Wise Words from Erik Herbermann- cause I love them so much!

"Beginners are not bad riders, they merely lack experience. The only truly bad riders are usually 'experienced' in the poorest sense of that word; those who blatantly and ignorantly bully their horses."

"In the truest sense sense of the word, the bit must remain the mediator between horse and rider, upon which neither one may pull (neutral territory)."

"An experienced rider does not need to use severe bits, an inexperienced rider certainly shouldn't use them."

"Armed with theory, practise becomes meaningful... through practise, theory becomes fulfilled."

"All that glitters is not classical riding..."

"The challenge of Dressage is not necessarily in having the best moving horse, but rather to get every horse we ride to move as well as it possibly can."

"The hands are only ever as good as the seat."

"The rider can sit over the horse, on the horse or in the horse. The last of these is the ultimate goal."

"Through incorrect, direct use of the inside rein the rider attempts to:

- pull the horse onto circles with it
- pull the horse through corners with it
- pull the horse onto shoulder-in with it
- do turns on the haunches with it
- make the horse leg-yield with it
- generally keep the horse from cutting in by pressing the inside rein against the neck (instead of using the inside leg)
- bend the horse soley with the inside rein without the use of the other, more important elements"

"Only when the rider becomes quiet will the horse be able to hear the whispers of the finer aids."

"Never ambush or surprise your horse with any aid."

"When training the horse do little and repeat frequently."

"If the horse is trained by force, force will be required to ride it."

"When in trouble - do less! Neutralize. Let the horse settle down and find itself before making new demands."

"Correct transitions are the proof of the pudding"

"Advanced work sonly ever as good as the basics."

"Be gentle while grooming, the horse is not a carpet! Remember, true horsemanship starts on the ground."