Three Painted Acres Dressage

08/26/2026

When a Dressage Horse Is Behind the Leg — Especially With an Adult Amateur (AA) Rider

One of the most frustrating situations in dressage is a horse who is wonderfully forward and willing for the professional, but becomes behind the leg, pins his ears, bucks, or doesn't want to move forward for his AA rider.

The important thing to understand is that this isn't necessarily a “lazy horse.”

Often, the horse has learned that there are two different systems:

**Trainer:**
Leg → immediate response → release.

**AA:**
Leg → no response → stronger leg → more pressure → horse braces → resistance.

The horse learns that the AA's leg is negotiable.
But what is actually happening in the horse's body?

When the rider is asking the horse to go forward while simultaneously restricting him through the hand, seat, or body, the horse can develop an energy conflict.

The rider says:

“Go forward.”

But the horse simultaneously feels:

“Don't actually go anywhere.”

Instead of energy traveling:

**Hindquarters → back → neck → contact**

the horse can become:

**Restricted → braced → shortened stride → more leg → more resistance.**

The hind legs become less effective at stepping underneath the body and contributing to propulsion. The back can become tense rather than swinging. More weight stays on the forehand, and the horse can become heavy in the rider's hand.

This is why a horse can look “round” while still being completely behind the leg.

Round is not necessarily connected.
A short neck is not necessarily collection.
More leg is not necessarily more impulsion.

If the horse is constantly being squeezed, he can also become desensitized to the leg.

Instead of:

leg → response

the horse learns:

leg → background noise.

The rider then uses more leg, which can create even more tension.

Eventually the horse may anticipate the interaction. Ear pinning, tail swishing, bracing, rushing, kicking, or bucking can become part of the cycle.

That doesn't mean every buck is training-related—pain and discomfort should always be ruled out—but the physical and mental pattern is important to recognize.

So what's the answer?

It isn't to kick harder.

The goal is to make the aid clearer and more meaningful.

The rider should be able to say:

Light leg = GO.

If there is no response, reinforce promptly.

The instant the horse goes forward:

RELEASE.

The horse learns that responding to the first aid is the easiest option.

For these horses, I often like to temporarily take the emphasis away from the perfect dressage picture and go back to:

Forward → Straight → Rhythm → Connection → Engagement → Collection

A horse cannot truly be collected if he isn't genuinely forward.

Let the AA ride the horse in a more open, forward frame. Work on transitions, changes of direction, bigger and smaller steps, and simple forward exercises without constantly worrying about where the horse's head is.

One of my favorite exercises:

GO → COME BACK → GO

At the trot, ask for a few strides of a bigger, more powerful trot. Return to working trot. Then ask again.

The goal isn't to make the horse run.

QUICK TRANSITIONS

TROT → 4 STEPS WALK → TROT
TROT → CANTER → TROT

The goal is to teach:

My rider's leg means bigger steps.

And equally important:

When my rider stops asking, I maintain the gait.

The rider's position matters, too.

When the AA asks the horse to go, are they accidentally:

• Leaning backward?
• Gripping with the knee?
• Bracing through the stirrups?
• Tightening the reins?
• Locking the hip?
• Driving continuously?
• Holding the horse in the front while asking him to move forward?

That creates the classic:

“Go, but don't actually go” feeling.

The horse needs to feel that the rider's leg opens the door rather than pushes him into a closed front end.

The ultimate goal isn't to make the horse “behave” for the amateur.

It's to teach the horse that the AA's aids mean exactly the same thing as the trainer's aids.

When that communication becomes clear, consistent, and predictable, the horse no longer has to spend his energy figuring out how to respond to conflicting signals.

Instead, the energy can go where we actually want it:

Hind legs → swinging back → forward movement → elastic contact → connection.

That's when First Level starts to feel completely different.

Forward isn't created by more leg.
Forward is created by a leg that actually means something.

this is so true

07/20/2026

THIS!

07/20/2026

How much does a good horse cost?

A good horse will cost you your pride, because they'll show you that you don't know everything, but that you learn the most when you stop pretending you do.

They'll cost you your dreams, because they'll change them without warning, rewriting what you thought you wanted, your ambition and sometimes you're whole perception of what is important.

They'll cost you your comfort, because you'll have to leave that behind to take a chance on them. Other people might overlook them, or not see what you see, but you have to follow that feeling, even if it scares you.

They'll cost you your patience, because progress will not be linear and sometimes you will have to go slower than you ever anticipated in order to go further than you've ever been.

They'll cost you your excuses, because they won't let you hide behind them. They will make you show up and dig deep, and I mean dig deep, even on the days you don't want to.

They'll cost you your time, because the most important things they teach you aren't in the lessons or the competitions, but in the quiet moments in between that you've spend rushing through until now.

A good horse will cost you your heart, because once they have it, you will never get it back in quite the same shape.

A good horse will cost you all the things you didn't know you had, and all the things you didn't know you were willing to give. That's the real price of a good horse, and they are worth every single penny.

