More about Cowboy Dressage

I never write about what I have not experimented with or tried out and tested, so here goes: I have been working with and upping my learning curve on Cowboy Dressage. I have found that from a training perspective, "CD" is not the easiest way to go. The rider must be truly committed to letting go of preconceived notions and the "paint by numbers" picture that we see on TV and at Modern Dressage shows and competitions. You have got to be willing to toss out old ideas and think outside the box a bit....something that is right up my alley, but not for the lemming. Cowboy Dressage is for those spirited individuals that are open to a new way of being around horses. That is its charm and appeal. The question one must ask is, "Am I willing and ready to look at movement of the horse and rider from a place that likens itself to the flow of a mountain stream or the breeze as it caresses the willow?" Remember, a willow gets its strength from its ability to bend and the stream curls itself around rocks and branches. It has clear purpose, but negotiates its path without force.

Yes,I have the tendency to wax poetic, but what else is the nature of the horse if not poetry in motion?

Cowboy Dressage

I have been absent and for that I am sorry. It has been for a very good reason, so after you hear my reasoning, you will perhaps forgive. As many of you know, when I work with horses, my first and primary consideration is that of the horse, not the agenda or the ego or the trappings of the human. Well my friends, I have finally found a way to make it all work. I have become party to a movement in the horse world where humans can compete in a discipline, have fun without guilt or fear abusing or mistreating ones horse, make new friends and best of all bring out the highest and best in your horse..any horse. All that is needed is a good attitude, the intention of being the best you and your horse can be as partners, a western saddle and an adventurous spirit.

There is nothing wrong with healthy competition, but I feel Modern Dressage has taken a wrong turn. The stakes have become too high and the horse is suffering. Even the breed and discipline associations are taking notice. The goal is to bring back some semblance of reasonableness and truth to Dressage; the way the classic masters meant it to be, but with a little Western flair and Cowboy feel. Cowboy Dressage is truly a breath of fresh air.

For years I have been cross training horses and teaching them to do all kinds of unlikely things for their breeds or presumed athletic abilities or lack thereof. This practice has made much of my career possible and certainly made for novel conversation and fun workshops and clinics, but until I discovered Cowboy Dressage, there was never an organised or widely recognised venue to show the masses what I do; which is simply to try to bring out the best in a horse while keeping his well being intact.

My goal is and will always be to honor the horse by showing that all horses, not just the ones with 6 figure breeding, are capable of so much more than we allow ourselves to imagine. Within that walnut sized horse brain is a universe full of untapped beauty, grace and wonder.

Cowboy Dressage allows the horse and human to ride to lightness and balance in a way that honors the true essence of Dressage. I will continue tomorrow or the next day to tell more of this story, but for now, google Cowboy Dressage or get on YouTube and search its founder Eitan Beth-Halachmy, my mentor! I would make it easy for you and give the link, but this journey is much more fun if you do it for yourself.