Customer Reviews

The Simplicity of Dressage

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I found it to be a decent book and some of the photos are just gorgeous. The book's title is completely apt... the Simplicity of Dressage as the content in this book is simple in it's message. The core is completely sound (e.g. Rhythm and relaxation, suppleness, contact, impulsion, straightness, and collection) and is an important reminder of the basic principles of dressage for those new to the sport or to those who want an easy read as a refresher.

What did disappoint me was minimal commentary for those of us with less than ideal circumstances... tips for achieving those principles when you're not an international competitor or riding professional or don't have the brilliant mover, talented olympic prospect etc... Simple as the concepts are, rhythm and relaxation, suppleness, contact, impulsion, straightness, and collection are often a challenge due to confirmation issues (in both horse and rider sometimes!) and some discussion of achieving these basics in the face of common problems would have been more helpful for me anyway. It also felt a little bit like a biography on the careers of the van Baalen's.

Before finding yourself in a never-ending cycle of tension with your horse, invest in this book. From cover to cover, the entire subject of this book is the six elements of the German training scale: Rhythm and relaxation, suppleness, contact, impulsion, straightness, and collection. In clear and concise language, this book illustrates that you cannot progress to one level before establishing the one before. It proves that before you ask for impulsion, you must have contact, and if you encounter tension in collection, you go back to relaxation. In other words, the authors successfully bring dressage within grips of every rider by providing solid building blocks to progressive dressage training.

Each element of the training scale is explained thoroughly. Potential problems are addressed with practical, easy solutions. By absorbing this information, you'll find that dressage is surprisingly simple...hence the title. Beware, though, that there is no intense detail as there is in other dressage books. For example, you won't find a 5-page description of the half-halt. You won't find a step-by-step instruction of the half-pass. You will, however, realze the importance of working by a system and you will see it reflecting on your horse.

A beautifully bound book and a joy to flip through with its numerous color photos. Definitely worth reading regardless of your level.

Hinnemann is an accomplished rider and trainer. He studied with the great Reiner Klimke, who was, in turn a student of Harry Boldt, Sr. This means that Hinnemann's dressage education is as good as it gets. Successful dressage training requires patient, systematic work to improve the horse's rhythm, relaxation, acceptance of the bit, impulsion, straightness, and collection. This book shows how some of Europe's foremost trainers develop these critical qualities in their horses. Several of the examples and vignettes use top competition horses, but some focus on ponies and more average horses, making the book's content accessible and relevant to a wide audience of riders. If you want a horse that is balanced, obedient, and sound in mind and body, you should read this book. An beautiful pictures and simple language are an added plus. The book contains many important ideas in an "easy to read" format.

Don't let the title fool you: The issues discussed are abstract, complex, and with NO SIMPLICITY at all. Wrong title on book: It does not simplify the theory of training of dressage horses and riders. The content is scattered, and not practical for ordinary riders to understand. If you use dressage terms to describe this book: It is "above the bit", "Not collected", "Rear end sticks out", "Downhill", "Hasty little steps", "Rough transitions" ....