Book Reviews

Just want to you to know how much your book and dvd, Bringing It Together has helped me and my horses. Since reading the book I not only have the softness in my horses faces, I now have a better understanding of how to connect it to the feet. I’m seeing big improvement in both my reining and cutting. Being self taught I was doing “drills” to move my horses around. Your book was a light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!

Love, Jo Anne Carollo

I have known Ellen Eckstein for 13 years. While living in California, I was fortunate to be able to work with Ellen several times a month. After moving to Nevada ten years ago, I continued to use her techniques while riding, handling horses on the ground, and loading in the trailer. My recollection of the exact riding exercises discussed in this book faded over a period of time. I was thrilled to discover that she had compiled these foundational building blocks for increasing personal connection between horse and rider into a book, BRINGING IT TOGETHER.Ellen has had a life long goal of combining techniques and thoughts that she learned from Tom Dorrance with those of classical dressage. Her approach transcends disiplines with a common goal of improving every horse by allowing the horse to find freedom within the aids, rather than feeling confined by the aids.

The book details three basic exercises (Reach Forward, Reach Rein-back, and Step by Step) which focus on allowing the horse to learn the concept of moving forward hind legs first. The book is very easy to read and understand. The accompanying video is a wonderful complement to the book and literally “brings the book to life”. The video is brief enough to watch repeatedly before going out  to ride. Through the book and DVD, Ellen explains how the rider’s attention to footfalls, the rider’s legs as an extension of the horse, as well as the timing of application of the aids and the horse’s response result in an improvement in the horse’s freedom of movement. The results of the practice of the techniques and the horse learning the concepts is evident in the happier horse and increased harmony between horse and rider.

Since reading the book, I decided to ride through it on my Grand Prix level dressage horse as a part of this book review. Although I have been using some exercises which were similar, I had lost the exactness of Ellen’s exercises while riding on my own. I was not surprised to find that my horse’s natural reluctance to come through on the right hind leg was again exposed in the Reach Forward exercise. His response improved quickly with repetition. Reschooling the Reach Rein-back as a training aid was very helpful to improve my horse’s quality of movement. this is an exercise that I had used frequently when my horse was younger. I must admit that I was relieved to find that I was using the exact timing of the Step by Step exercise as a part of my half halt during passage, and since have made a concerted effort to utilize it throughout my ride. My horse has also responded well to a more distinct use of a combination of the exercises as rebalancing half halts in corners, short sides, and in preparation for more advanced movements.

I am hopeful that the success of BRINGING IT TOGETHER An Approach to a Lighter and Happier Dressage Horse will spawn the development of a series which will detail more of Ellen’s techniques for riding and groundwork in the development of happy young and young at heart horses.”

- Susan Ward, Nevada