This book provides a provocative examination of "Hyperflexion" and other harmful training methods, why Classical training works and how incorrect "modern" riding negatively affects horses' health.
As a practising equine veterinarian, Dr. Gerd Heuschmann - an internationally recognised authority on issues of equine health in dressage competition, including "hyperflexion" previously referred to as "Rolkur" - is faced daily with the debilitating, and sometimes career-ending consequences of incorrect training methods. Now, he openly confronts developments in dressage - as a sport and a recreational pastime - that he asserts have deviated from the classical training principles conscientiously developed over centuries of careful analysis and masterful riding by the world's greatest horsemen.
This book is his appeal to:
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Riders - to use only gentle, progressive training methods in accordance with the time-tested principles of classical riding.
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Judges - to sharpen their eyes and reconise unnatural postures or forced movements and evaluate them accordingly in competition, while rewarding classically trained, correctly gymnasticised horses.
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Governing organisations - to review their regulations and uphold stipulated "ideals" on both national and international levels.
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Spectators - to reject sensational performances and flashy tests when the methods used to obtain them have not had the health and welfare of the horse in mind.
Dr. Heuschmann provides readers with a thorough discussion of the correct physiological training of the horse, walking through the elements of contact, lateral movement, and other important aspects of a classical training foundation. He explains how impulsion and correct collection can indeed be developed safely and to the horse's benefit - and tested at the highest levels in the arena - if only we use care for our equine partners and allow time to achieve their physical best.
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