First up was a whistle stop tour of the riders seat and position in trot, canter and also walk - something that can sometimes be overlooked warned Richard. Richard began by explaining that the dressage position should be as if you are standing up but with your knees bent, and demonstrated on his first horse Hiscox Artemis.
A great tip for those who find sitting trot more difficult, is to go sitting whilst the horse is moving sideways - this makes it more comfortable for horse and rider the three time olympian explains.
He next rode another of his horses, Hiscox Aliano and covered a variety of exercises from the most simple of lateral movements - the leg yield - right up to some more difficult movements, so that whatever level you and your horse are currently working at, there is some advice and exercises to help you both improve.
Richard then progresses to talk about how he works each of his horses everyday, going through five stages including warm up - suppling and response, the body of the lesson right through to the cool down. This is ideal for those of us who get into the menage, warm up and then think 'what shall I do next?' In this section you will pick up some interesting tips and ideas that you can try with your own horse.
He emphasises how a horse can change every single day - they can be stiffer on some days for various reasons and sometimes they may be more flexible and its important that you adapt your training on a daily basis to reflect this.
It was interesting to see how responsive Richard's horse was - even to the smallest of changes in his position - some so small it was impossible to even see.
Next, Gillian Davison rode Hiscox Komanchi - a more experienced horse than the first two, with Richard teaching and explaining on foot, as she rode some more complex dressage movements.
Gillian then rode a four year old horse, with Richard explaining what you should look for in a good, young dressage horse - perfect advice for those who are thinking of buying a new horse in the near future. He covered all the attributes of conformation and movement, examining across the paces whilst explaining in detail the positive and negative points and what you should look for when buying your next potential horse.
Richard showjumps his younger horses for a bit of fun, 'playtime' as he calls it - to help them stay motivated and to vary their work. Gillian and Olly rid etwo five year olds over trotting poles, some simple gymnastic jumping exercises and some fitness cantering to finish this masterclass DVD.
After watching Enjoying Dressage 2, I was itching to tack up my horse and practice all the exercises and tips I had just picked up. The DVD is so packed with advice you will have to watch it more than just once so you can get the most out of Richard's expertise and advice!
A must watch for every dressage enthusiast.
Enjoying Dressage 2 is available alongside our many other titles, from www.equestrianvision.co.uk
