The Divine Sensation. Eventers know dressage as “the first phase”, that one phase to “get through” to get to the fun stuff, right? But maybe a better understanding of dressage basics can help make the dressage phase less a chore and more a joy. British author and Grand Prix rider Penny Hillsdon begins her explanation of dressage as the divine sensation, “a complete harmonizing and blending between horse and rider that cannot be matched”.
Hillsdon displays her decades of riding and training in the sport of dressage in her latest book, Light and Easy Dressage. She emphasizes that dressage can help all disciplines, telling riders to “forget the half-passes, the pirouettes, the fancy movements…dressage is training the horse”.
A multitude of dressage lessons in print, Hillsdon’s explanations and descriptions are specific and extremely detailed, including the sometimes lengthy photo captions. Displaying her preference for soft, resistance-free horses, the author imparts her knowledge of the very basic concepts of dressage, even down to footfall sequences of each gait but with information that seasoned riders can appreciate. With extensive rider – and horse-targeted exercises, she shows the benefits of classical dressage training methods but does not neglect more recent and modern techniques and gives examples of those as well.
Hillsdon’s strong emphasis on riding each horse as an individual resounds throughout her book, asking riders to have flexible and adaptable seats. Though the chapters start, as most instructional books typically do, with the very basic dressage teachings, further along she covers developing the shoulder-in, Travers, and half-pass, as well as medium and extended trot and canter.
Hillsdon, in her own words, takes joy in dressage and her enthusiasm and dedication come through in the pages. The book caters to the dedicated horseman seeking better communication and harmony with her horses without alienating the competitive rider. A brand-new release published by J.A. Allen on November 28th, this 208-page book is available in hardback from a variety of online retailers, or ask your local tack store!
