Divide & Conquer Book 1: Fundamentals of Dressage by François Lemaire de Ruffieu

Calm, Forward and Straight must always serve as a guideline during the training and the order should not be interchanged. On this subject, all Riding Schools worldwide agree. These schools diverge only in their style due to the culture of their own country.     In these volumes, I recapture and explain the foundations provided by the great Masters. I have provided appropriate exercises to recreate, develop, and enhance the horse’s natural gaits that should be the common denominator of all riding styles and training disciplines, including Dressage, Jumpers, Hunters, Western, Pleasure, and many others. Book One includes the training progression from the beginning of the elementary level. The training mastered in Book One will be necessary to accomplish the collected and extended gaits, pirouette at the canter, tempe flying changes of lead, piaffe and passage in Book Two.      Although different training methods can produce similar results, a rider must know what to do, how to do it, and, perhaps most important, why he/she is doing it. The fundamentals are explained in Book One and should be mastered for the simple reason that what a horse has learned in the early stages of his education will remain with him for his entire life. Later, should a training problem occur, one can always revisit these fundamentals, review, improve, and perfect them.     This work study explains how to Divide and Conquer the horse's body parts. To be able to properly perform the exercises, the horse should be able to find the appropriate head position independent of the rider. If these exercises, alone, do not result in the horse being able to find the appropriate head and body position, I explain the prerequisites to correctly set the horse's head: cession (yielding) of the mouth and the flexion of the poll. François Lemaire de Ruffieu grew up in France. He was first trained by Master Jean Couillaud and graduated in 1967 from the Cadre Noir, one of the oldest and most prestigious riding academies in Europe. During his 6 years in the cavalry at Saumur and Fontainebleau, he studied and showed extensively in dressage, stadium jumping, three day eventing and steeplechase. He taught riding in Paris at the Military School of War. Since 1978, he has given clinic throughout United States of America and Europe. His students have won year-end high-score awards in equitation, hunter classes, stadium jumping, dressage, and combined training. Since 1988, he has been a panel member of the American Riding Instructor Certification Program and in 1996 he was awarded the title of Master Instructor. He currently lives in Florida. Hardcover edition. Table of Contents: Avant ProposPrefaceIntroductionImportant Instruction ReviewInitiation to Dressage Principles - The Rider’s AidsAdvice for Trainers and Riders before Beginning the Training StudyThe Rider’s PositionSeatHow does the rider obtain a good seat?Where should the rider sit in the saddle?How to place the seat in the saddleHolding the ReinsThe AidsExercises for the RiderLower Body Exercises for the Cox-Femoral Joints and Lower Back while MountedExercises for the AnklesUpper Body Exercises or the Shoulders and Lower Back while MountedConcepts in Training of the HorseImpulsion - FlexibilityImpulsionFlexibilityObedience to the Rider’s Leg ActionsLongitudinal and Lateral MovementsLesson One – The Learning Phase—Initiation Period (“Equi-robic” Exercises)Learning PhaseA. Transitions Walk-Stop-WalkAdjusting the ReinsTransition from Stop to WalkTeaching a Lazy Horse to be Obedient to the LegsB. Zigzag (Serpentine or Slalom)Rein ActionsDirect ReinDirect Rein of OppositionIndirect ReinIndirect Rein of Opposition in Front of the WithersIndirect Rein of Opposition Behind the WithersC. Lengthening and Shortening the WalkD. Moving the HaunchesE. Rein BackF. Changing DirectionsLesson Two – The Working Phase, Beginning of Dressage, “Low School Dressage”The TrotA. Longitudinal Exercise: Transitions Trot-Walk-TrotB. Lateral Exercise: ZigzagsC. Longitudinal Exercise: Lengthening and Shortening the Strides at the TrotD. Lateral Exercise: Moving the HaunchesLesson Three -- Further StudyThe CanterProgression to generate the right lead canter by applying the outside lateral aidsProgression to generate the right lead canter by applying the inside diagonal aidsProgression to generate the right lead canter by applying the inside lateral aidsProgression to obtain the right lead canter from the walkProgression for the downward transition from the canter to the walkPhase One. Steady the PacePhase Two. Shorten the Canter StridesPhase Three. Lengthening the Canter StridesExercises to Improve the CanterCounter-canterLesson Four -- ExercisesExercise One. Transitions, Changing GaitsExercise Two. ZigzagsExercise Three. Lengthening and Shortening the GaitsExercise Four. Moving the HaunchesLesson Five—On the BitA. Lateral FlexionB. Direct FlexionC. Placing the Horse on the BitD. Placing the Horse on the Bit While Moving LaterallyLesson Six—Practical ExercisesA. To unlock the horse’s poll and spineB. To prepare for the rotation of the shoulders around the haunchesC. To stretch and compress the horse’s entire bodyD. To further unlock the horse’s shouldersE. To further unlock the horse’s haunchesF. To coordinate both extremities of the horseG. To individually and then simultaneously move the horse’s body partsH. To coordinate the rider’s aids by displacing the horse’s body partsI. To supple the horse’s spinal column and teach the rider to coordinate the aidsJ. To develop instantaneous response to the rider’s aidsK. To further develop obedience and spontaneity to the rider’s aidsL. To improve the mobility of the horse’s hindquartersM. To improve the suppleness of the horse’s spinal column in both directionsN. To prepare for the outside half pirouetteO. To prepare for the outside half counter pirouetteP. To prepare for the inside half pirouetteQ. To prepare for the inside half counter pirouetteR. To develop instantaneous obedience to the rider’s aids and instill the idea of full pirouettesS. To prepare for the instantaneous obedience to the rider’s aids and eventually to perform full counter pirouettesT. Test longitudinal obedienceU. Lengthening the trot on the diagonals across the arenaV. Improve canter departuresW. Spiral in and out at the canterX. To improve and perfect the counter-canterY. To prepare for the future flying changes of lead at the canterZ. Exercises blending longitudinal and lateral movements to verify the promptness of the horse’s obedience and the rider’s accuracyFriendly AdviceEpilogue ISBN: 9780933316898 172 pages