George Theodorescu, who passed away last week, was together with his daughter at the global Forum of 2005. He was a legend in the dressage world who has had great influence for over 50 years.

Georg Theodorescu was born in Rumania on 1st Oktober 1925 and competed for his native country at the 1956 Olympic Games in Stockholm. He then moved to Germany where he became a legendary dressage trainer and coach. In 1996 he was honored for his achievements in dressage with the German Golden Rider's Cross and in 2005 he received the title of Riding Master. 

Global Dressage Forum 2005

He demonstrated with Whisper, a 7 yr old who they have trained since he was 4 yrs old. He said that the way they work is very slow. The balance of horses is very different to that of people. All the

work has to be very logical, and there is a need to make a plan of work for several years in order to improve the balance.

Step by step they try to get the horse into a new balance. A horse has more weight in front, so to put a horse in balance, put more weight on the hind legs, the horse needs strength to do this. There is a need for patience to gradually put more weight behind. Do not ask too much. Patience and keep checking as to whether a horse can support the weight. Also, do not scare him. In their experience the worst thing is stress because then the horse wants to run away. The problem is a rider who disturbs the horse’s balance. The rider’s seat is important, not just to be straight but to go with movement. 

Practical session

They start with a rising trot as it is important to go forward, straight and regular. Use the corners to engage. Uses exercises (serpentines/circles) to engage rather than putting on pressure. In the canter use lots of counter canter – collection developed in counter canter uses and exercise rather than pulling and pushing.

Keep the same rhythm, position of neck and engagement in the counter canter as in the canter, and the same feel in both reins.

Monica said that they liked to use a lot of serpentines and concentrate on keeping the rhythm, and working on the bend. By working a lot on basic exercises to get horses supple and stronger, then the horses find it easier to do more collected work.

Next, work on half passes and simple changes in canter. It is important not to change the frame in transitions – no shortening of neck, just more engagement.

Then, pirouette work, first making them bigger to help to keep the canter.

Whisper had a very big walk – this makes it difficult to collect and keep the rhythm and they achieved this by using shoulder in squares. As the horse became stronger behind, so it could get more active behind and light in hand. They did not practice collection in the walk, as the step was not always correct, but as the horse gets stronger behind it became easier for him to carry himself and get a better walk. They corrected Whisper’s walk with half steps, and through this the horse has learned the piaffe.