Why I am doing the Experiment

A while back I was involved in an online forum discussion regarding the dvd set "Piaffe Revealed"... and his claims that anyone , even a novice, can teach any horse, even a green horse, to Piaffe in as little as 8 weeks. The discussions I have read and/or been involved in, have been quite heated.  The topics included, not only the appropriateness of teaching ANY horse of ANY level the Piaffe, but also, the reality of whether or not ANY one could actually do it...even a novice....as the author claims.....then add to that.....IF his style of Piaffe was even 'correct' be it classical or modern, or if it is just a trick for backyard horse enthusiasts, as well as the safety concerns for both horse and handler. I can assure you, there is quite a debate over these dvd's...... You name it...someone is talking about it.
Anyways, I decided to test it out on my own horses and share my progress as I go along.....AND.... if possible.....get a green bean novice to join me in my experiment. For all intents and purposes....as far as dressage goes....I would consider myself a novice. Others may not....but I do. Why? Because…
#1~Theory~ In all my study, in the years gone by, as a scholar, I fall quite short compared to many, many people who have had the resources to study far more intensively than have. Though my desire and passion is there, my book worming is just a drop in the bucket compared to the serious intellectual Classical Dressage student.
#2~Expert Mentorship ~In all my years, basically I have done it alone. I had few, if any, live mentors to study under. Most that I found in my area were either not classical or too expensive for my puny budget. But I did have one mentor, Gill, that was a bit 'out there' as a human being....but he taught me a lot in the few lessons I could afford w him. Luckily he boarded his horses where I did...and I was able to watch many lessons w other students and watch him ride his own horses and he was gracious enough to answer my MANY questions I grilled him with. All of this had led me to the discovery that many of the great riders are actually quite obscure, and have NEVER received, nor attempted to receive, a gold medal or a blue ribbon of any kind.
#3~The Glass Ceiling ~ I only made it into L3 before my mare foundered and was retired. Though I do pride myself on the fact that as a backyard Classical dressage enthusiast, with minimal funds and a $500 TB mare....I made it that far....CORRECTLY...on my own. Pat~ Pat~ Toot~ Toot......(that's me patting my back and tooting my horn)


4~Reality Check~ I am now a middle aged woman, fat and out of shape, who has not ridden but a handful of times in the last 4 years due to injuries from a car accident....and my horse is a 14yo green rescue TB mare with the equivalent training of 30 "traditional" days under saddle and a tying up issue (medical condition...google it).....AND....I don't have an arena....My reality SUCKS....go figure!


Based on these 4 things alone, I don't think I could ever consider myself anything other than a novice....in dressage land...though I am hardly a novice horseman....far from it in-fact.
The Challenge: Riz Ilyas states that ANY one can do this with ANY horse and be doing a few steps of Piaffe with in 12 weeks. So there it is....the gloves are on....let's see if we CAN do this. I will be doing video and pics along with a written diary of the experiment.
Savvy On
Michelle