e shall take care not to annoy the horse and spoil his friendly charm, for it is like the scent of a blossom: Once lost, it will never return. ~ Pluvihel

These words should be foremost in the mind of the dressage rider. For the overall development of a young horse, it is crucial that a trainer maintain in the horse the in-born spirit and expressiveness that misguided training can so easily destroy. She must also be able to improve the horse's willingness to work by building the cornerstones of training: relaxation and suppleness. Only when the horse responds properly to light aids has the ultimate goal been achieved.

Proper training can only take place when a rider works with her horse and they can form a partnership. For the rider this involves a high degree of training and concentration in order to achieve a constant awareness of the horse she is riding and the effect of the aids on the horse. This state of awareness must begin with an accurate assessment of the horse's potential and daily work which challenges the horse without exceeding this potential. Then, every aid that is given must be done so very carefully and specifically. Any positive reaction of the horse should be praised and rewarded immediately. Likewise, a negative reaction should more likely be assumed to be the result of confusion rather than disobedience and should not necessarily serve as cause for immediate punishment.

Any aspect of training that does not involve a straight and supple horse is completely useless. It is imperative to constantly stretch and ride every horse over his back, i.e., from back to front and back again, at every step of the training process. There has been a lot of confusion on the subject of stretching. Many people have interpreted stretching to mean pulling backwards on the reins and bringing the horse's head down toward his front legs. A horse ridden in this manner can only curl his neck and can never loosen his back. He will always stiffen and draw his back down and away from the rider's weight. The result is stiff and powerless haunches which can never develop carrying ability. In a properly stretching horse, the horse's head is carried low and the horse's back is raised to a position where the pushing aids can influence the horse to the utmost degree. The hands serve as a guiding aid and the seat and legs serve as the primary pushing aids.

In order to prevent the young horse from losing confidence, a rider must recognize precisely when and why to give each aid so that the horse cannot be confused by mixed signals. By the same token, older and more experienced horses will only be happy and confident when ridden in a clear and thoughtful fashion. Older horses must also be ridden over their backs at all times, during the warm up as well as during all exercises. It is important that exercises be used to enhance suppleness, rather than for their own sake. Correctly performed work must quickly be rewarded. School movements must be finished once they have been properly executed because excessive repetitions make the horse dull and bored, and thus interfere with the ultimate goal of ever-increasing lightness of the aids and harmony between horse and rider.

The Schulten-Baumer method is based upon a single principle: A horse can only develop as an athlete if he can become round and allow his back to accept the aids. My training system begins with teaching the horse to stretch and thus be able to be truly influenced by the rider's seat. Once the horse is stretching properly the rider must then become aware of the tremendous effect of the aids and how they influence the horse's way of going. The rider must learn to use this influence in a positive way to develop the horse's athleticism, work ethic, and way of going. I strive to teach riders to use their aids with great care and effectiveness in order to produce in the horse a true working partner.