly not ideal. and it only looks impressive until you start to see it for what it is. It doesnāt matter if it scores eight and nines in international competitionā¦.. Itās not healthy.
And the reason those people say that only a few horses are capable of doing the Grand Prix, itās because only a few horses are capable of doing those types of grandiose bouncing movements without going lame.
Your little quarter horse or Mustang or Morgan is perfectly capable of doing all the movements in the Grand Prix test!! but let them do their modest version!! Keep their poll as the highest point like Dressage has dictated for hundreds of years (up until recently when that axiom somehow got ignored by trainers and judges alike) ļæ¼ļæ¼
Guys, I am also deconstructing! I was way too accustomed to seeing āhyperflexion lightā or accepting poundage in the handā¦. Under the excuse of āitās temporaryā, āitās processā, etc. Now, Iām glad I experienced the grand gaits and the competition world because I understand it, Iāve felt it, I relate to students that are immersed in it, and I have first hand experience in GETTING OUT of that mindset.
BTW, if you are also trying to find a better way, (aka, not constantly pushing the horse from leg to hand, into the bridle) and you donāt have access to classical training, Iām available for video review Lessons and I would love to help! And I also understand where youāre at!!!
(and yeah, I know, I need to get new pictures! Every time I ride outside, either the PIVO picks up the horses in the field next to the arena, or I think I pressed record and hit the button twice, etc š«£š„“)
