On Day 2 of the 2025 USDF Trainers’ Conference, USDF bronze, silver and gold medalist and large ‘R’ judge Amy Bradley worked with headlining clinician and Germany’s national head coach Monica Theodorescu to keep her 8-year-old Oldenburg gelding I Spy more collected through circles and continue their serpentine work to improve his suppleness and balance. They also focus on straightness and getting I Spy more in front of Bradley’s leg.

Take It Slow With Young Horses

A number of riders brought young horses like I Spy to this year’s conference and Theodorescu advised them and attendees to be especially careful about taking things slow with younger mounts and not to always ask for more. “Our horses offer us so much already, and breeding has become so specialized that these horses are able to give a lot even when they’re still young,” she said. “But you must take it easy. Your horse must have the time to mature and feel comfortable.”

She warned that if you ask for too much too soon, you might lose contact, get a swishing tail (or other negative body language) or uneven steps because the horse isn’t trained thoroughly enough in the basics. “Always stick to basics and be happy with small improvements, step by step, like going to school,” Theodorescu added. “These horses are going to school and one day they like to learn more and another day they’re not ready to learn more. Go slowly.”

It’s Always About the Basics

Theodorescu advised Bradley and other riders to constantly ask themselves what they can do better to develop willing partnerships with their horses by being patient, clear and trusting the training system reflected in the ever-valid dressage Training Scale. The Training Pyramid, as its also called, starts with rhythm as the most basic quality and progresses upward to relaxation, connection, impulsion, straightness and finally culminates with collection. While this scale serves as the framework for training all horses and is generally sequential, the clinicians stressed that it’s not intended to be strictly chronological.

“You must always keep the Training Scale in the back of your mind. Sticking to the basics of this recipe for success in training horses always pays off. There are variations, but the theme is always there,” Theodorescu said. “Don’t try to cheat. True dressage knows no short cuts. And taking them is always at the cost of your horse’s well-being and your harmonious partnership.”

It All Adds Up

Here are some additional top tips from Theodorescu and Christine Traurig, who also served as a headlining clinician at this year’s conference:

• The pre-existing condition for the half halt is that the horse unconditionally and willingly responds to the leg to take energy into the half halt. The closing of the fist is the net that captures the energy in that moment. This neutralizes the effect of contact in half halt and recycles the energy back through the topline and into the hindquarters.
• There are many roads to Rome. Choose the one that’s right for your horse. This requires a little bit of trial and error because every horse is different.
• Always consider your horse’s age and stage of training and adjust your expectations. Submission is willingness to cooperate, but what creates the willingness to cooperate? Obedience. All of this must be done in relation to the horse’s age and stage of training.
• Ride forward but don’t run. Your horse must be active but also relaxed. Push to help your horse achieve more overtrack without getting faster.
• It is your responsibility as a rider to address your horse’s strengths and weaknesses. Every horse has a soft side and stiff side, and it’s our job to deal with that. Always start with the easier direction to make it more comfortable for your horse. 
• Put your horse in front of the leg. You can’t do half halts or movements—or anything—if your horse isn’t in front of you. To that end, don’t push all the time or give too many leg or spur aids. If you use the leg all the time, the horse thinks, “Does she mean it or not? I don’t know. It doesn’t matter.” Instead, give a little impulse with your leg and then open your legs. Take your legs away and keep them long.

• Be consequent. In other words, from precise and correct aids, your horse should give you a precise, correct response. Don’t discuss or argue the point. Instead, repeat it until your horse understands. 
• To straighten your horse, think of putting him in alignment from the poll to the tail, and keep his neck in the center of his shoulders.
• Remember the specific role of each rein. The inside rein indicates direction, the outside rein executes direction.
• Do not underestimate the value of a 20-meter circle. The work toward half pass actually begins on the 20-meter circle. This is because you are dictating the placement of the forehand in front of the hind end.
• The horse should consider the exercises easy and keep the joy and eagerness throughout his training. For that reason it is paramount that when we teach the horse lateral movements, we thoroughly prepare him and ask only for a few steps at the beginning. This is to ensure that he doesn’t lose his balance and get tense, but instead experiences something positive on which we can build in the future training.
• Once you’ve completed the process of gymnasticizing the horse to get him supple, you can then start influencing the placement of the horse’s hind legs. Like it says in all the smart books, you have to be able to place the shoulders in front of the hind legs.

For More:

• To watch Amy Bradley and I Spy’s first training session with Monica Theodorescu at this year’s USDF Trainers’ Conference on EQUESTRIAN+, click here.
• Click here to watch other sessions from the 2025 conference.
• For more top training tips from Monica Theodorescu, click here.