Kottas on Dressage

A distillation of the practice and philosophy of prominent international dressage trainers, this guide is instructive to those who aspire to classical horsemanship principles. A rider must first train themselves in correct posture and a thorough understanding of the aids before training the horse, according to the philosophy within this manual. Next, the volume highlights the value of establishing rapport with the horse, enhancing the animal's mental responses, and developing its physique with groundwork before progressing to training under the saddle. Filled with detailed notes and remedies for common problems, the text focuses on thorough, incremental development of the basic gaits, explains the value and execution of the lateral exercises, and introduces advanced work including tempi changes, pirouettes, piaffe, and passage.

Arthur Kottas-Heldenberg is a classical dressage trainer and runs horsemanship clinics internationally. He was a member of the world-renowned Spanish Riding School in Vienna for more than 40 years, spending the last seven in the esteemed position of First Chief Rider. Julie Rowbotham is a dressage trainer with Aspire Dressage in England.