"Cowboy Dressage,
as the name implies, is a combination of the
best of both worlds: Traditional western and
classical horsemanship. Each discipline of
horsemanship is time honored and recognized on
it's own. When you combine the philosophy and
practice of each and add music, you create art.
Art is what Cowboy Dressage is all about: a
medium of self-expression through the freedom of
pure horsemanship."
It is so hard to
explain what Cowboy Dressage is. It is so many
different things to so many different people.
Perhaps it is a way of not just combining two
distinct disciplines but even more importantly
"uniting" them. Good horsemanship, it's
principles, practices and teachings do not
belong to just one discipline, it belongs to all
disciplines, all breeds, all equestrians.
Dressage and it's development through history is
a gift to all equestrians, to be shared by all
and to be learned by all. It is not about the
saddle, it is about you and your horse. The
partnership, the friendship and the commitment.
Pure and simple.
Dressage to a horse
and rider are like the blue prints to an
engineer who must build a bridge. You must know
the fundamentals of building in order to create
a structure of durability, strength and ability.
Dressage is the hub of the wheel and from there
come the spokes which are the understanding of
form, movement and balance.
The "Cowboy" part
of Cowboy Dressage.....that is my own personal
dream. That lifestyle and it's code is where my
heart lies. As a kid in the movie theaters I was
swept way by the romance and hardship of it all.
And the horses, every day was filled with
horses. In those days your lives truly depended
on each other. A partnership could mean life or
death to one or the other. I have had the
pleasure and honor to visit and participate on
some real working ranches in Wyoming. That
partnership between horse and cowboy is as true
today as it was a 100 years ago. That truth
brought me to this country and it has had a hold
on me ever since.
Cowboy Dressage for
me is a belief in a life style and a discipline.
It is an open door to knowledge and growth on
two fronts. There are no rules, there are no
judgments, there are no tests. Just you and your
horse, your conscience and quests. It is about
the partnership and how I arrive at mine with my
horse.
"The Dressage is my
discipline.... the Cowboy is my freedom."
Cowboy
Dressage..."When dressage suits your needs, but
a Stetson suits your lifestyle."
