Restorative and Rehabilitative Dressage
Where has dressage gone wrong? Dressage in many cases no longer has the horse in mind--the horse's well-being, correct development, and training for preservation of soundness fall to the wayside because of human desire and ego. This mentality completely defeats the true purpose of dressage. Dressage should be aimed at continuously working to develop the horse gymnastically, strengthening and enhancing his abilities with a rider.
With Dressage for Prevention and Preservation, and with Restorative and Rehabilitative Dressage, a combination of over 30 years of classical dressage training with over 20 years of equine veterinary practice is unified to both scientifically and artistically develop horses and educate riders in dressage. Our mission is four-fold:
1. Dressage for Prevention of Unsoundness and Preservation of Soundness: This is Dressage training for development of the horse. The horse is brought along correctly in his work from the very beginning. The training process should not break down horses or cause unsoundness! Training is focused on prevention of unsoundness and preserving soundness from the very beginning.
2. Dressage for Restoration: Dressage exercises based on 4 main classical principles aids in restoring the horse's soundness through finding root causes of pain, addressing them directly both therapeutically if needed from a veterinary standpoint AND in combination with dressage exercises based on work in hand, long rein, and under saddle.
3. Dressage for Rehabilitation: Dressage can be focused on rehabilitating horses suffering from prior injury, weakness, and imbalance. We take a WHOLE HORSE approach to rehabilitation, focusingon the GI system, musculoskeletal system, and podiatry. We utilize an in-depth understanding of ANATOMY and BIOMECHANICS along with PHYSIOLOGY to design programs that utilize training in work in hand, long reins, and under saddle to HEAL HORSES. If you heal the physical body, you also heal the mentality of the horse, and vice versa. Muscular attachments, origins, insertions, and how each individual muscle/tendon/ligament unit functions individually and regionally for the horse is a focus in this work.
4. Dressage as Artistic Expression and Creation: When one culminates the above work restoring and rehabilitating the horse into his true and real potential, the result can be expression of lightness and artistic interpretation between horse and rider. Training should from the beginning be aimed at enhancing the horse's natural athletic abilities, not destroying them in the name of human egotistical pursuits!
So, how does this all work? How do we get started? SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS and enjoy the beautiful scenery on the way!
Preventative Dressage:
If you are wanting to develop your horse, whether starting a young horse or wanting to add dressage as an element to your riding and partnership with your horse (no matter the discipline you ride) to further enhance soundness, then Dr. Babits can customize a program for you. Often this entails lessons and a plan to reach those goals. It is an affordable and fun way to work towards achieving a lasting partnership with your horse. Additionally, Dr. Babits will take on horses to train in dressage, with empathic understanding based on classical principles to maintain and enhance soundness of the horse.
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Restorative and Rehabilitative Dressage:
As an equine veterinarian, Dr. Babits consults with you on the problems and resistances arising with your horse. Whether through already performed diagnostics, or further diagnostics, the root cause(s) of the resistances and problems are discovered, and addressed. We look at relieving the pain and discomfort, even through veterinary therapeutics if required, and then healing, maintaining, and preventing further injury through proper training protocols and exercises for each individual horse. This may be done through in-depth consultation and then lessons, either Virtually or at your farm (if in the local region), or here at The Academy of Equestrian Arts in Youngsville, New Mexico. If you bring a horse here, we can customize your stay: if you wish to leave the horse for restorative and rehabilitative training for a month or longer, or if you wish to come for a long weekend, or a few days to get the process started, we can customize helping you and your horse to fit your time and budget.
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Costs: Costs will vary depending on how we best help you and your horse, whether you come here to the Ranch, or whether Dr. Babits comes to you, or we work through consultations and Virtual lessons and sessions.
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What is magic you ask? Magic is the melding of melodies of the heart, spirit, soul, and the conductor of those melodies is the horse. Magic is the orchestra playing when no sounds are heard. Magic is the sacredness of the land holding space just as you are for the horse, for you.
LESSONS
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PRIVATE LESSONS:
Private Lessons with you and YOUR horse: Using the four main clinical principles, private lessons are aimed at helping the rider listen to their horse, thinking through how to best help and develop the horse. Consequently, lessons are focused on empathetically working with the horse, rewarding, and developing a powerful connection through mutual understanding, trust, and love. Private lessons are offered in the following areas: classical dressage/academic equitation; work in hand; long rein work; doma vaquera; alta escuela; general horsemanship. Lessons will be no longer than 45 minutes, and may be less if it is deemed that a certain objective has been achieved, or that the horse has performed in a such a manner as to warrant stopping the lesson sooner. It is all about the horse!
COST: $130 for 45 minute lesson.
For lessons that include travel to the horse and rider, the following applies:
For travel that is approx. 30-45 minutes to the lesson, the lesson plus travel cost is $250. For travel that is 1-1.5 hours to the lesson, the lesson is $300 which covers the lesson, fuel, and time for travel. For an individual lesson that is 2 hours of travel time, the lesson is $380 which covers fuel, travel time, lesson. For lessons in which travel is over 2 hours, please call for pricing.
If multiple lessons are set up in one location with a minimum of 5 riders, then lessons are $155/lesson. If lessons are set up in one location with a minimum of 3-4 riders, then lessons are $180/lesson.
VIRTUAL LESSONS:
Bridge the distance while continuing to expand your knowledge and journey with your horse through virtual lessons. Using either PIVO or ZOOM, lessons across the mountains, mesas, deserts, and forests can be done from the comforts of home where both you and your horse can thrive. Virtual lessons are offered in the following areas: classical dressage/academic equitation; work in hand; work in long reins; alta escuela; doma vaquera; general horsemanship. Lessons will be no longer than 45 minutes, and may end sooner depending on the situation and what is best for the horse at that moment.
COST: $125
SCHOOL HORSE LESSON:
Not available at the moment.
Currently a couple of Willow Creek Stallion horses are being worked and developed as under saddle school horses. These horses are special: they are trained in lightness, subtlety, use of the seat, and from a journey of empathic suggestion when working classically. These horses are designed to teach appropriate feel of lightness, use of the seat, and to enhance "thinking" as a rider through feel. They teach a way of riding and feel, one that is based on expression of art. While they are upper level horses, if you are looking to just ride upper level movements, go elsewhere. When this opportunity is available, a questionnaire and ridden video of the rider will be requested, reviewed, and then determined as an "acceptance" or "non-acceptance" to riding the school horse(s). This is based on whether the goals and feel of the rider align with those of the training and teaching at The Academy, as well as what is best for the school horse(s).
COST: $250 per 30-45 minute lesson.