Warneyswhip by Sarah Warne-Wetterau Equestrian Centre

30/09/2026

The Art of Letting Go

We hear a lot about when and how to apply the aids, but…

Any aid, no matter how well applied, is only ever as good as the release that follows it.”

The real art of riding or working with horses lies in knowing when to let go.

Classical masters called it feel or tact.

“Make it a habit to praise when the horse yields.” — Nuno Oliveira

Modern learning theory calls it reinforcement, but the principle is the same. The horse learns from the release.

“The removal of any pressure reinforces the behaviour immediately before the removal.” — Andrew McLean

An effective rider achieves consistency and partnership not by constantly applying pressure, but by clearly telling the horse when he has found the right answer.

The challenge is that even the best trainer in the world cannot tell you the exact moment to soften. They can tell you when you should have released, but as riders we must learn to feel the split second the horse yields and accepts what we are asking. Even the beginning of what we are asking!

But there is an even greater challenge, one which requires great body awareness on the part of the rider. Are you actually releasing?

A softened rein with a tight seat is not a release.

A yielding hand with a gripping leg is not a release.

A reward only works if the horse can feel it, and I would say that the biggest mistake the vast majority of riders make is confusing the horse by simply not understanding that their release is either not quick enough, or not a true release.

There is an art to letting go.

It really doesn’t matter how well you are applying the aid if you are not releasing it on time, and with the tact and awareness of what constitutes a true release.

Have you mastered The Art of Letting Go?

https://mobile.eurodressage.com/2012/09/23/classical-training-art-letting-go

29/09/2026

The horse is NOT straight

Is straightness training an element that must be incorporated into training, or is it a product of correct training?
“It is both, the interesting thing is you can’t make a horse straight by just riding it in straight lines for example, you have to work on bend and not just bending the neck, that is an uneducated response to a complex physiological phenomenon. You have to work on the exercises which strengthen and make the horse flexible, the amazing thing is in the few classical exercises like shoulder in, renvers, half passes , the old masters have left us with a fantastic remedy, the art of dressage is in arranging the choreography to address the particular problem of each horse. This is what separates trainers, some build horses, some break them down. One thing I tell my students, present me with a symmetrical horse, but don’t expect that it will be symmetrical effort on both sides after just a short while, it might be much more difficult in one direction, but if you keep working at it, it will get easier.” Paul Belasik

Full article on eurodressage via this link https://mobile.eurodressage.com/2015/05/09/classical-training-are-you-straight

28/09/2026

Are you pushing your horse along or is he carrying you?

26/09/2026

Classical Training: Fearlessness and Faith

I used to think that to be a good rider you needed to be fearless, but I have since discovered that it is not fearlessness but faith that gives riders confidence; faith in their ability and faith in their horses. When these two things are in balance a rider will seem confident, because their nervous system has weighed the odds.

https://mobile.eurodressage.com/2026/09/26/classical-training-capacity-and-fear

26/09/2026

Classical training:Capacity and Fear Eurodressage

Classical Training: Capacity and Fear. Link in comments

20/09/2026

Article on Eurodressage this week. I wrote this article because I feel that most riders want the best for their horses but may not realise how their own assymetries and compensations are effecting their horse’s welfare. Very interesting interview with Dr Victoria Lewis 🙂🙏

17/09/2026

The Triangle of Horse Riding

Look closely at many great riders, regardless of discilpine, Dressage, jumping, eventing, Working Equitation, You’ll often see a similar geometric relationship between the rider’s knee ankle and toe.

Richard Weis and many other great instructirs refered to this as the Triangle of Stability.

The vertical line from the knee to the toe and back to the ankle encloses a triangle that provides a useful way of visualising how the rider’s weight can travel through the leg while maintaining a stable, elastic seat.

Rather than being a position to force, it is often the visible result of a rider who is well balanced over the horse.

Why does it matter?

Because when our centre of gravity is organised over our base of support, we rely less on muscular effort to hold ourselves in place. Instead of gripping, bracing or holding tension, the body can remain supple and responsive to movement.

This allows the rider to move with the horse rather than against it.

Without this stable foundation, riders often compensate by gripping with the knee, pushing the leg forward, bracing against the stirrups or holding unnecessary tension in the body.

The goal isn’t to force a position.

The goal is to organise the body in a way that makes us a good load for the horse to carry.

There are top riders who are exceptions to this but this is the basis of support.

15/09/2026

Some really interesting Lusitanos I have come across in Portugal recently…pyro free

A 4 year old stallion with a super character and great movement. Bay.

An 8 year old lusitano gelding buckskin, bomb proof, great character, suitable for any rider

An international quality grand prix lusitano, 8 year old stallion.

For info send me a message 🙂🙏

15/09/2026

A strong core will not make you a better rider.

I know that’s controversial.

When I was competing internationally, I had a strong core. Like many dressage riders, I believed that was the key to good riding.

But a strong core is just one piece of the puzzle.

I had a strong core and a dysfunctional body.

All the focus was on strengthening my midsection, but my body wasn’t receiving or transmitting force efficiently through the entire kinetic chain. The system wasn’t working together.

The truth is that riding isn’t about having one strong area.

It’s about having a body that functions as a whole.

You are only as strong as your weakest link.

If you lack:

* Scapular stability and activation,
* Cross-body fascial strength,
* Hip mobility,
* Thoracic mobility,
* Foot and ankle function,

then the more you ask of your body, the more those weaknesses will reveal themselves.

The horse doesn’t care how many planks you can hold.

The horse feels how well your entire body can organize, absorb, and transmit movement.

A truly effective rider isn’t just “core strong.”

They are functionally strong.

And that’s a completely different thing.

Strong core ≠ functional rider.

Integrated body = functional rider.

ALM - Pilates, Movement, Fascial for training me mind and body ❤️🙏