Dressage | Hard
Halt – rein-back – depart in collected trot
Dressage | Hard
Halt – rein-back – depart in collected trot
Dressage | Medium
Alternating a counter-shoulder-fore and a shoulder-fore down the long side
Dressage | Easy
Asking for intra-gait transitions in all three gaits on a 20-meter circle
Dressage | Easy
Letting the reins slip and varying your horse’s frame on a 20-meter circle
Dressage | Easy
Alternating simple transitions through all three gaits on a 20-meter circle
Dressage | Medium
To work on impulsion, responsiveness, and flexion/acceptance of the bit during transitions.
Dressage | Medium
Alternating leg-yield and going straight
Dressage | Medium
Performing a leg-yield from the quarter-line
Dressage | Medium
Changing the diameter of your circle in all three gaits
Dressage | Easy
Changing your horse’s bend on a 20-meter circle
Dressage | Easy
Stay on the inner track at walk and trot
Dressage | Medium
Improve canter control and accuracy in stride patterns.
Dressage | Easy
Develop proprioception and improve trot-halt transitions.
Dressage | Medium
Improve steering (useful with a neck rope) over ground poles.
Dressage | Customizable
To work on straightness, rhythm, changes of bend, and flying changes.
Dressage | Customizable
Halt at a precise spot
Dressage | Medium
To work on transitions, canter departs, flexion, and accuracy of the line.
Dressage | Medium
Achieve smooth transitions and regain straightness after riding a circle.
Dressage | Medium
Learn to change leads at the canter without transitioning to trot / Feel the flying change and whether the horse is on the correct lead, counter-canter, or disunited without looking / Helps maintain the horse/pony’s balance / Useful for both show jumping and dressage
Dressage | Easy
Keeping your horse sharp while doing this exercise
Learn, train and improve your dressage skills with our riding exercises, suitable for all levels, training areas and equipment setups.
Whether you're a beginner, intermediate or advanced rider, you'll find sessions with a difficulty level suited to you.
Whether you train in an arena, round pen or outdoors, you'll discover exercises adapted to your training environment.
Whether you have no poles or 10, no cones or 15, you'll find sessions that require exactly the equipment you have available — no more, no less.
Our search bar allows you to filter the results so they match your needs as closely as possible. This means you can find personalised dressage session ideas based on your level, training area and equipment.
Did you know that dressage is often described as the art of developing the horse's movements into an elegant and harmonious performance? This discipline is all about creating a true partnership between horse and rider. To succeed in dressage, you need to follow key principles such as relaxation, lightness and harmony.
Through flatwork, you'll gradually develop a higher level of dressage with your horse.
We help you achieve your goals with our exercise guides, which you can follow almost like a recipe. Each guide includes a diagram so you can easily visualise the movements and arena setup required.
You'll also find a summary of the type of session, training area and equipment needed.
Once you have your diagram and all the ingredients for your recipe, it's time to get practical. Each exercise is explained in three simple steps: objectives, how to perform the exercise and potential difficulties.
The first section explains which key dressage fundamentals you'll be working on. These may include improving your horse's accuracy, suppleness, balance, bend or responsiveness.
The second section gives you detailed instructions for performing the exercise from start to finish, including the aids and actions you should use.
The final section highlights the difficulties you may encounter and explains how to overcome them if needed.
If you'd like to discover new dressage exercises in a different way and get a sneak peek at what's coming next, while interacting with us and the Appaloo Equestrian community, follow us on social media: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Pinterest!
You now have all the tools you need to improve your dressage, which is ultimately the foundation of every equestrian discipline!
And let's be honest: dressage also means seriousness, elegance and dancing with your horse. Not to mention the white breeches, the white saddle pad… and the sore muscles the next day!
Do you have exercise ideas for this discipline that aren't yet available on our website? We invite you to share them with other riders.
Simply click "Submit My Exercise" at the top of any exercise guide and fill in the form. It's simple, quick and easy ;)
Have a great dressage session with Appaloo Equestrian!
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