Drawing on the theories of the old masters of dressage, this book shows how both horse and rider can greatly benefit from traditional dressage techniques and exercises. Written by a veteran horse trainer with more than 30 years of experience, this is the only book that takes the core elements of classical dressage and applies them as the basis for good general horsemanship today. With this step-by-step program, the rider is taught to focus on subtle nuances of communication, while the horse develops gymnastically so he can respond correctly to the aids.

Author: Mark Russell with Andrea W. Steele
Publisher: Lyons Press
ISBN: 978-1-59921-071-1
Price: 21.75 CAD
Soft cover / 184 pages / b&w photos and diagrams
To order: Contact Lyons Press at Box 480, Guilford, CT,
06437-0480, USA, call (203) 458-4500 or visit www.LyonsPress.com

The third annual Dressage Canada National Youth Championships, sponsored by the Alberta Junior/Young Riders Association and Dressage Canada, were held September 15 and 16, in Red Deer, AB.

In the exciting head-to-head competition, Claire Austring of Surrey, BC, and her horse, Springtree Legacy (Wodan) were the champions of both the FEI Young Rider Division (64.05%) and the Freestyle (65.42%).
continue reading "Dressage Youth Championships a Success"

by Carlie Ringland

I still can’t believe it! I had a once-in-a-lifetime dream come true! Six riders were selected to ride in the Anky van Grunsven Clinic at the Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ Tournament (September 5-9) and I was one of those lucky people!

At the age of 13 this was a huge deal for me!! I was able to ride in her clinic two days, for 45 minutes each. Riding at Spruce Meadows during the ‘Masters’ was amazing, but getting lessons from Anky was even more awesome!
continue reading "‘Riding With The Stars’ - A personal account of riding with Anky van Grunsven"

This year marked the second anniversary for the Canadian Performance Futurity, and, once again, Thunderbird Show Park in Fort Langley, BC, showcased the classes for the Pacific Zone.

Seeing expansion in the program, classes for five-year-old horses were now offered in addition to the previously held four-year-old classes. Additionally, jumper classes were also held for the first time in this zone, in addition to the hunter and dressage classes.
continue reading "Pacific Zone Futurity expands roster"

During the first weekend of August, competitors gathered at Amberlea Meadows in Edmonton, Alberta, for its Summer Dressage Festival. The event also ran the Prairie Zone’s Canadian Performance Futurity Dressage classes for the second year, with an increase in the number of horses vying for the cash prizes.
continue reading "Canadian Warmbloods win Prairie Zone’s Performance Futurity"

by John Lewis

Riding a half-halt correctly is vital for all levels of training and competition, yet for some reason large numbers of riders never seem to master it or realize its importance.

In most cases, they are confused about what the half-halt really is supposed to achieve and, to a greater extent, about the term itself, which is something of a contradiction.
continue reading "The Half-Halt made Easy"

Exclusively for Junior riders aged 14 to 18 and Young riders aged 16 to 21, the NAJYR Championships gives up-and-coming riders the opportunity to represent their country in international competition.

Canada’s dressage riders dominated the individual competition, winning double gold medals at the 2007 CN North American Junior and Young Riders’ Championships (NAJYRC), held July 31 to August 5 in Lexington, USA.
continue reading "Canada Excels at North American Junior and Young Riders’ Championships"