Charlotte Dujardin Masterclass: How to Warm Up Your Dressage Horse

Damn her warm up is what I wish I could do at the show😂

To all of you commenting about the horse's neck, this isn't her horse, nor did she train it. She is just warming it up as a demonstration. Her reins were slack enough that the horse could have stretched if he wanted, but he is likely holding his head like that due to the way his usual rider rides him or maybe something he pick up before that even that they could be trying to work on. Who knows if she had even been on the horse before, and of course the horse would have been a little tense with a new and different rider on their back who they are not used to. I don't think any of you could have gotten on the horse and achieved a a horse that is any calmer in the same amount of time, unless maybe you were the horse's regular rider. I'm honestly so sick of people in the equine community judging other people and being nasty about it. Believe it or not there are multiple ways for people to care for and ride a horse in a way that ends up with a happy horse. Stop thinking because you ride a particular way, and your horse appears happy that that means all other ways of riding are horrible or abuse. Also just because you ride or have owned horses for x number years, doesn't mean you know it all about every horse, or that you are a trainer so stop acting like it online, your attitudes and behaviour are disgusting. Though that's no surprise given the followings Raleigh and Rick Gore have.

I always say train like you've never won and compete like you've never lost and I feel like that is the best mind set ever

What a lovely look into her training method and work ethic. Working with a horse who has clearly been trained behind the vertical and without classical principles, she still attempts to offer him a lot more rein that he is probably used to which he is still reacting to by curling under as opposed to reaching forward and out which takes a lot of horses who are trained BTV to accept and reach for. You can see the occasional flop of the reins against the horses neck so she is trying, and encouraging him to reach, but it is not something you see in the first session, or week or sometimes even month of introducing a non-classically trained horse to stretching.

I really like this class with Robert Dover and Charlotte Dujarden. They compliment one another well with their philosophical approach to Dressage. It has been said that everytime you are with your horses from pasture to grooming to groundwork to riding to back to stall or pasture, you are teaching your your, good or bad. So don't be lazy and concentrate in a relaxed way on what you are doing. As both Robert and Charlotte said, Good work equals good habits and then good rides and tests. Sounds to me like common sense to me!❤😁

I would like to see everybody warming up their Horses this way, I've seen Charlotte and Carl several times live.. the way they do the Warm-Up is simply perfect and respectful, thank You.

"Now he's going into the canter so I do the same" pure gold. Sadly Dover was bit***ing about his mike (lol) so this was somewhat lost. However it's extremely important to listen to your horse and let them have that freedom to do what they prefer to do first rather than fighting with them, this way you come to a consensus very much quicker and can then go on as one.

I would love to work with Charlotte Dujardin, as it was she and Valegro, that showed me my path in the dressage world!

Charlotte you are so lovely and talented, horsemanship and rider - world class, the best !

I am really inspired by Charlotte in every way.

Robert Dover is aging well. He was the guy to watch a million years ago when I rode. Good job RD. I love Charlotte! Dressage is lovely & not boring. Horse is pretty at trot, but his canter is not my style. *We were always told we had to ride that strange (not our horse) horse to get better. Learn by riding the strange one to us. At 650 he says practice perfectly; my favorite vhs to watch was ? saying "perfect practice makes perfect." Too bad I can't remember her name. Beautiful rider. I can still see the lovely lt bay in the video. Thanks for the upload and memories of a wonderful youth.

Thank you, Charlotte for sharing your knowledge.

Its kinda scary the ignorance coming out in some of these comments. Clearly some of you critics have only backed, ridden, schooled and developed certain types of horses. Im assuming you've all done those things at least with one horse, cause if you haven't you can't really have the knowledge to even voice a provisional opinion on training/ riding different types of elite horses with different natural tendencies, strengths, weaknesses and psychological traits. Please just watch and learn. Not all horses can be stretched well at the start of work, especially in that environment. Biomechanically horses stretching need to stretch on a contact not on the buckle to have any physiological advantage, and getting a hot, tense horse to relax through its back and stretch well through to a contact isn't gonna happen at the beginning of work, no matter how good a rider you are. Riding a horse you don't know in front of a crowd full of people and getting it to work effectively with you with minimum anxiety is not an easy thing to do. Give her a round of applause for trying to give everyone a chance to understand/feel what it would be like to be an experienced rider working with a new unknown horse, in exceptionally stressful circumstances.

Great rider

What a talented rider.

Yep there are a lot of critics concerned with the degree or lack of stretch seen here and the position of the neck. In my opinion there is stretch, I can see it I can even feel it just by looking. However the point to be made here is that this is a hot sensitive horse being ridden by a stranger in front of a very packed and noisy stand, this is America after all . She asked that the audience try and remain quiet after the initial applause whistling and mayhem when she was announced so she could enter quietly so she could show what she was doing to best advantage on a very sensitive horse. However allowing the horse to completely stretch by giving too much rein could be too risky, so Dujardin is obviously having to play it safe which is of course extremely sensible on a borrowed horse this touchy. She still gets a reasonable stretch for the purposes of the class. Can the horse do better well we will never know unless we do LOL.

Feel your horse and let him feel you!!!!

I always like a long trot, after a brisk walk, especially when it is difficult to contain the energy at a walk, then begin to reel in the engagement and flexion, and light flexing and then large, loose circles. OCD's, those of us that insist on complete control, of the spine and feet, no matter how long it takes. I have 20,000 hours, but, it still is not enough. One injury, one health issue, on the rider's end, and it will fall away in two weeks, and take two months to recover. Just love the Dance. Oh, that reminds me, if you have no rythm like one would need on the dance floor, or playing a musical instrument, you will find Dressage, very difficult. It's a tempo thing. Your cue, either is timed in sync with the horse, or is a momentary half-beat in advance of your next request (cue) Sorry had to respond to your advertiser. Not everyone, can be great at dressage, or reining, or jumping, or ...? Do it for the "Dance."

She is uncredible <3 <3

Is this Fuego? 🥰❤️