Heather Blitz and Arabella

I was reading the article, "Heather's Toolbox" by Sandra Adair Daugirda, in my magazine "Dressage Today" and here are a few things I want to remember from it so I can incorporate them into my training.

"Consider the balance, coordination, muscle tone, energy and symmetry of the rider and the horse. Add how they read and react to each other, and it becomes clear why dressage is not just a sport but an art."



(Here Blitz rides Arabella, a Danish Warmblood mare by Rambo that she trained from the beginning to Grand Prix. They were a reserve pair for the 2006 World Equestrian Games.)

"Blitz is an elegant rider. At six feet tall, she had "plugged-in" seat bones, a "vertically stacked" torso and rotated thighs that are well-connected to the saddle. In the saddle, she constantly works to lower her center of gravity and access her core strength. To help riders find this same stability, Blitz gives us a peek into her biomechanical toolbox...

• Be Aware
• Create an Authoritative Bumprint
• Train the Horse to React
• Find the Neutral State
• Visualize a Heavy Ball
• Imagine a Thought Bubble
• Be Clear
• Add Isometrics
• Stay True to Yourself

I'll expand more later...