History & Context

How We Got Here

Understanding the past is how we build a better future.

L'Homme Machine — La Mettrie, 1748

Dressage did not arrive at its current form by accident. It was shaped by military necessity, philosophical assumptions about animal consciousness, and the slow commercialisation of equestrian sport. Understanding these forces is the first step toward changing them.

Essay

If He Only Had a Brain

The Cartesian roots of force-based training and why they no longer hold.

Essay

When Dressage Changed

From art to sport to industry — tracing the transformation of classical dressage.