As seen in The Chronicle of the Horse. Written by Eliza Sydnor Romm. Illustration by Susan DiFelice.
“You look like you’re knitting a sweater!”
Pretty sure in riding (especially dressage) that is one harsh insult, intended to invoke the image of someone who is overly busy—hands pulling left, right, left, right. It’s certainly not something we want.
But as a rider, you do need to be creative with the contact, to communicate something to your horse. When I was a teenager, I had the wonderful opportunity to be a working student for Lilo Fore. I thought “good hands” meant hands that were perfectly still, doing absolutely nothing. So I strived every day to have a perfect, unmoving position. My hands were held with fist closed, thumb on top, fist width apart—perfect, right? Except they were stiff as a board, unfeeling, and doing nothing except going against the horse at times. Lilo tried and tried to explain to me what she wanted. And one day, completely exasperated, she yelled at top volume from the other end of the arena in her strong German accent, “Eliza!!! ‘Good hands’ doesn’t mean you do nothing! You must use your hands!”
But I thought we weren’t supposed to use our hands? Only ride from the seat and leg, right? Well …
Dressage trainer Eliza Sydnor Romm and professional artist Susan DiFelice were first introduced decades ago, when Sydnor’s family hired DiFelice to paint a portrait of her horse. Some 20 years later collaborated on a dressage training video for DiFelice’s website Allpony. In this new “Drawn To Dressage” blog series, we will be sharing their most recent collaboration, which combines their talents and shared passion for education and horsemanship to share illustrated dressage training tips.
Tips for Amateurs on Buying Horses
BY Eliza Sydnor Dressage Before you go late night perusing on FB groups and surfing sale websites, get really clear with yourself on what you want/need. Schedule a time (and pay for a lesson) to sit with your trainer and talk about your goals and what to look for that is REALISTIC as well as EXCITING.
When Passions Collide: Creating a New Wave of Equestrian Interest
Susan DiFelice on Allpony… “I’m a lifelong rider and I love horses,” DiFelice said. “I grew up riding and I have small children. I’m also a fine artist and graphic designer and so this business married all these passions of mine — children, design and horses.”