How Creative Are You When You Ride?

Every horse is an individual, and that gives us plenty of reasons to be creative.

When we train our horses, we are continually asking questions. Sometimes we change the exercise, ride it somewhere different or find another way to explain what we are asking. We can be creative while still giving our horses the consistency they need to understand our aids and expectations.

Creativity can appear in all sorts of places in dressage,  from the exercises we ride at home and the way we solve a training question to freestyle choreography and preparing for competition.

Creating the Plan for Your Horse Today

Every horse is an individual. When we introduce them to dressage or anything new, it’s important to remember that we are starting a conversation with them. There will be new questions, new guidance and new expectations, and every horse is going to interpret our requests slightly differently.

As riders, we need to recognise that individuality. We might find different ways to help a horse understand a question while remaining consistent in our aiding system, so that our horses can learn the responses we are looking to train. The system needs to be fair and logical for our horse, but we can be creative about where and how we ask the questions.

Take transitions, for example. Once your horse understands the aids, you can vary where you ride the transitions, how frequently you ask for them and the patterns you use to link them together. What does your horse need from the exercise today?

Pole work, cones, changes of direction and pace, riding to music and different floorplans can all bring variety to a schooling session. They also give us different ways to ask familiar questions and notice how our horse responds.

Creativity is useful when preparing for competition too. We can think about what our horse might encounter away from home and introduce some of those experiences during training. Tubs of flowers, banners, people moving around or additional noise can all become part of the preparation.

Choreographing New Routines

I personally love choreographing freestyle dressage to music routines. Dressage is an art form and when we include music to present our horse, showcase their strengths and express some of their personality, we have a wonderful outlet for imagination and play.

Our horses too can be involved in the creative process. Horses often express a preference for certain styles of music and, when we find music they like, we often notice that they bring extra energy and joy to the routine.

In freestyle dressage to music, we almost start with a blank canvas. The test requirements tell us which movements to include and the time allowed. We then work out how best to link the movements and patterns together in a way that allows the judge to assess them clearly, while choosing music that complements our horse’s paces.

Problem Solving

As riders, we have a responsibility to help our horses understand and enjoy training. It is important that they are willing partners. Every horse has their own strengths, and we want to recognise and work with those strengths as we train together.

Every horse and rider partnership will face challenges too. Balance and suppleness can be part of the picture, and sometimes changing the exercise or the environment can help the horse understand what we are asking. For example, a big horse who struggles to find their balance in canter on a particular rein might find it easier to establish that canter lead while hacking or in a safe open space. Knowing your horse and being prepared to adapt your training plan can help you find an approach that works for them.

Thinking about how your horse responds away from home can also give you useful information about how to structure their competition day. You can experiment with how you warm up and the questions you ask.

The questions you ask in the warm-up can help your horse relax if they are tense or excited. Some horses may become introverted and behind the aids, so your warm-up questions can reassure them and encourage them to think forwards again.      

Keeping Training Sessions Fresh

Don’t get stuck riding round and round the outside track or lost on a series of endless circles. You and, most importantly, your horse are going to get bored. Repetition can be useful in training, but endless drilling can become physically tiring as well as mentally dull.

Bring variety into your schooling. Leave the arena and ride on different terrain. Mix and match exercise patterns in a logical way. Look at the questions being asked in your test sheets and use your arena markers to ride transitions.

Try changing the rein in different places. How many ways are there to change the rein? Can you expand your set of rein changes by including transitions as you change the rein? Can you link movements together?

Remember to work equally on both reins and give your horse regular opportunities to stretch.      

Standing Out in Competition

Competition gives us another opportunity to express some individuality. You might begin with your tack and turnout. Do you have a style of competition clothing that makes you feel good and complements your horse?

Then there is what happens when you ride into the arena. Do you and your horse have a strong connection and a harmonious partnership that catches the judge’s eye? Do you trust and believe in each other? Can you ride smoothly through the test and present a flowing, accurate performance? If you ride freestyle, can the communication between you give you the freedom to add creative flair to your performance?

Dressage is, at its heart, about training and trust. The work you have done at home adapting exercises, solving training questions, learning what helps your horse and developing your communication together comes with you into the arena.

Creativity grows with practice.

The more exercises you learn, horses you ride, questions you ask and experiences you have, the more possibilities you have to draw on. You can notice what other riders and coaches do, try different floorplans, listen to music, watch freestyle tests and pay attention to the things that spark your imagination.

Most importantly, keep noticing your horse. Being creative as a rider can be as simple as looking at what is happening today and thinking, what else could I try?