Top trainers and judges share with H&H subscribers their practical strategies to harness a thoroughbred’s athleticism, manage tension, and build a competitive partnership to excel in the dressage arena
Thoroughbreds – especially former racehorses – arrive in the dressage arena carrying baggage. Too hot. Too tense. Too flat. But Louise Robson specialises in dressage training for thoroughbreds and sees it differently.
“Thoroughbreds have got the heart of a lion,” she says. “Their sensitivity is their superpower – if you ride it right.”
That sensitivity, approached with patience, becomes a fast-track to learning.
“They never want to make mistakes,” she says. “They learn fast – sometimes too fast – so you’ve got to keep their brain interested while their body catches up.”
Why thoroughbreds can excel in dressage
There’s plenty to like about training thoroughbreds for the dressage ring – especially their walk and canter.
“In racing, you don’t see trot or canter in the sales ring. You buy them off a walk,” Louise explains. “That’s why so many have natural swing and huge overtrack – and in tests, the walk is often double-marked.”
BDCC Level 3 coach and list 2 judge Alice Oppenheimer agrees: “If you can show relaxation as well, you’ll pick up serious marks.”
For FEI judge and trainer Isobel Wessels, it’s straightforward: “It’s not about what the horse is – it’s about what it learns to do. That’s what we should be marking.”
Work with the build
Thoroughbreds are often long through their body, croup-high and built to pull – that’s not a flaw, just a different starting point.
“They’re not wrong,” Louise says. “They’re built for something else. Our job is to show them a new way to use their bodies.”
Isobel agrees: “When you ask for go, they want to take the nose down and pull forward – because that’s how they win a race.
“So the horse learns to pull against the bit. They’re not so easy to collect because of that, but don’t try to squash the horse into what you think it should be. Start with what you’ve got and develop from there.
“You’re not just riding what the horse already does – you ride the solution to the problem.”
Dressage training for thoroughbreds
4 progressive exercises to try
1. Turn the shoulders (leg-yield and squares)
Thoroughbreds often move as one piece. The first job? Separate front end from back end.
“Leg-yield, squares, shoulder turns – all brilliant,” says Louise. “They teach the horse to move its shoulders independently.”
Try visualising, or marking out a square, and then on each corner the horse should bring the outside shoulder around for the turn.
“These movements help expand their chest and take their front legs out in front of them,” Louise adds. “Long-term that’ll lead to the lift and reach we’re looking for.”
2. Spiral-in to leg-yield out (on a circle)
The goal with this one is to engage the inside hind and, again, free the shoulders.
“Track straight on the circle, and you’ll feel the hindlegs come under – the circle does it for you,” Isobel explains.
From a 20m circle, spiral in to around 10-12m, then leg-yield back out to the track. Keep a slight, consistent inside bend and the tempo steady – don’t let the horse fall in or rush out.
3. Transitions and gear changes
You’ve heard it before, but every trainer we spoke to emphasised it again: transitions, transitions, transitions.
Use simple transition ladders like walk–trot–walk, walk–halt–walk or trot–halt–trot on a 20m circle to build balance. Mix in transitions within the pace, too – on a circle, ask for slightly bigger, then smaller steps, focusing on stride length while maintaining the same tempo.
“Play with the size of trot – not the speed,” says Isobel.
4. Medium canter without galloping
Practising this in canter, especially on a circle, will prep your horse to show a proper medium or extended canter in the test – without risking an accidental exit at A.
“Lengthen the stride, don’t change the rhythm,” says Alice. “We want a three-beat canter – not a four-time gallop.”
Top tips for improving your thoroughbred’s way of going
Racehorse retrainer Darrell Scaife long-reins a thoroughbred over poles – a great exercise for building strength and encouraging swing.
(Image credit: Lucy Merrell)
“I’m a big advocate for long-reining, and spending as much time working off horse as on horse,” Louise says.
“Thoroughbred’s backs aren’t built to carry us – not that they can’t, but their backs drop down naturally away from us so they’ve got to be stronger to keep engaged and lift up to us – and that takes a long time.”
“You can’t sit them down and explain they’ve finished racing,” says Louise. “You often won’t know their triggers until you hit them – and when things go sideways, it’s not their fault. It’s just part of the learning process.”
To help them cope, Louise recommends mimicking the structure they’re familiar with. For example:
Walking the horse in hand on arrival
Bringing a familiar voice to call the test
Having someone lead them from warm-up to the arena
As Louise puts it, they’re used to going everywhere in a string, not leaving the group and working alone. Above all, go at the horse’s pace: “It’s a process, not an overnight fix.”
Racehorses are used to going everywhere in a string – dressage exerts very different demands in terms of training and competition environments.
(Image credit: Alamy)
Both Louise and Alice add that using freestyle tests can be incredibly helpful – especially for horses that get tense in set tests. You remove the rigid “do it now” structure and instead get to ride patterns that suit your horse and how you train at home.
If your horse settles better by cantering before trotting, you can do that. If you know they need a 10m circle to set up for a better medium trot, you can build it in.
Freestyle allows you to ride the horse in their best balance – using familiar routines that create comfort and reduce tension.
Mindset: no shortcuts
There’s no fast track in dressage training for thoroughbreds – but the results are worth it.
“It’s like getting a six-pack,” says Louise. “You don’t do 30 days of sit-ups and call it done. It’s slow, it’s layered, and it pays off.
“If you school twice a week, that’s 100 sessions a year. You’ve got to love the process – and be proud of it.”
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Oscar joined Horse & Hound in October 2023 and is the magazine’s dressage editor and sports manager, overseeing coverage of equestrian sport. After studying equine science at Myerscough College, he spent four years working for leading dressage rider Emile Faurie, competing at the 2015 National Dressage Championships and travelling with the yard to CDIs including Aachen and Saumur. He holds a master’s degree in Literature from York St John University (2021).
