Training Strategies for Dressage Riders

Dressage–once the sport of royalty–combines athletic grace with the fascination of the horse and rider relationship at its most highly developed level. It is the art of making horse and rider move gracefully as one. Charles de Kunffy says in his Foreword to this 2nd edition of his classic training book, "I am relentless in the hope that I can inspire in my readers the ‘right spirit’ toward horses and riding; that I can also add to their scholarship and foster their ‘right mindedness’ toward the art of riding and toward their beloved horses. "Horsemanship is a complex science and, when done well, a great art. As a science, it is a matter for the intellect, acquired by scholarship. When practiced on the level of art, it ennobles the spirit and elevates the character." Training Strategies for Dressage Riders is full of specific guidelines for the correct development of riders and their horses. It addresses the most important issues involved with improving equitation, so that riders will be able to gymnasticise their horses correctly. Believing in "equestrian elegance through effectiveness," Charles de Kunffy guides riders through the traditional dressage training system, explaining how horse and rider can combine athleticism and science into breathtaking art.