A Dressage Rider’s Turning Point
By Sally O’Dwyer
Dedicated students of dressage often wonder if they are truly improving. We take lessons, attend clinics, and practice with intention. Most of us begin the sport full of enthusiasm, inspired by the beauty and harmony of dressage. But over time, progress becomes harder to recognize. Effort increases—but direction does not. And without clarity, uncertainty quietly grows into frustration.
Part of the problem is that dressage is deceptively complex. Professionals make it look effortless, yet beneath that appearance lies years—often decades—of deliberate development. It’s easy to believe that success comes from natural talent, or being “gifted” in the saddle. But riders who make steady progress share something far less glamorous: commitment, patience, persistence, a horse-first perspective, and a willingness to keep learning. And just as importantly, a plan. Not luck. Not talent. A plan.Ironically, the deeper a rider’s understanding of dressage becomes, the more self-doubt begins to surface. Even with invaluable tools like the Pyramid of Training and the structure of competitive levels, many still find themselves asking: What should I be working on next?
I know this feeling well. For years, I felt like I was riding in a fog. I kept searching for “the answer” somewhere outside myself. The next clinic would fix everything. Maybe a different trainer would unlock the missing piece. Maybe new tack—like an “on the bit” bit—or even a different horse would finally make it all come together.
That mindset shaped everything I did—until a spectacularly pitiful dressage show performance forced me to face reality. No one was coming to rescue me. My “approach” (if you could call it that) was passive and scattered. I was flailing, riding without direction, going through the motions, waiting for insight to magically appear. It never did.
At some point, I realized I had to take ownership of my learning—to decide what I was trying to achieve, and why. Perhaps it was frustration, or perhaps it was the influence of my day job, but eventually, I became serious about using goals to shape my riding. In my career, I worked in project management, using assessments, goals, metrics, timelines, and evaluations to ensure continuous improvement. I began to see that the same disciplined thinking could bring clarity to my dressage journey.
Of course, taking responsibility doesn’t mean going it alone. Professionals play an essential role in our development. We rely on them not only to guide and train us, but to bring the technical understanding and trained eye that we simply don’t yet have. They help us determine whether a goal is realistic, actionable, and fair to the horse. They help define the steps—and the right sequence of those steps—required to improve. They keep us grounded, steering us away from goals that are overly ambitious or disconnected from where we and our horse are today.
Growth is shaped by far more than what happens in a lesson. Mindset, fitness, consistency, time, resources, education, and most importantly, the needs of the horse, all influence the outcome. It is also up to us to make sure that we protect our horses’ well-being, ensuring they are happy in their work.
Goals matter because they:
• Turn vague intentions into specific, actionable steps
• Help you and your trainer stay aligned and working toward the same outcome
• Make lessons and daily schooling more focused and effective
• Keep you motivated by making progress visible and meaningful
• Help you prioritize what most needs your attention
• Guide choices that prioritize the horse’s well-being
• Build confidence as you see steady, measurable improvement.
Most importantly, goals dampen the feeling of overwhelm. Uncertainty is exhausting. Without direction, the mind spirals—questioning whether we are doing the right things, why others seem to progress faster, or whether we are meeting our horse’s needs. Clarity quiets that noise. It gives you something to hold onto on the hard days. Each ride becomes part of a larger process, connected to a bigger, overarching goal.
Instead of trying to absorb everything at once—the “firehose” approach—I zeroed in by setting specific goals, and identifying small, manageable steps to support them. Like the familiar metaphor: how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. While riding requires the coordination of many skills, trying to improve everything simultaneously can create confusion for both rider and horse. Focusing on one aspect at a time allows the rider to become more precise, more aware, and more effective—and for the horse, creating a more understandable learning experience.
For example, you might begin with a goal like “improve my seat.” It’s a strong starting point—but it becomes more effective when boiled down into something more actionable. Working with your trainer, you can narrow your focus to an aspect of the seat that will make the biggest difference. That might mean developing better balance by sitting evenly on both seat bones, improving stability by quieting the upper body, minimizing bounce in the saddle, or refining the horse’s responsiveness to the seat aids. If transitions are the challenge, the goal is not simply to “ride better transitions,” but to improve one element at a time: maintaining soft connection, balance, straightness, or responsiveness through the transition. The same principle applies across all areas of riding.
Whatever you decide, your goal should be something you can break down into steps, practice, evaluate, and improve—one piece at a time. Take the time necessary to truly master the focus of your goal—look for learning opportunities, online offerings, and books that speak to your topic. Get a Ph.D. in your goal!
When considering a goal, riders can ask a few grounding questions:
- What am I truly trying to improve right now?
- What is one small step that could move us forward?
- How will I measure improvement?
- What feedback am I receiving, and what does it tell me?
- What goal would be appropriate for my horse today?
There are many ways to measure and track progress. Decide what an achievement would look like to you. Celebrate when you accomplish a stepping stone to your goal. Use feedback: from a judge’s score sheet, a trainer’s observation, a clinician’s insight, the horse itself, or video review. Riders can generate meaningful input on their own by using tools such as a pivo, arena mirrors, and simple riding logs.
In dressage, progress rarely arrives in dramatic leaps. More often, it appears quietly. These subtle changes are easy to miss unless we learn to see them. But once we do, the work begins to make sense. With direction, even the most ordinary rides take on meaning. And those familiar 20-meter circles become something more than repetition—they become the quiet, steady steps that move horse and rider forward together.
About the Author
Sally O’Dwyer is a Colorado-based dressage rider and the author of Dressage Mastery Workbook: Set Goals and Elevate Your Journey, available on Amazon. Her workbook offers riders a structured approach to assessing their current level, identifying the elements that influence success, tracking progress, and building a thoughtful, horse-centered path forward. She can be reached at slodwyer@gmail.com or below through her website.
