For this groundbreaking book, I had the privilege of collaborating with international dressage competitor, trainer, and clinician Betsy Steiner. A Gymnastic Riding System Using Mind, Body & Spirit is a unique approach to dressage training for horse and rider and a departure from the usual textbook methods: a true system for both horse and rider that parallels the pyramid of dressage training or “training scale.” Each step of the way, Betsy explains what horse and rider need to attain to achieve success, physically and psychologically. Her well-known Pilates-based fitness system for riders, Equilates, was born out of the concepts she developed in this book.
Betsy and I are both particularly proud of the fact that A Gymnastic Riding System is the first dressage book to be translated from English to German by the German National Equestrian Federation. Germany is in many ways the center of modern dressage, so for this book to be considered a worthy addition to that country’s considerable equestrian resources is a high compliment indeed.
“This book maps out a marvelous approach to riding, using the classical training pyramid as a base for Betsy Steiner’s mind, body, and spirit system of training. She presents this together with solid, gymnastic, physical advice for both rider and horse, and the result is a unique compilation of all Betsy’s best qualities as a horseman.” –Klaus Balkenhol, German Olympic dressage gold medalist and former US dressage team coach
