28/ DECEMBER 2018 THE RIDER Palm Partnership Training™ Building a Partnership with your Horse


Western Dressage: “How Can I Influence Other Western Riders To Try Western Dressage?”


The video and social community for horse people just like you! Wherever you live and however you ride www.barnmice.com


www.facebook.com/Barnmice twitter.com/Barnmice •pinterest.com/barnmice


my training. Dressage helps me appreciate and under- stand the horse. Learning and teaching how to train a horse naturally has been my role for many years. At the time when my career was becoming successful on the national and world show levels in the mid 70’s, I did not realize how much I was ahead of my game with my Dressage training back- ground. I was showing all around in the western and hunt seat competitions with quarter horses. In 1997 I


a great story. If you have been a Palm Partner Club member for a while you may have already heard this story. However, whether you have or not, you can pass it on to others. I started my business in 1970 as a professional trainer and in- structor. I have had a won- derful career as a trainer and competitor from growing up in the Dressage saddle. I took what I learned in the dressage saddle and applied it to western and hunt seat riding. I don’t ride any dif- ferently from one saddle to the other. Dressage is the basis of


By Lynn Palm First, I have to tell you


and I made the decision to use the name “Dressage


made a decision to semi re- tire from quarter horse com- petitions. I was not happy with the way judges were rewarding horses in the events, especially Hunter Under Saddle. I knew the correct mechanics of how a horse operates and knew that horses were not meant to travel with their balance on the forehand. The more that I was exposed to the show world, the more I saw miserable horses. I always prided myself on showing a horse with the ears forward revealing happiness and confidence in their training. So, in November of 1997 I chose to take my business to primary education. Ever since I have been very pleased. I entered during the era and birth of many clini- cians. Horse expositions were also exploding and I saw a part of the horse in- dustry that could be benefi- cial for both my business and my clients. I realized that both new and estab- lished horse owners were hungry for education on how to be the best that they can for their horses. It was then that Cyril


later, I felt a change of un- derstanding regarding this mysterious word. “Dres- sage” was widely accepted by all disciplines and breeds at the 2010 World Eques- trian Games in Lexington, Kentucky. At the games I


“training” in French. We were teaching people that Dressage is training a horse naturally according to the horse’s anatomy, natural in- stincts and behaviors. Best of all it was a proven and successful way to learn to become a confident rider. So more than a decade


Principles” as our training method, to describe our multi-discipline knowledge and share with others to im- prove the training for horses and riders together. At first, “Dressage Principles” hurt us. People would come up to me at horse expos, on the phone, and in emails and say “I am a western rider, I don’t do Dressage!” and move on to “natural horse- manship.” Or others would say “I am a trail rider, I don’t ride Dressage” or “Dressage is too hard of rid- ing for me, I could never do that!” We kept trying to in- fluence people that Dres- sage


simply means,


old. It’s even older than the United States. Dressage has proven successful and is for any breed of horse and all riding disciplines. Dressage should be your foundation for correct and successful riding. It is simply a com- mon sense approach to training horses and riders. You should be able to un- derstand a rider’s balance, communication through the natural aids (seat, legs, hands) and how to control your horse’s balance. These are the building blocks of Dressage. Willingness and happy horses has always been our goal at Palm Part- nership Training. We know a confident, comfortable, and effective rider is pro- moted through Dressage training.


on these training materials and more, as well as clinics, please visit www.lyn- npalm.com or call us at 800- 503-2824.


Send in all your news


for the next issue of


The Rider


Guide to Take You to Your First Show A Rider Guide to Real Col- lection DVDs: “Dressage Princi- ples for the Western Horse & Rider” Volume 1 Parts 1- 5 “Dressage Principles for the Western & English Horse & Rider” Volume 2,Parts 1-3 “Let Your Horse Be Your Teacher” Parts 1&2 For more information


train with Lynn & Cyril at home with Western Dres- sage, take advantage of the following supportive train- ing materials: Books: Head To Toe Horse- manship Western


If you would like to


owners coming up to us or writing “I have been taking Dressage lessons to improve my western riding,” and “Dressage has improved my horse and my riding so much, I never want to quit this type of riding!” We also have recreational/trail riders coming to us and wanting to learn Dressage to “Ride Well” for their horses. This is actually how we came up with our clinic name. Dressage is centuries


demonstration on “Dressage Principles” and explained how “riding well” will em- phasize the willing and cor- rect responses from the horse. I realized we were on the right track and now peo- ple truly understood that Dressage is naturally train- ing a horse and rider. We now have horse


our clinician


horses, showing in a correct balance and collection. They were doing lead changes, extending and slowing in the gaits, and performing lateral movements in either Western or English saddles. It was amazing and most of the time I had my mouth open with surprise and hap- piness! Cyril and I per- formed


saw so many breeds includ- ing Morgan’s, Saddlebreds, Arabians,


and Gaited


Dressage—A


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48