Why the Training Wheel?

Western Dressage utilizes the training wheel in it's training process as oposed to a more "traditional" training pyramid.

We are going to discuss why and how this could help you in any discipline you ride!

Some may ask "why reinvent the wheel?" (I know I'm funny), but all of western dressage is about reinventing the wheel for inclusivity, happy horses and longevity of our horses.

The ultimate goal of the wheel is to create lightness and throughness with harmony.

In my own teaching and riding I have always geared my teaching to a foundation of a peaceful synergy with the horse and rider, why? Because a happy horse naturally moves better and has "self carriage" if we are doing all of these extra things for self carriage and incorrectly creating it well then that's not actually self carriage. The idea is to set a horse up for success so that they can naturally find their balance.

While I still agree with the traditional pyramid that rhythm and suppleness must come first, I think they must come together. I personally, not speaking for everyone in western dressage, believe that a horse must be relaxed, in order for a horse to be relaxed they must be balanced. When a horse has a steady rhythm they can relax because they know what's expected.

If you were running down hill carrying someone and they were leaning on you and you had no rhythm or balance, you would be panicked. They don't want us to fall off, we must help our horses enjoy the process.

A wheel also shows that no core foundation should be overlooked and everything needs to play an equal part in creating a fully trained horse. It emphasizes a balance of development.

It is very important to note that on the wheel rider position and seat take a core role. If we do not have our own "self carriage" how can we expect it from our horses?

In order to learn more go to WDAA to see exactly how they explain the wheel!

Training wheel explained.