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Back to Basics with Cynthia Bossema

This article is from the July 2020 Horse Deals magazine.

Dutch/Australian dressage rider and trainer, Cynthia Bossema is fast developing an impressive reputation both in the competition ring and the training arena. Born in Australia to Dutch parents, Cynthia returned to the Netherlands with them when she was five years old. “We always had horses and I loved dressage and the biggest influence on me was when Grand Prix rider, Annemieke Vincourt Krom moved to our area” explains Cynthia. “I started having lessons with her when I was 18 or 19. I then began working and competing horses for her, riding about eight to ten a day. Lots of lessons and lots of training and from there I completed my three years of formal training to become an instructor.

“I then went to law school, graduated and went and worked in The Hague. I had a break from the horses and I think it was a good choice, because my whole life before that was about horses. The break involved city life and an office job which gave me a better perspective on life. After a while, I began looking for something else. During that time I received my Australian passport and decided to move to Australia and that was five years ago.

“I first went to family in South Australia. They have horses and I rode them, but initially, I was looking to get a job in the law here. However, looking into it I realised it was going to be difficult; I have a Masters degree in Dutch law which is quite different from Australian law. In the meantime, I just rolled back into horses. I began teaching in South Australia and then got a job with Red Hill Dressage in Victoria and began training horses there. From there I went out on my own, rented a little place and started teaching and training. I met my partner Rachel and after some time living in St Kilda, we decided we wanted an outdoor lifestyle and we bought 25 acres here at Longwarry. It was a mess and we have done so much work on it to get it as we wanted it. We love our independence and we love how far we have come.”

Horse Deals asked Cynthia to talk us through and demonstrate some of the basics that she sees are occasionally missing in some of the riders she teaches. “I see issues with contact and connection quite a bit,” she says. On our visit, we asked Cynthia to give us some advice on achieving a good halt, riding corners and canter transitions. To demonstrate, she rode the lovely Australian bred, Furst Gala by Fürst Love out of a Contango II mare. “We bought her as a four-year-old and she is now seven. I absolutely love her, she is very talented, but not always easy. She is training medium/advanced and I just keep it very simple and she has not competed a lot and I need to keep working on her brain.”

Clipped and working outdoors in the cold wind, Gala started the session a bit fresh. “Horses are all different and for her, I have to give her time. If they are fresh give them time and work through it, don’t attack it. Distract them, give them exercises, constantly change the frame and the pace and keep a good rhythm to relax them. I like to change the frame a lot to keep her soft in the back.”

“I always ride a horse forward into a halt. I ride down through the gears and I am wanting a halt from which I can easily trot forward. Keep thinking forward and straight and control the shoulders. Trot, two steps of walk, then halt. Make the halt fun. Get the horse used to standing still. Halt and have a chat to someone, don’t worry about the quality of the halt to start with, just ask to stop and stand. Don’t be in too much of a hurry to move off. If you have a problem with the horse standing still, just practice standing and don’t worry about the halt being square. Don’t halt and then fiddle to get it square, just stand and relax. When they are happy with that, you can work on a square halt.

“It is important when practising some movements, never do it in the same place that movement will appear in the test. Don’t for instance constantly practice your halt on the centre line. Do all the movements, but not in the same order as in the test. They are very quick to anticipate.”

“Don’t rush the canter strike off and sometimes just let them bowl along into canter and get in a two point seat sometimes to keep both yourself and the horse loose. The key is preparation, more than the movement itself. If you prepare well, the movement will take care of itself.”

“Horses make mistakes, don’t be too hard on them.”

The chilly wind and the spectators were an exciting influence. “She can get a bit hot if something different is going on” says Cynthia. “I like to distract her and give her exercises. Whilst keeping a good rhythm, I like to constantly change her frame and change the pace to relax her.”

“If she does not want to walk, I have to give her time. Walk circles, give and take with the reins and constantly change the rein. If it is not working, trot on and come back to the walk; don’t attack it, work through it. Remember every horse is different and the rider needs to work out the best plan, always be a thinking rider.” Notice Cynthia’s beautiful lower leg position, because her horses are taught to be responsive to the leg, she can maintain a correct lower leg.

“Contact and connection are some issues I see that need more work with the people I teach.” In this photo, Cynthia has a beautiful, straight connection with Gala.

“Ride forward in to the halt and don’t be in too much of a hurry to move on. Get the horse used to standing.”

“Teach your horse to enjoy standing still, just stand and chat to your friends or admire the view. Do not make the halt a big deal, once the horse is happy to stand then you can work on perfecting the halt”

“I like to change her frame a lot and the pace. Asking her to bend left and right and go more forward. I work on keeping her soft in the back and straight.” Gala has a lovely natural rhythm at the trot. At this stage it is not a big flashy trot. “I know she has a lot more trot to give, but I don’t want to push her for it now. I really enjoy the training process and I know the movement will come.”

“A good position is very important.” This is a perfect picture of elbow, hand, horse’s mouth and shoulder, hip, heel. Notice too the correct hand position and the seemingly lovely connection with the horse’s mouth. The lower leg just has a light contact.

“In riding corners, the short side is a straight line, not half a 20m circle. You have to be quicker to get them straight. Think ahead, think of the line you want to ride. The more advanced the horse, the deeper I go into the corner. It is important not to pull to the outside with the inside rein to get them into the corner. It gets them in the corner, but makes them crooked and makes it more difficult to prepare for the next movement like a canter transition. Use your inside leg to get into the corner and it is very important that they react to the leg. I want a reaction when I squeeze with my lower leg, if not, I give a much stronger aid, as they must respond. If you just keep kicking, it will make them dead to the leg.”

Cynthia uses her inside leg to guide Gala into the corner. She has kept her straight through the bridle and in a balanced frame.

Cynthia demonstrates how not to ride a corner. “Crossing the inside rein to the outside will get the horse in to the corner, but it will also make them crooked and overbent.”

“Don’t make the canter transition a big deal, let them naturally come in to canter.”

‘Every now and then, I get in to two point and let her go forward freely to keep her and myself loose.”

“I want to anticipate them anticipating. If they are very strong in the hand, keep the tempo a bit slower, give and take with the reins and don’t engage in a tug of war and make it clear what is allowed and what is not allowed.” “Don’t rush the canter strike off and sometimes just let them bowl along into canter and get in a two point seat sometimes to keep both yourself and the horse loose. The key is preparation, more than the movement itself. If you prepare well, the movement will take care of itself.”

“Don’t always come around the corner and ask for the canter transition. Practice all the movements, but never where they will occur in the test.” Gala has a beautiful canter and is very responsive to Cynthia’s leg aids. “Make it clear what is allowed or not.”

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Back to Basics with Cynthia Bossema

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