As seen in The Chronicle of the Horse. Written by Eliza Sydnor Romm. Illustration by Susan DiFelice.
When riding onto a circle, imagine you are on a spiral ramp in a parking garage, heading up to the next level. You ride your horse up and around the circle.
Many riders struggle with their horse falling onto the forehand and losing impulsion, especially when riding onto a smaller circle, like 10 meters. If the rider pulls their horse “down” and around a small circle, the horse will dive onto the inside shoulder to make the tighter turn.
First and foremost, the rider must learn to look up and ahead for their geometry. If you are riding a 10-meter circle at B, as you leave the track, you must look up and ahead to X. Picture your trajectory heading slightly up a ramp towards X. And then as you approach X, look up and ahead back to B. The imaginary ramp continues back up and around to B.
In a well-executed 10-meter circle, the horse engages the inside hind leg more and pushes up and around the circle, lightening the forehand.
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.
Expect the Wrench: Goal Setting and Planning in Dressage’s Unexpected Hurdles
In the world of dressage, setting goals can often feel like navigating a winding road filled with surprises. In this insightful blog post, author Sally O’Dwyer shares valuable strategies to help riders embrace the journey, illustrated by Susan DiFelice. O’Dwyer emphasizes the importance of allowing extra time for achieving skills, encouraging a long-term perspective that treats each challenge as a vital part of your equestrian narrative. She reminds us to acknowledge our feelings when faced with setbacks, but to quickly shift our focus towards constructive reassessment.
Can Work-Life Balance—And A Savings Account—Exist In The Horse Industry?
Eliza Sydnor Romm announced her decision to transition from leasing a farm and training horses to becoming a freelance instructor. Despite running a successful equestrian program, high operational costs and difficulty hiring reliable staff helped her make this decision. She aims to share her experiences and insights into dressage training through a new blog series with artist Susan DiFelice.
3 Questions With Susan DiFelice
Sandhills Equine Monthly asked Susan about balancing riding with family and work as a professional equestrian designer.