Remember Ahlerich and Klimke at the 84 Olympics in LA?

@@ImogenC-rt3fm yes, i've seen that vid. so relaxed and fluid. Dr. Klimke was not a pretty rider, but he Ahlerich was wonderfully soft and co=ect in his movements. He makes it all l[k deceptively easy.

yeah the horse didn't look quite sound and was frequently tight over the back @@ImogenC-rt3fm

@@SoozUK You can always watch Totilas for being not quite sound and tight over the back….Just a suggestion.

Double bridle used to be the beginning of a saddle horse’s training. The biomechanics are fascinating! And it used to be that if you couldn’t handle two sets of reins, you were either four years old, or shouldn’t have been allowed on a horse in the first place. Dressage wasn’t a “sport”, it was horse boot camp-basic training! Piaffe wasn’t the holy grail, it was just part of a normal horse’s training.Once had a lovely warm blood mare in training. Her gaits had lateralized to the point she couldn’t canter. I fixed it with piaffe. Six weeks of hill work and walk, rein back and ONLY piaffe/passage. If she offered canter, I stop and reinback. Client was concerned and I couldn’t blame her-it was a real leap of faith. But voila: The first day of week seven, I sat deep and soft, and thought “canter”. And there it was! She gathered herself beneath me and rolled into a canter more balanced than even I’d dared to imagine. But yeah, I do get a little worked up. So here endeth today’s rant.

Amen

I trained with Major Borg's protégé for several years. She was very tough and demanding on me, but both my horse and I advanced very quickly. Due to Borg's influence, she had no pity on sloppy or lazy riding, and demanded discipline as well as VERY LIGHT REIN CONTACT. She wanted the horse in self carriage with immediate responses from the horse. She was the best trainer I ever had and I salute Major Borg's tough Army training methods although he also trained in Germany with the great classic riders there. After his horrible accident he was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, but he still taught riders.

You underestimate our past. Those people had come from a time when horses were literally everywhere in the all day life, farming, transport, and to a much smaller amount than today for the rich, pleasure. The rider in this clip probably saw more horses in his childhood than cars. He had parents who again didn't even know cars in their childhood, and grandparents who solely travelled by coach and rarely by train. When it comes to horses and riding, mankind has not improved, but regressed, sadly because horses have become obsolete. We know less about healthy horses, healthy riding and healthy breeding than we did 100 years ago.

Well The Horses are not subtle, energetic, elastic or bent in The bodies. NO COLLECTION WHAT SO EVER. You dont become a PRO by being i Germany and Brittain for a few weeks. These men lacks everything. The Horses shows their miscontent. It not even working trot . Extended trot is MAXIMUM LENGTH IN Collection. They havent got The Strength to do these kind execises in GRAND PRIX status. It shall be ENERGY, FLOW AND STRENGTH. I KNOW WHY THEY DIDNT SHOW ANY PIAFF AND PASSAGE. IT WOULD BE AWFUL to watch. YOU DONT GET A 5/10 ON THOSE "Pirouettes" on lower grades . The Horses throw themselves around. Not galopping and are out of form.

@@lauralauren6432 i agree the degee of collection is not what we see today. But would you prefer the overflexed, chin on the chest, tongue hanging out stuff we have now? Riders hanging on the mouth, toes down, hips grinding down on the horse's back....most of it is awful. Also, these riders are not doing tests, they are schooling, so I would not expect the same quality they would show in an actual test.

@@louisecotulla4296 Thats Propaganda. I guess You havent lots of experience yourself, but is an expert on the side. Its HARD to learn to be a Great rider. I has everything to do with a feeling. If you have trained one or 2 its easier to know that feeling and get there again. These rider You can SEE everywhere today. Wannabees. Military. Everything becomes better. Figureskating , tennis, are not the same today. Developement.

@@lauralauren6432I see no miscontent from these horses. On the other hand, every collecting ring shows it these days.

​@@lauralauren6432 Especially in the the Extended Trot you can see the difference to most modern grand prix riders. Especially the parts written after the maximum length in collection bit: engagement of the HINDQUARTERS (and correspondence of the forehand (not the other way around)), If forehand and hindquarters coordinate well then the cannon bones of each, forward-moving, diagonal pair are PARALLEL. (!!!) Especially the latter part is often forgotten by modern judges in favour of exaggerated showy movement of the forehand. It isn't hard to see when watching modern competitions that most horses show super exaggerated movement in the forehand (Totilas is just a caricature of the modern dressage horse)- but the hindlegs don't correspond. Just stop a video and draw lines through the legs. Are they parallel? It's rare to see these days. But it doesn't matter as long as the horse throws up their front legs as high as they can, right?/s

Yes, I was guessing they were TBs. It was easier to use them before they started breeding dressage horses to move like hackney ponies.

I believe the modern saddles of today really hinder the horses movements.

No not ALL horses look like blocks of wood today. The horses in this video were mostly very unhappy in their mouths..

I reckon that instead of bareback just simply have their stirrups taken away. That was the way when I started to learn how to ride.

Beautifully put - and so true.

At last an honest comment.

Dont want to breed a Warmblood. Dont need to.

Im Gegensatz zu den heutigen Reitern hat dieser hier eben keine Sitzprothese sondern einen Sattel. Da ist das ruhig sitzen im Trab um einiges schwieriger.

Their stirrups are shorter than a moder dressage rider, AND the saddle is completely different

You try a sitting trot with shorter stirrups and a borderline jumping saddle . . . I'll wait lmao

Different equipment.

It’s true he rode with Otto, who was very impressed with him and didn’t take just anyone to train. He Major Borg was brilliant a true master that today’s riders skill can’t touch. He always made me watch how often he praised the horse while he was training them.

Difference between horseman who can actually ride a horse, and someone who has practiced looking good while going through the motions of riding a horse. Modern dressage is efed up, like many other things. Horses miserable, riders ruthless and clueless...so sad.

It should though. Just because of high score today doesn't mean it's actually correct

of course not, the sport is about looks and inflated egos rather than actual riding ability

@@cardinalfox0734 What is correct? I see many trouble some things. All things were NOT better back then. If you have some riding skills You noticed it. Many many Horses DIED in The Event and showjumping. The rider just rode full Speed ahead. Not capable of balancing and helping The Horses to jump from the right position. Watch The water hurdle. Every horse FELL. Kamikaze riders. Disgusting.

No, they wouldn’t because WE have lost the concept of elegance and lightness of movement. Now everything is strive strive strive, more more more.