He’s the prince of positivity, bubbling over with enthusiasm, analogies, and mental images to inspire his students to achieve more. Riders and auditors at Robert Dover’s symposium hosted by Equestrian Canada at Caledon Equestrian Park last fall came away with more than a few quotable quotes to draw on at times when training gets tough. Here are five of our favourites:
1. “You can’t train a seal without fish.”
Robert reminded riders to praise immediately, and to praise often, when their horse does something right. “The absence of a correction is not a reward,” he says. “We need to motivate them to do it again and again until the moments of harmony multiply. We train them to WANT to do what we’re asking. Then they enjoy their work.”
2. “If you can’t see it, you can’t create it.”
Over and over, Robert stressed the importance of visualization to each rider at every level. To create the feeling of a correct uphill balance on a young horse, he asked the rider to visualize piaffe in every step of the trot, for example. To create a perfect position in the saddle, riders need to picture themselves in the perfect position. To ride a movement correctly, they need to visualize themselves executing it flawlessly. “Isabell [Werth] and Charlotte [Dujardin] see ONLY incredible visions in their mind; it’s what allows them to make ordinary horses incredible. So in your own vision, have only the most grand vision.”
3. “When you expect too little, you accept too little.”
At times sounding more like a therapist than a dressage trainer, Robert reminded the audience that our own self-doubts are what hold us back. “If you are lucky enough to be riding a super quality horse, never believe that you aren’t good enough to sit on their back. Believe you are beautiful. Believe you can shine. The truth is, all of us are just making it up as we go along. You are as far away or as close to excellence as you decide. Decide you are excellent. Believe in your own fabulousness.”
4. “Who’s training who?”
In a sport that focuses on lightness and harmony above all else, riders are often confused by just how much contact with the reins they should have. Robert’s simple answer? “As much as you need. Sometimes you need to just lightly guide the horse, the way you would gently take your grandmother’s hand to help her across the street. At other times, your horse is like a toddler; how firmly would you hold their hand to get them safely across the street? For a horse that likes to get heavy, we want to get to a place where you can drop the reins and they stay on your aids. For a horse that gets too light, and above or behind the bit, we want them to be confidently taking the contact and carrying you forward. The horse has to be as light or as heavy in the contact as YOU want them to be. You get to decide, not them.”
5. “Don’t be afraid to make a mess.”
In the pursuit of perfection, riders may resist asking tough questions for fear of getting the wrong answer. “Don’t worry about ‘what if,’” says Robert. “If you’re going to make an omelette, you can’t be afraid to break a few eggs. You have to be 100% committed to whatever it is you’re asking for. Failure is simply an opportunity to learn. Getting the wrong answer is the best way to figure out what it is you need to fix. Did you need to close the leg? Did you need to push to a stronger contact? Was the horse crooked? The horse’s answer to your question will tell you if you asked it correctly, and show you how to do it better the next time.”
