THE CLASSICAL CENTAUR Volume 1 -- Issue 6 August 2026 On Classical Riding And Partnership From Kirsten... August has given me more time than usual to step back from the daily rhythm of teaching and work on several projects that have been developing quietly in the background. Much of my attention has been on finishing "The Classical Riding Roadmap". As I have been working on it, I keep returning to a question that has followed me for most of my riding life: Why can we

When I was ten years old, I wanted to learn to jump. I had a great Arabian gelding who was very eager to fly over obstacles, albeit a bit chaotic. I managed to stay on over the jump (most of the time) but really was eager to be trained. So, I sought out the help of an older trainer who had a fantastic reputation of teaching English riding, including jumping and dressage. I will never forget my first lesson. I tacked up my horse and began to warm him up. She observed me q

In the beginning of my career, I experienced a number of detours in training philosophy. I have always been open to new information and instruction, and ironically, one of the most impactful moments in my education came when I took a wrong turn. At the time, I had been training with my mentor for about three years and had made tremendous progress with three of our family horses. One of them, a talented Half Arabian National Show Horse mare, was developing beautifully, and I

Contact is often treated as something mechanical--something to be adjusted, shortened or held. But in classical riding contact is not a pressure, it is an effect. It reflects the state of the horse's body, the rider's alignment and posture, and the energetic connection between them. When you first sit upon a horse, you are taught to use the reins—to steer, to stop, to turn. As you advance, the instruction becomes more refined: direct rein, indirect rein, pulley rein, and

In the beginning of my classical training, I had a lot of bad habits to fix. One in particular was using too much leg. My father, who also rode and started most of our horses, had read some of the classical masters like Museler and Podhajsky and in his limited understanding picked up on the importance of leg aids. And so, in typical over-achiever fashion he applied leg. A LOT of leg! Being his daughter—and riding the horses he started—I followed the same pattern. Be

The Misunderstanding of "On the Bit" Few phrases in riding are as misunderstood as “on the bit.”Riders chase it. Judges reward it. Trainers demand it.Yet very few can describe what it truly is — or what it feels like. Most riders do not understand what “on the bit” actually means. It is treated as a visual posture. It becomes reduced to “head on the vertical.” Riders obsess over neck shape. Trainers force the frame through rein pressure. The result? Compression. Strain. Di

Even as our world proceeds to greater technological breakthroughs, our basic needs and desires as humans remain consistent. Likewise,...

This article is dedicated to all of us facing fear. (My greatest experience in dealing with fear is in relation to riding and...

This article is dedicated to all of us facing fear. My greatest experience in dealing with fear is in relation to riding and training...

How do you ride with invisible aids? When we cue the horse and have them obey our directions whether on the ground or in the saddle, we...

1. Horse is unruly and rude on the ground. 2. Horse is often on edge, unpredictable and/or “hot”. 3. Horse is...