Stories & Inspiration
Honoring My Mentors – #3 Classical Dressage
Here are the mentors who inspired my love for the beautiful dance that dressage can be. And by dressage, I do not mean that you need a dressage saddle and polished tall boots. I mean dressage in the sense of connecting your body to your horse’s body, finding a subtle connection, and improving the rider’s and the horse’s balance step by step, so that the movements can become more complex.
So, you might ride in a Western saddle on a trail and still resonate with the principles I learned from my dedicated teachers, mainly Claus Meiners, Philippe Karl, and my instructors at the Neustadt Equestrian Center:
- You do not have to reinvent the wheel! A lot of great knowledge has been developed through centuries that you can learn from.
- At the same time (and this does not contradict point 1): Be ready to do things differently, and try new ways! Be creative and inventive.
- When things are not working: stop and think! – What could be a better way?
- Thrive for balance, ease, and beauty.
- At the same time: It will not be perfect. 100% harmony and balance are not achievable. There will always be moments that are not great. Learn from them and move on.
- You can always work on yourself and improve. Keep learning!