Rediscovering Riding Through Trust

Hola Everyone

There’s something no one tells you when you first start riding horses. Something you won’t find in manuals or in most riding schools: the true art of riding doesn’t begin with technique, but with the quality of the relationship.

Perhaps you’ve been riding for years, you’ve trotted, cantered, maybe even competed. Or perhaps you’re just starting, full of excitement but also uncertainty. In either case, you may have never felt what it’s like to ride a horse that fully trusts you, that understands your signals without fear or tension, that enjoys the work as much as you do. A horse that, when it sees you coming, doesn’t turn away or shut down, but greets you with curiosity and calm.

How can something like this be explained?

Imagine dancing with someone. If that person is tense, afraid, or confused, the dance will be awkward, uncomfortable, even frustrating. But if there’s trust, if both of you are listening to the same music, then the dance transforms. It flows. It becomes art. Riding is just like that.

But there’s a problem: most horses are trained through fear. They’ve learned to obey not because they understand or enjoy it, but because they’ve experienced pressure, pain, or punishment. And many riders, without ill intent, have also learned to ride from that place: pushing, correcting, tightening. Not because they want to cause harm, but because no one showed them another way.

This manual exists to offer you a different path. One that’s older than any trend and more advanced than any gadget. A way of training and riding grounded in behavioral science, in deep respect for the horse’s biomechanics, and most of all, in the ethics of mutual enjoyment.

Here, we won’t be “breaking” horses. We’ll be educating them, listening to their needs, showing them how to move with health and elegance, and inviting them to enjoy the process as much as we do. Because when the horse understands, trusts, and willingly cooperates, what we can achieve together is unparalleled. It’s light. It’s powerful. It’s real.

And you can live this too. It doesn’t matter your level. You just need to open your eyes, your body, and your heart.

A KEY RECOMMENDATION

For those who have purchased the beginner level, or are about to: read the entire level from start to finish before you begin applying it. Don’t try to absorb every detail on the first pass. You need to see the whole picture first, like looking at a map before you start walking the path.

Once you’ve finished it, go back to the beginning. That’s when you can pause, reflect, study, and adapt each section to your unique situation. That second journey will be deeper, more conscious, and truly transformative.

https://www.dressage-isaac.com/b85b0d8a-b0a2-4417-a006-a238692afe7d

Isaac Ares

Legal Disclaimer:

This document expresses an independent professional analysis based on research and biomechanical observation. It aims to promote functional, ethical, and welfare-oriented equestrian practice. It does not refer to any specific rider, horse, event, or governing body.