Reining and Dressage, Side by Side

Love, love, love this video. First one I've seen showing Reining and Dressage together where riders switch horses. You can see the dedication and hard work it takes in training both animals. Both disciplines have surprising similarities when shown side by side. Both riders are Austrian, and I think the Western rider started out riding Dressage, but don't quote me on that.

Now this being a western blog, I do appreciate the western horse and rider just a biiiit more.

Hint, guess which horse is swishing its tail all over the place. Not the western horse. And also for once, the western horse doesn't have a blocked tail. Hallelujah.

The other thing I love about this video is the size differences in the horses. When they're sidepassing together, they prove the detractors in both disciplines wrong. I've heard both English and Western riders claim that only a horse of a certain size can sidepass/any other maneuver. Not in this case!

Paolo in Training Update

A few weeks after sending my pony off to Wendy Gray in Colbert, GA, I made the 2 hour drive over there to see what he's learned.

I had ridden him for about 18 months in a bosal, so riding with a bit is a new experience for him!

And yes, looks like he's dropped a few pounds.

He understands pressure on the sides of his mouth so it hasn't been too difficult getting him used to it.

All the circles and serpentines we trotted have made a difference, as he's already turning around a bit.

Wendy uses a lot of inside rein to help him cross over in front, and she sidepasses him as well to encourage him crossing over as well. 

All of this can be seen in the video above.

Enjoy!