Basic Dressage Tips

• Hunt seat riders look ahead to where they are going and turn their head to look forward around a circle or when turning,etc. Dressage riders always look straight ahead. It helps to imagine a $10 bill lying on the ground about 20 feet ahead of the horse. Focus on that point and imagine that you have to keep the horse from stepping on it.
• Use your dressage whip on the inside and change hands when you change directions. However, sometimes it is better to keep the whip in one hand during a show pattern (at least at schooling show) to keep distractions to a minimum.
• When saluting place the reins and whip in your left hand. Lower your right hand down by your side and bow your head while counting to four (actually bow your head on the 3rd beat). After the judge returns your salute you are free to begin your pattern.
• Riders get about 3-4 minutes to warm up in the arena before a dressage test. After the bell sounds the rider then has about 1 minute before the pattern needs to be started. This is about enough time to do one more time around the arena or one or two circles.​
• At the trot ask for a change in the horse's bend first and then change your diagonal.​​
• Daily Suppling for Dressage:

    Posting trot to encourage horse's back to be supple and lifted up.
    Counter flexion to the inside.
    Counter flexion to the outside.
    Stretch neck down and low.
    Haunches in, shoulder in.
    Counter canter.

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• An exercise to check your weight distribution, or whether your horse is "right-sided" or "left-sided":

        Trot forward on the correct diagonal.
        Put weight on your outside foot as you are sitting down in the post. Make sure you do not stand in the stirrup, simply relax and sink more weight into your heel.
        Trot forward on the outside (opposite) diagonal and sink weight into your inside leg.
        If the horse is not as comfortable on one side you will feel him slow up with the weight check.