Welcome to Stage Two. In this stage, we will delve deeper into your connection with your horse. In Stage One, our focus was on you as a rider. Now, we’re exploring the combination of both you and your horse. As we progress to Stage Three, we will discuss advancing to more specific drills.
Stage Two begins with a discussion of my five basics. I will demonstrate the preliminary stages of these five essentials. Every horse must master these basics to be a good performance horse of any kind or even to be a pleasurable horse to ride.
Let me introduce you to these five basics:
- Go Forward: The horse should go forward readily and easily.
- Turn: Smooth turning to the right and left.
- Stop: The horse should be able to stop effectively.
- Back: The horse should be able to back up.
- Assume Collection: The horse should be able to assume collection.
These fundamentals are crucial for developing a strong and harmonious partnership with your horse.