Dressage clinic with Tamir Levitan
Tamir Levitan, who has gained his equestrian skills during the years which he has spend in Germany and England, is paying great attention to keep horses' hind legs active. "It may seem to some riders that I am asking them to push their horses to much, but this is not the case. The rider must let his horse know when he is happy with the reaction to the leg aid. How to do that? Simply, after the horse gets in front of the leg, the rider must stop using his active aids and has to leave a horse for a while. No matter if they are in a collected or extented pace or whichever exercise. Yes, the horse must be able to stay on contact but the rider mustn't support him with his leg, seat, or rein aids all the time. For example in a collected trot the rider must use his leg aid let say every fourth stride. After one of these aids the horse quickens more then expected. Then it's necesary to do a few half halts. If the horse react to it possitively and his trot improves, the rider should "say thank you" by becoming passive for a while. During this period of relaxation the horse mustn't loose the quality of his way of going. This way he will soon learn to carry himself. The principle which I have described here is easy to understand for a horse. Just keep everything nice and simple."
