Customer Reviews

Intimacy in French Classical Dressage [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Dominique Barbier and his wife discuss classical French dressage and demonstrate how easily dressage techniques can be accomplished if the horse understands and is able to accept what you are asking. I loved these videos, because Barbier shows how important it is to understand where the horse is coming from and how the horse thinks and reacts to different things. Barbier and his wife use their horses to demonstrate both in an arena and outside how dressage can look like a beautiful dance that both horse and rider can experience and enjoy. Even those who are unfamiliar with dressage woould love these videos. I think the videos were very well done. The picture and sound quality are excellent.

These two videos are exceptional. Barbier spends about 40% of the tapes with how-to instructions that are very clear, demonstrating both with a young horse and a well-schooled horse; the other 60% consists of instruction directly to the rider in which he talks about all the things you wish your instructor would tell you. His most important emphasis is on the necessity of the horse *understanding* what the rider is asking - without that understanding, all you will get is resistance or, worse, a fight. I highly recommend these tapes for any rider looking for answers.

Dominique Barbier masterfully demonstrates the artistic side of riding. Beautifully filmed at his estate in the wine country of California, these videos combine passionate music, inspirational footage of Dominique at work, and plenty of student examples to follow.

The essential classical elements of work in hand, proper longeing, and lateral work are covered in detail. Students of dressage will find it refreshing to see horses worked in the French style, the sense of freedom, self-carriage, and joy permeate each maneuver and lesson.

These videos are useful for any rider that wants to reach beyond the sport of riding to find the original beauty of this exceptional art.

Love him or hate him - Dominque is a major league character ...and his wonderful wisdom with horses is a joy to watch. There is nothing like these tapes in this category! Listen carefully and you will realize you are witnessing the insight of a grand master- with a zen like twist!
I love him.

I bought this video looking for detailed instruction on training and riding. I got 2 hours of narcisism. Barbier's training philosiphy is no different than any of the popular trainers in the last 20 years ( think Parelli with a French accent). The first tape dealt with lounging. I was disappointed in the lack of detail. For instance, he talked about adjusting the side-rein correctly but never told you what exactly the correct length should be. There was no talk of correct bend and to my eye neither horse particularly bent or rounded fully. I had greater hopes when it came to tape 2, which was in-hand work. This one blew my mind however. It covered teaching shoulder-in. Shoulder-in on a circle and on a square. Nothing on how this transitions to other movements. Nothing on how to transition to working from the saddle (other than visualization). He added the need for gentle dominance to his kinder gentler schpiel. There were lovely shots of him riding his horses and doing advanced moves but no hints as to what those moves were or how to achieve them. How do you transition from shoulder-in to the elegant collected walk he was doing? The answer is through many intermediate steps, which were never even alluded to. Basically, these two tapes could have and should have been condensed into one 30 minute tape. I was not only disappointed in the lack of information and detail but for $80 felt robbed as well.