This page is especially designed for Newcomers to our site and Classical Dressage. The whole idea of Classicism can be daunting if you are new to it but actually it is very simple to grasp - not always to do

To give you some insight, we are providing on this page an article written by Suzi Matchette re. one of Sylvia's Demos which we feel best sums up what Sylvia stands for and wants to encourage amongst all riders. 

The most important thing in all this is the happiness of the horse and his true oneness with his rider and trainer. 

An Evening With Sylvia Loch at The Royal Mews, by Suzi Matchette

Reproduced from the London Civil Service Magazine

A full capacity audience arrived at the Royal Mews for Sylvia Loch's demonstration which was presented by The London's Riding Clubs' Liaison committee (Training Committee) and it truly was an exciting and informative evening. Sylvia brought in first, her schoolmaster “Palomo” a 19 year old grey Lusitano stallion, a most impressive animal. She then demonstrated various classical dressage movements which she also talked to us about beforehand, emphasising how even the minutest body movement can ask the horse for different directions. As she rode around the beautiful indoor riding school (using a microphone attached to her lapel to enable her to work whilst talking to her audience) she talked about the importance of balance in the rider and how this effects the horse and she told us what the correct “classical” position in the saddle should be.

Palomo was wearing a double bridle but to prove just how little Sylvia's hands played a part in his carriage, she removed the entire bridle, put on a head collar and then rode “shoulder-in” with just the lead rope through his mouth. He was just as “on the bit”, relaxed and balanced as he was in the double. This proved (to me) how important the correct seat is in riding.

Sylvia then asked for her guinea pig riders to come forward (and one of them was me). She wanted to demonstrate to her audience just how easy it is for a complete novice to ride “shoulder-in” on such a well schooled horse as Palomo. I mounted him (with all those eyes on me, I was trembling with nerves) trying to do so as gracefully as possible (luckily he is not quite as tall as my own horse) and luckily my bottom landed softly into the lovely dressage saddle. Sylvia told me to walk around and get a feel of him; as I walked down the long side of the school on the left rein, away from the audience, she asked me at what stage of riding I had reached? As I turned my head (and shoulders!) around to look at her and say “I have just passed stage II riding”, Palomo was doing “shoulder-in”! Sylvia asked “did you mean to ask him for that movement?” And I said “well, no”. So as you can see, without doing anything other than turning part of my body, the horse responded with what he thought I was asking for. This caused the audience some amusement. Then after a few goes at “shoulder-in” in walk and trot, I came to stand next to Sylvia (still on Palomo) facing the audience while she talked further. After a short while (Palomo having stood perfectly for several moments), Sylvia asked me to ask the horse to move forward to walk. When I asked, he reined back beautifully (the audience even more amused). She then explained I should not lean forward (I didn't realise I was). I adjusted the upper part of my body fractionally backwards, gave the minutest squeeze with my calves, opened my fingers by, say a quarter of an inch and off he went, into instant walk. Sylvia was therefore able to get across to us the importance of the balance.

I had never ridden such a comfortable, powerful responsive horse; His mouth was so soft and there was no hint of any resistance; just willing to please. I was very grateful to experience this.

The whole evening was an enormous success and enjoyed by everyone.

Sylvia has always felt the Lusitano horse is the most suitable schoolmaster of all breeds due to his outstanding temperament and physical and mental sensitivity.