How your horse feels is more important than checking boxes of exercises. You learn to recognise how your horse feels during training. When they show signs of discomfort you will learn what to do about it. Things like changing the question, or the way you ask it, make the biggest difference.
02
Give choice
My training is built around choice rather than obedience. You will get to teach your horse signals for dismounting, for ending a session, and more. This will make your horse actually engaged and motivated in the work. Real choice means that sometimes we do something other than training.
03
Teach the aids
When they are ready, you learn to teach all aids through positive reinforcement and with minimal pressure. You will use different teaching strategies to make things as easy as possible to understand and to eliminate frustration. Bridleless work will become easier and you will be able to use light aids to ask for stopping, bending, positioning the head and neck, and more.
04
Bridleless
With the previous steps in place you have everything you need, ridden or at liberty. You learn about seat aids, and work towards the advanced classical dressage exercises. Shoulder-in, travers, renvers, and even piaffe and terre à terre can all be within reach. Always with your horse’s feelings coming first.
In their own words
What riders say
“You’re attentive to and give space not only to the rider, but also to the horse, and to their current physical and even mental capabilities. If only all trainers and horse people were like this.”
Martina, Czechia
“My horse has become straighter, more muscular, and calmer in his mind. I’ve really learned to ride from the seat. That has helped tremendously when riding on the neckrope.”
Rebecca, the Netherlands
“Bart is very capable at explaining difficult theoretical concepts in practice. Always calm and positive. My horse has gotten more straight and better able to use his whole body.”
Janine, the Netherlands
“Today it finally clicked for me again. He taught me a lot about loosening my seat and leg. At first, I was always a bit afraid, but Bart helped me through it.”
Ina, Dubai
Ebook
From the first aid to shoulder-in
This book is for anyone starting bridleless dressage, with real choice from the first session. Learn how you can achieve light aids on the neckrope, all without force. Take your horse from the very beginning all the way to shoulder-in, travers and renvers.
One lesson of up to one hour. You can either take a lesson online (Pivo, Zoom) or in person at your own stable. I also have routes throughout the Netherlands, Belgium, and parts of Germany. If it is not what you hoped for, let me know and you will get a refund.
