Dressage for No Country: Finding Meaning, Magic and Mastery in the Second Half of Life

In the 1970s, dressage was still developing in the United States, lacking the established traditions and written history found in Europe. Riders seeking to learn the discipline had to travel and study with those who had already mastered it. Paul Belasik became one such rider, traveling to immerse himself in different dressage methodologies and cultures to understand how various approaches achieve goals like beautiful movement, lightness, and connection between horse and rider. Drawing on a lifetime of study and training, Belasik shares his experiences through personal stories and essays. Beginning in northern New York, he traveled to Portugal and Vienna, exploring different dressage traditions including the German system, Portuguese equitation, and the Spanish Riding School. Using the knowledge gained over decades, Belasik examines whether classical dressage and competition dressage can coexist, and discusses mindfulness, teaching, and learning in the modern horse world, offering direction for advancing dressage and riding.