A redesigned website, an interactive Course Finder and a heartfelt tribute to Dave’s stallion White Star invite riders to explore better movement, relief from unnecessary tension and pain, and a deeper partnership with their horses.
What if becoming a better rider didn't mean trying harder, but learning to feel more? And what if that discovery could also help you move more comfortably, both in and out of the saddle? These questions are at the heart of the Dave Thind Method (DTM), which has unveiled a redesigned website offering riders a welcoming place to learn, explore and experience the method for themselves.
For many riders, stiffness, chronic pain and tension have become familiar companions, despite years of lessons and practice. Thind believes there may be another way.
The website offers courses, articles, videos and complimentary movement lessons, while an interactive Course Finder helps visitors choose a starting point. A different way to ride begins with a different way to learn.
A Different Way to Ride
lessons
Drawing on biomechanics, neuroscience and the principles of the Feldenkrais Method, DTM explores how the nervous system organizes movement, balance and posture, develops coordination and supports self-regulation. The goal is a lifetime of learning and a better experience for horse and rider alike. Thind asks riders a deceptively simple question: “What if the answer isn't to try harder, but to discover what you're doing that makes riding harder than it needs to be?”
Instructions such as “sit deeper,” “relax your hips,” “stop-gripping” and “follow the movement” describe the result a trainer wants, but can leave a willing rider wondering how to achieve it. Thind uses rider-specific Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® lessons. These gentle explorations help riders notice habitual patterns, discover comfortable alternatives and develop coordination that can become spontaneously available in the saddle.
“Relaxation is a skill. And it can be learned. The same goes for positive-tension," said Dave.
Feel Can Be Learned
on appointment, private as well as in groups
Consider the questions a rider can ask during even the simplest movement: How does this feel? Could it be easier? Smoother? More comfortable? What happens when I stop trying so hard?
As riders become more sensitive to those differences, they develop a language of feel they can bring into their riding. The aim is not simply a better position, but a more responsive rider and a horse who can experience greater freedom, comfort and harmony.
Three ideas capture that philosophy: Follow, don't brace. Balance without holding. Let your aids whisper.
Learning Begins at Home
your seat and balance
Rather than asking riders to stretch harder or hold themselves in a corrected posture, the lessons encourage slow exploration. Riders may discover ways to ease stiffness, improve coordination, reduce unnecessary muscular effort and respond differently to protective tension, nerves or apprehension.
Comfort matters, too. For people living with persistent pain, this kind of movement education may offer another way to explore ease and function. It is a learning approach, not a substitute for appropriate medical care.
Thind's interest is personal. His own search for relief from years of pain led him to Feldenkrais. What began as a wish to feel better became a profound change in his understanding of riding, movement and teaching.
The 60-Day Signature Program
At the center of DTM's courses is 60 Days to a Better Dressage Seat, a thoughtfully sequenced program of 30 guided lessons across five modules. It begins with the 14-Day Unlock Your Hips & Swing With Your Back Challenge and progressively explores coordination, skeletal organization, balance and nervous system self-regulation.
Among the website's featured offerings is Fall Wheel Alignment, a six-lesson course inviting riders to rediscover balance, freedom and clarity in the saddle. Built around the thought, “Before you work harder again, recalibrate instead,” the course encourages riders to explore how small changes in awareness and movement can create a more comfortable, effective riding experience.
The redesigned website is also a place to visit simply because you're curious. Educational articles, videos, rider experiences and complimentary lessons allow visitors to learn something useful without purchasing a course.
For someone new to Feldenkrais, a complimentary lesson is an invitation to discover how different a small, attentive movement can feel. There is no need to purchase a course to begin learning. Curiosity is enough.
Personal consultations with Thind are available by paid appointment, subject to limited availability. Those unsure which course to choose can also contact the DTM team for guidance.
The ultimate measure of better riding isn't only what the rider achieves - It's what the horse experiences.
Explore the new website, meet White Star, discover the featured courses and try a complimentary lesson at www.davethindmethod.com. Let your horse feel the difference.
Related Link
Dave Thind: "The Horse Feels What the Judges Not Always See"