07/13/2026

he back too💙💙💙💙💙

07/03/2026

06/29/2026

view from my window 💙

06/28/2026

this

1. Don’t ride your horse when it’s hotter than the surface of the sun. If you need telling the exact temperature of ‘too hot’ then you’re already an idiot and unfortunately I can’t help you. Use common sense. Key point, if you’re already sweating - don’t. A week off won’t kill you or your horse but justifying riding to the Facebook police might well do.

2. Bring your horse in or leave them out. Pick one. Commit to something for once in your life. Don’t outsource basic decision-making to Facebook strangers who think wind direction causes laminitis. Go stand in your horse’s stable, then stand in the field, and use your brain to decide which feels less like living inside a kettle. And if they’re not used to being in and they’re going to stress, don’t.

3. If you can get a fly mask on your horse, put one on. If you can’t, don’t. Unless you particularly enjoy chasing a horse around a field trying to Velcro a hat to his face in 35 degrees.

4. If they’re sweating, wash them off. Scrape it off or leave it on, stop over complicating things Sharon and wash the damn horse.

5. Water is not optional. Make it plain, make it fresh, make an additional bucket fancy with electrolytes if you’re feeling like a wellness influencer—but don’t f*ck around with their basic water.

6. Electrolytes and salt in feed are great—turning dinner into a sodium-themed buffet is not. We’re aiming for “recovered horse,” not “walking sea pickle.”

7. And obviously… don’t travel your horse for fun in a heatwave. This is not the week for a spontaneous outing to an unaffiliated pony patting clinic. However, if your horse is actually unwell and you need an emergency vet, yes—travel them appropriately and sensibly to a vet. Just don’t be a total spanner.

Didn’t really think this needed to be said but apparently Facebook is now used over common sense. So here’s the official guide, you’re welcome. I’m off to marinate in a puddle of my own sweat. ☀️

06/11/2026

eight ways to ensure a bad ride
8 ways to ensure a bad ride!
1.) be grippy. Make sure your legs are grippy and always grip a little bit through your biceps so that you’re always hanging on your horses face at least a little bit
2.) assume that your horse is going to react poorly to anything and everything. Spook at the noise before he does. Assume that he’s going to be bad today because of the new turnout schedule. Is it windy out? Better yank on the lead rope a couple times now to prevent him from noticing.
3.) don’t fix your seat. Do you sometimes slide left? Excellent. You’re gonna wanna do that a whole lot and then blame the horse when he’s heavy in your right hand. Are you prone to anterior pelvic tilt? That’s excellent because it prevents you from moving your hips properly.
4.) Be stiff. Don’t move your hips. Don’t let your elbows move with the horse in the walk, or with your body while posting the trot. In fact, hold your breath as much as possible.
5.) don’t take any breaks. If things are going poorly, and you give yourself and your horse a chance to decompress, you might spend that time doing some problem-solving and end up having a fabulous ride afterwards
6.) keep track of the bad moments, but ignore the good moments! It’s your perception that determines whether a ride was good or bad and the truth is most rides are gonna be a little bit of both. So make sure that you notice and judge you and your horse heavily every time the bend isn’t quite right.
7.) doubt yourself constantly! One of the best ways to have an absolutely horrible ride is to try to fix multiple things at once with no clear idea of what you actually want your horse to look and feel like. Maybe you work on making him round, but the second he’s round he is buying the vertical so you bump him up, but then he’s hollow so he tried to pull his face down… go ahead and repeat that a bunch of times!! or maybe the tempo is too quick so you try to slow it down but then he feels behind your leg so you bang him in the ribs.
8.) don’t ask for help. Only losers ask for help. Do you wanna know what’s cool learning absolutely everything all on your own. In fact, why are you even following this page? If you learn something from me, then you’re not actually self-taught.

Obviously, there are way more, but I feel like this is a great start! Feel free to add your favorites to the comments.

06/10/2026

one of the hardest things for a rider to accept.
One of the hardest things for riders to accept in developing or retraining horses is this:
Correct work often looks slow, quiet, and even a little boring for a long time.
Young horses and retraining horses should not be rushed into bigger movement, faster tempo, or more expression before they have the balance and strength to carry it.
If the horse is constantly pushed in front of his natural balance, the hind legs never truly learn to step under and carry weight. Rather, the horse learns to run forward to avoid falling.
This is where so many problems begin:
• Quick, hurried rhythm that looks stiff
• Heavy shoulders
• Hollow backs
• Tight under-necks
• Leaning on the hand
• Lack of true throughness
• Difficulty collecting later
The horse may look flashy for the moment, but underneath, he is running on imbalance rather than developing strength and confidence in his own biomechanics.
In correct development, the rider allows the horse time to organize his body.
That means:
• Slower tempos
• Smaller steps
• Relaxed repetitions
• Long periods of stretching
• Transitions done without rushing
• Allowing the hind leg time to catch up to the front end
Especially in the beginning, the work should almost feel boring and overly simple.
Gymnastic development is not created through energy it is created through relaxation, balance, and repetition of basic skills.

As the horse becomes stronger and more confident in his balance, he naturally begins to offer more.
More reach.
More suspension.
More power.
More self-carriage.
More expression.
Without the need for the rider to keep trying to produce it. His body became capable of producing it honestly and without pressure.
The best movement is developed patiently.