These five points should be standard dialogue for all Cowboy Dressage clinicians at the
beginning of all Cowboy Dressage clinics.
- Cowboy Dressage Philosophy – Honor the horse, honor within your life, honor your
handshake family. Cowboy Dressage is about a lifestyle. - Soft Feel – Describe Soft Feel within your life. Describe what Soft Feel means to you in
terms of your relationship with others and your equine partners. - Courts – Explain the difference between the Cowboy Dressage court and the traditional
dressage short court – Added letters on long sides, Perfect 5 meter grid lines- user friendly.
How the court creates a better understanding of why the tests are helping a rider to train,
while riding the maneuvers within the tests. - Tests – Explain the reasons for the tests. Example – Partnership on the Ground:
Soft Feel starts on the ground, basic training on both sides of the horse, leading into
Partnership under Saddle, (same test but now it’s being ridden). The tests and levels
increase in relation to the difficulty of the Maneuvers: Walk/Jog 1-4, Walk/Jog/Lope 1-7,
Challenge Walk/Jog 1-4, Challenge Walk/Jog/Lope 1-2, Freestyle. - Why Cowboy Dressage – Describe what Cowboy Dressage does for you and your
education of horse and rider. How has it helped you in teaching and why you are teaching Cowboy Dressage.
These five points will help bring Cowboy Dressage education to a standard. This Information will
help to achieve a better understanding and more continuity throughout our Cowboy Dressage
clinics. All Cowboy Dressage Clinicians are expected to cover these 5 points in their Cowboy
Dressage Clinics.
Any teacher can teach, few care to truly educate.
Anyone can tell you what to do, but not many can tell you WHY.
Break the maneuvers down to the elements contained in each maneuver.
elements = maneuvers = tests = partnership
As a clinician, the goal is not only to teach Cowboy Dressage, but to find out WHY there might
be a lack of partnership between horse and rider in certain maneuvers. This is why
understanding the elements of each maneuver give you the skills to help with the WHY.
Knowing the WHY will always keep the TRY.
If all clinicians will follow these steps, we will truly be united in bringing Cowboy Dressage to the
highest goal —
HONORING YOUR HORSE THOUGH SOFT FEEL INTO CARING AND THOUGHTFUL
PARTNERSHIP
Cowboy Dressage World Partners – Eitan, Debbie, Lyn, Garn, Wyatt
