The young horse is both an exciting adventure as well as a rollercoaster ride that you sometimes you wish you had never got on! However, the satisfaction that comes with developing a wild, gangly and naive young animal into a dressage horse is second to none, but how do we achieve this?

Young horses require your confidence as a rider; remember, they know nothing! So it's always a good start to get them backed well, as this will come back to haunt you if you get it wrong. The first things they learn will be the hardest to change or eliminate, so we all need to try to imprint good behaviour from day one. When riding a just-backed youngster the main aim is to encourage them FORWARD. You need to get the "go" button from your leg as well as the "stop" button, which, to begin with, will be a rein aid but over time will become more subtle the more the horse learns. This isn't always a pretty time in the training journey, however it will improve I promise! Forwardness is the key to dressage at any level; if you touch them with the leg they should react, and this will get you out of all sorts of pickles... if they spook, they need to go fowards, if they are nervous they need to go forwards, if they are thinking of evading they need to go forwards - however hard that may be!

2. Scales of training will be your bible

Scales of training are your guidelines and they keep every riders feet firmly on the ground, helping to mould the training. These are: