Book #175: Dressage Tips And Training Solutions by Petra Hölzel, Wolfgang Hölzel, and Martin Plewa

 

Dressage Tips And Training Solutions

Petra Hölzel, Wolfgang Hölzel, and Martin Plewa.

 Released: January 1st, 1995

My 41st book for 2026 was Petra Hölzel, Wolfgang Hölzel, and Martin Plewa’s Dressage Tips And Training Solutions.

I stumbled upon this book by chance.  It was my individual’s book, and he wanted me to read it to him because he has a love for horses.

I know very little about formal horseback riding.  I took the merit badge back in Boy Scout camp and rode a horse in New Mexico about 19 years ago.  The main thing I remember is to kick your feet together to get the horse to move forward.

There’s a good bit of useful information here, but I have no use for it since I do not have horses nor a connection (outside friends) to that world.  

The book is structured more informally.  It admits so in the opening page.  I like the way it is structured more as a resource guide than a front to back book.  Lots of great tips and tricks and helpful information to make training better, horses stronger and more disciplined, and smoother.

It was originally written in German and published in 1992.  The book sold so well, they translated it to English and released it to the United States.

I used to read about Ronald Reagan growing up, and how he had a ranch in California — a sort of West Coast White House — that he would host world leaders and retire to on weekends and days off.

I always thought it would be cool to have the same thing, but it takes a lot of work and a lot of money.  Maybe some day before I’m too old and grey.

Here is what I learned:

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• Originally published in German.
• Translated by Claudia Staubitz.
• This is essentially a training manual.
• Many problems in the training of horses would not occur at all if their physical and psychological requirements were recognized and taken into consideration.
• There are 3 essential principles of dressage training: Looseness, Submission, and Swing.
• A horse must be calm, able to let things pass (such as energy), and increased propulsion forward.
• A wild horse is on the move close to 16 hours a day.
• An exercised horse makes them healthier and happier
• Stable vices such as weaving, crib-biting, or windsucking are the outcome of insufficient exercise.
• Horses are herd animals. Very rarely will you find a loner horse.
• A horse brought straight out of his loose-box must be given the chance to warm up.
• There are 3 stages of collection: Elementary, Medium, and Extreme.
• It is better to teach something new at the end of a session.
• Horses have excellent memory.
• 5 important spheres for application: Relaxation, Body-feel, Conception of Movement, Concentrstion, and Positive Outlook & Self-Confidence.
• Tip: Always tell yourself what you are intending to do, and not what you have to avoid.
• Competent lungeing is an important element of training.
• Lungeing is a good way to warm up an older horse before schooling him.
• Straighten the horse by riding close to shoulder-fore.
• Basic schooling work is the absolute precondition for all other training stages.  You must not make compromises.
• Cavaletti is unsuitable for loose jumping because they are heavy and their end crosses can cause injuries.
• Wings are most suitable to make an inside barrier for a jumping lane.
• Start with small jumps and raise them gradually, never suddenly.
• Do not ride your horse to a predetermined take-off point and then send him over the jump.  Let them learn to judge the take-off independently.
• Horses, like people, learn by repetition.
• Any loss of rhythm is the rider’s fault.
• You cannot force a bascule.
• The ability of the horse to jump well depends on the development of a good engine in the hindquarters.
• Gymnastic jumping should be a vital part of every horse’s training.
• Basic Gaits include The Walk, The Trot, The Canter, and The Halt.
• Lazy horses can be made more active through work-in-hand.
• A horse should only start work in hand if he has been expertly lunged and has learned to move laterally round his handler on a volte in walk.
• The horse must respect the whip but should never become frightened of it.
• Travers is the exercise that prepares the horse for the half-pass.
• A good exercise to develop the half-pass is to ride it out of a travers on the circle.
• Often the training of flying changes is left much too late.
• Many riders make the mistake of schooling exclusively for counter canter, especially for dressage tests.
• The canter pirouette is purely an exercise of strength.

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Overall, good reference book.  Recommend to horse trainers who desire additional instruction.

Not Recommended unless you train horses.

On to Book #176: Out Of The Corner by Jennifer Grey.

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Need to catch up?  See previous blog post: Beauchamp Hall.