Opinions: saving aids for the upper levels
My instructor shared an interesting point with me recently. I'm only training level right now, but she teaches riders of many levels, so although I don't know much about upper levels, I wanted to hear what other dressage riders thought about her theory, so if you want to please read this and tell me what you think!
She talked to me about a man she teaches and his horse; they recently started doing level 2. She said something along the lines of "He's running out of aids because he used them all too early in the levels." I don't recall exactly how she described it, but she says you shouldn't complicate your aids TOO much at the low levels; you have to "save" some for the upper levels. If you use them all up you won't be able to communicate all the necessary details of the upper level moves. If you rely on your outside rein, inside rein, seat, and leg to all be used very concisely in order to accomplish a move, you won't be able to add anything to the equation. It's important to use all your aids to hold a conversation, but if you rely on having a firm, unmoving outside rein in order to perform shoulder-in, how will you use that rein for anything else during the movement?
Anyways. I hope I got that right.
I just wanted to see if anyone wants to comment on this theory?
