Steinbrecht describes the horse as having the most versatile talents of all animals. Throughout the book, he expresses his admiration for the horse, and reminds the trainer/rider/owner that out of gratitude for the beauty, nobility and talent of the horse, they should take great care in all endeavors with the horse. There is no recipe or formula for training the horse…it is very individualized. He cautions against the use of external mechanical items to aid in training, as they don't allow for the feel that a good trainer has when working with a horse.
Correct dressage training, he states, is the equivalent of natural gymnastics for the horse, aimed at strengthening and suppling muscles and limbs. He stresses the importance of watching the young, green horse in the pasture, noting conformation and movement, both the whole-horse movement and how the individual parts of the horse move. These should always be taken into account when training; if a horse has a weakness or flaw in movement or conformation, training must accommodate those shortcomings. All training and gymnastic exercises should be gradual and appropriate and he explains that through careful and correct dressage training the horse becomes mentally more attuned to the trainer thereby
developing a connection.
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