It used to make me laugh to see images in which the level of the horse was so skewed as to present such a pleasing image, when the reality was a far cry from such pleasantness. Now I don’t laugh about it but rather shake my head. Why? Because you are allowed a certain amount of ignorance in life and in horses, but when you become a teacher, an expert, a so called “Master” then that ignorance is no longer justifiable.
This image is precisely what I am talking about. I left it un-cropped so you could see just how much angle I had to correct. I oriented the image so that the two hooves bearing weight are at even levels. Prior to the edit the horse’s nose was in front of the vertical, but as you can see when it is correctly angled the horse’s nose is well behind the vertical.
The horse’s poll is far from being the highest point. And I couldn’t help but circle his front ankle – that bulge seems unnatural. But, then again, the “best performing” dressage horses begin joint injections before they are started under saddle… sigh.
One last critique is on the rider – whose legs (which is typically seen in competitive dressage… NOT CLASSICAL DRESSAGE where the seat is a primary interest and a foremost concern) are way out in front of her center of balance. These are far from effective in either applying the aids or providing balance for the rider.
See the original. (7th from the top)
