| How is what we do different than many other riding schools you may be riding at?
Here at Baroque Equitation we learn to ride our horses in the old artistic manner. Compare this to what ever you are now doing and choose the way that you would prefer to ride or be ridden if you were your horse.
- The horse is kep straight and positioned with the use of the five french rein aids which you are taught.
- We take the mouth of the horse with our backs and while the hands are alive, they do not seem to move or jerk the horse's mouth.
- The back collects and extends the horse.
- The legs only ask for forward impulsion -- no pumping, driving, etc is allowed or needed.
- The horse follows the seat and weight of the rider.
- The jaw of the horse is kept soft and fexible through the use of the Baucher jaw flexions; both on the ground, immobile and mobile while ridden at all gaits. In this manner the bit becomes a tool the horse uses for self relaxation and he learns to like it for that purpose.
- All aids ask and cease and the hands never oppose the legs or visa versa.
- No bobbing heads or constanly kicking heels are allowed or needed that harass the horse and look ugly.
- Work in hand is done to prepare the horse and all movements can be schooled in the hand to promote a calm understanding by both horse and rider of the moves.
- Horses are put in position before and action is asked and are never driven forward and hauled back in.
- Riding is not hard sweaty exhausting work for horse or rider or it is all wrong. Riding should make both parties feel better afterwards and be a good experience that both calms and exile rates without tension or fear for both participants. We could care less about competitions or feeding people's egos at the expense of the horse. If it does not benefit the horse and rider we do not do it.
William Sanders
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