Favorite Quotes

Hi There!

I wanted to take a moment and make a space on my website to share with you some of my favorite quotes about horses, about dressage, and about life in general. I hope you enjoy them and that they speak to you at the depth they spoke to me.

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"Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of solitaire. It is a grand passion. It seizes a person whole and, once it has done so, he will have to accept that his life will be radically changed."
–Ralph Waldo Emerson

"When your horse has reached its potential, leave it. It's such a nice feeling when you and your horses are still friends."
–Dr. Reiner Klimke

"That horse is a Ferrari and you're riding him like a garbage truck."
–Hilda C. Gurney

"It is the difficult horses that have the most to give you."
–Lendon Gray

"Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway."
–John Wayne

"My horses are my friends, not my slaves." 
–Dr. Reiner Klimke

"Take your time, but don't waste time."
–Arthur Kottas

"You see, the horse knows. He knows that you know and he knows that you know he knows"
–Ray Hunt

"Shoot for the moon, even if you miss you'll land among the Stars" 
–Les Brown

"Where knowledge ends, violence begins."
–Xenophon

"Ride him to the contact but be careful not to drive him through the contact."
–Hilda C. Gurney

"Dressage is the art of teaching the horse to carry you. Riding is the art of learning to be a good load to carry."
–Richard Weiss

"A good rider rides from transition to transition, a great rider rides from half-halt to half-halt."
–Robert Dover

"Forget the ^$#@%$% inside rein!!!"
–Dr. Reiner Klimke

"The primary avenue of communication between you and your horse is the horse's back."
–Sally O'Connor

"You know, they don't hand you piaffe and passage on a silver platter."
–Hilda C. Gurney

Anything forced or misunderstood can never be beautiful.
–Xenophon

"The fastest way to get somewhere is to take your time."
–Janne Rumbough

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Here are some quotes that I'm not totally sure of the origin on. Feel free to comment if you know where some of these come from! =)

"The horse you lead is the horse you ride."

"Gentle spirit, quiet beast, bows to kiss the earth and feast."

"Put your legs where you want your horse to be."

"Show me your horse and I'll tell you who you are."

"Every ride that ends in a voluntary dismount is a good ride."

"Feel the ride, don't think the ride"

"Light off the leg, soft in the hand, ride the horse and not the plan." 

"Life is a journey. Dressage is beating your head against a brick wall because it feels SO good when you finally stop."

(On wearing a helmet):
"If you think your hair is more important than your brain, it probably is."

"A loud rider makes a deaf horse."

"Fix it forward."

"Ride the trot you want to have."

"More forward than sideways!"

"Get more from your horse by asking less."

"Ask often, demand little, reward generously."

"Horses do not think in a complicated way. It is not conscious. They do things the easiest way."

"Ask often, demand little, reward generously."

"Doesn't matter!"

"From the moment you arrive on the horse's back, you must apologize."

"Dressage is good for every horse. Not every horse is good for dressage."