Karl Mikolka, USDF Hall of Famer and former Chief Rider of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, brings the art of classical dressage to the web with the unveiling of MikolkaDressage.com, a website dedicated to the schooling of the horse and rider as it was practiced and refined at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria. Techniques of the Spanish Riding School were primarily passed along verbally through one-on-one instruction. So before it is lost, Mikolka is making the treasure of those time tested techniques available to all serious equestrian students. These techniques have been proven to be effective for hundreds of years and correctly applied, are still today practiced at the highest levels of competitive dressage.
“I truly believe that the art of training a horse correctly and classically can be demonstrated beautifully in the competitive arena by following the methods of one of our greatest masters,” says Karl Mikolka.
For any dressage enthusiast out there, it is an absolute MUST to visit MikolkaDressage.com. There are downloadable articles, training exercises and so much valuable information you owe it to yourself (and your horse!) to check it out.
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There’s no one like Karl!” says Shannon Peters, student of Karl Mikolka, FEI competitor and wife of Steffen Peters – one of America’s most decorated dressage riders. Through this site, Mikolka, who has devoted his life to the training of the dressage horse, brings the values of Classical Horsemanship to riders of all levels by offering a thorough foundation in all aspects of the basics up to the most advanced movements.
For equestrians interested in feedback and advice on specific training issues, MikolkaDresssage.com also offers the opportunity for riding evaluations and training consultation by video from Karl Mikolka. His desire is to provide riders of any discipline with the tools to create a safe, reliable and correctly moving pleasure horse and also offer the competition rider an abundance of techniques formulated to produce the winning partner. Everything needed for success in the sport of dressage can be found in articles and exercise charts throughout the site. For the first time, more than 60 information-packed articles and detailed arena exercises are available for purchase via instant download from the site, and new essays and exercises will be regularly added. Each article and exercise has been painstakingly written and prepared and covers such dressage topics as: Safety in all aspects of training from the ground as well as from the saddle; how to prepare for and ride flying changes, how to ride correct circles and voltes to increase suppleness, submissiveness, agility, strength and balance; how to train and ride shoulder-in; what to look for in performing the correct half pass; the correct execution of the half halt plus the groundwork for pirouettes, piaffe and passage.
In addition to the lessons, the site features an extensive biography and gallery page showing highlights from Karl’s rich life in dressage, including rare never-before-published photos from his years at the Spanish Riding School. To learn more, visit the site at http://www.MikolkaDressage.com.