(“Did she or didn’t she?”)

What I’m proposing shouldn’t seem especially radical to many of you. But to some, well, hear me out.

Your dressage horse should be able to gallop! I don’t mean “lace him till he’s running blind” kind of yahoo galloping but the bold, balanced controlled gallop of, let’s say, a Training Level event horse.

It will make him loose. It can make him confident. It will remind him that there’s more to the world than those wimpy “did she or didn’t she?” efforts you see so often in First Level 1.

In Ancient Times (see photo) dressage tests had a mandatory jump at their conclusion. I’m not suggesting we need to go there! But get out in the open, do some hills, and make (let) your horse go!

Two provisos: always be sure you can stop and I mean on relatively short notice—not eventually. And don’t encourage your horse to lean on the bit and hang. Maintain the kind of relationship with his mouth that you want in your regular schooling.

One last thought: if you’re saying, “Oh, that’s not for me,” or “I’m too old for that kind of behavior,” then find a trustworthy but more expendable rider to do it for you.