Unlocking Nuno Oliveira’s Genius - Classical Training Secrets of the Old Masters

What made Nuno Oliveira a legend in classical dressage? Why do riders and trainers still study his methods today?
🎥 FREE Helios Harmony Course: longridehome.c...
In this video, Rupert Isaacson from Long Ride Home takes you on a deep dive into the classical dressage training principles that Oliveira mastered and refined, showing how they apply to the modern rider.
Nuno Oliveira understood that no single method works for every horse. Instead, he synthesized the teachings of the old masters-La Guérinière, Baucher, and Steinbrecht-to develop a system that creates true lightness, balance, and harmony. This knowledge is just as relevant today as it was centuries ago, and knowing how to apply it can transform your dressage training and horse training approach.
In this video, you’ll learn:
✔️ Why Nuno Oliveira dressage was revolutionary in blending classical training with modern biomechanics
✔️ The three key dressage traditions-Doma Classica, Doma Vaquera, and Rejoneo-and their influence on today’s sport dressage
✔️ How different classical training methods apply to different horse types, from hot-blooded Thoroughbreds and Anglo-Arabs to powerful Warmbloods and Iberian horses
✔️ Two essential training hacks to adapt Oliveira’s principles to your own riding, whether you seek collection, connection, or lightness
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#NunoOliveiraDressage #ClassicalDressage #ClassicalTraining #Dressage #HorseTraining #OldMasters #ClassicalDressageTraining #EquestrianArt #HeliosHarmony #LongRideHome #RupertIsaacson

[@vickygleed2493]

Thank you for this video. I am looking forward to finding out more and filling in gaps. There is so much information out there , and so much mystery too. I have just come across Philipe Karl and am having a look into his method. We have 2 Connemaras one is 6 and we would like to begin some training this year and follow a system but not sure which one ! I’m hoping your series will help 😊

[@vickygleed2493]

*Philippe Karl

[@longridehome]

Hi Vicky, yes without a doubt our system - which is effectively the La Gueriniere system as used by Nuno Oliveira and others will work for your Connies. We have produced quite a few of that breed ourselves in our projects in Ireland. So if you sign up to the Helios Harmony course it will get you where you want to go. The Philippe Karl method is Baucher which we talk about in this video and who we will make his own video on. Our recommendation, because by Bauchers own admission his system is not for every horse. We recommend starting with the Helios Harmony because it is the original system if you like and then when you are solid in that then go dive into légèreté and other systems as complements

[@vickygleed2493]

@ thank you very much. Just what I needed - a starting point. I will take a look at your system. And re watch your video with the extra info that I now have . Vicky

[@longridehome]

Brilliant. If you do pick up our training course which will take you from 0 to piaffe in hand we would dearly love your feedback on what flows and what you and your horse find challenging. Because we really want to make this as accessible as possible.

[@vickygleed2493]

@ yes will do. Thank you

[@kirajulius5778]

Thanks for making these videos, I’m looking forward to the next one!

[@longridehome]

Thank you so much! That means a lot. I'm really glad you're enjoying the videos-more coming soon! Let me know if there's anything specific you'd like to see. 😊🐴

[@countercivilization]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge !

[@longridehome]

Thanks so much. We always wished that the information was out there back when we were first learning it. So it makes us happy to share. If you'd like to actually learn how to train the horses this way we've got an online course that takes you from point 0 to the piaffe in the old master's system and is clear and easy to follow. heliosharmony.com let us know how it goes.

[@nataliaschroner]

Hi Rupert, I wanted to ask if you can briefly explain how to train a horse in the classical system to become a happy athlete that’s ’at your service’, whilst not loosing the attunment and communication , please ?

[@longridehome]

This is a great question @nataliaschroner and thankfully an easy one to answer. Just as with humans, horses enjoy having purpose and can find fulfillment in being in service to their human and equine herd. Service is not the same as servitude and this distinction often goes unaddressed. So yes we will be making a series of videos about how exactly how to train classically with the horses sense of joy, play and service involved. Spoiler alert: It's all about neuro-plasticity. More to follow.

[@clairebloomfield883]

Thank you for sharing this Rupert. It is fascinating. There is a lot here to digest, so I have had to take some notes! We are just about to start our in hand dressage journey (I have a health compromised AQH) and I’m certain that he this will be of benefit to him, once our instructor visits (very soon.) I look forward to learning more from your videos.

[@longridehome]

Hey, thanks so much. Our own in hand journeys started with Quarter Horses and using it to rehab all sorts of issues. At a certain point our local chiropractor started referring people with various soundness issues (legs & back) to us. What we generally find is that if you really go for the in hand work you can almost reverse age horses. I don't know if you are familiar with Sukie Baxter who is a well known nervous system and neuro-muscular expert as well as an equestrian. She points out how the in hand patterns strengthen muscles that you normally can't get to. Here she's talking about it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZzShaWcqLycjZo

[@clairebloomfield883]

Thank you Rupert. I haven’t as yet heard of Sukie, but I will look her up right now! Her exercises sound as if they would be very helpful for Ronnie, (especially as he suffered from cancer in his right hind leg a few years ago, and the surgery cut through major muscles.) It’s amazing that he manages to move as well as he does, all things considered.

[@longridehome]

Your horse sounds like quite the warrior. The secret is the two basic patterns of in hand work which rebuild and rehab and then maintain horses that have sustained injuries. We've got a whole course on them if you join it that will absolutly help to bring him to his optimal well being. heliosharmony.com if you do follow please let us know how it goes for you because our mission is to make this knowledge as accessible as possible.

[@jenniferkaiser5540]

This is so intriguing. I will be interested to learn how to determine what type of horse one has if it is “none of the above”. I would also love to understand how the USDF training scale aligns with these methods.

[@longridehome]

The USDF training scale is derived from the FEI training scale which because 100 or so years ago when the Olympics were revived the other participating countries left it to the Germans to write the rules for all the sports including equestrian - therefore the rules ended up being written for the warmblood. We will cover this another video. Because it's a fun story. What's ironic is that the warmblood is by no means a natural dressage horse and is in many ways harder to train for this than the iberians and baroque breeds which the old masters designed the original systems for. We will do another video on this too. Also lots of fun. What this means is if you have horses, that are outside of the warmblood or Iberian/Baroque gene pool - e.g. quarter horses, cobs, thoroughbreds etc. then 1 has to understand the individual horse to know how much or how little of the three main dressage approaches (La Gueriniere, Baucher, Steinbrecht) to apply. Your question is such a good one that we will create videos for dressage approaches for each of these breeds to make things clearer. One last thing to consider, there is something missing from the training scale which is JOY! We will be making many videos about that too. Because without joy the training scale doesn't quite work. So stay tuned and thanks for the excellent question.

[@leanatank127]

So fascinating and it makes sense that one would use a different approach for different types of horse. Did Nuno ever write anything as a guide to his system or was everything passed down through teaching his students? What are some of the best sources for reading more about each system?

[@longridehome]

Hey @leanatank127 it's a great question. Nuno wrote many books, but they are not easy to decipher. The person who really made his work available to the public was his french student (thankfully translated into english) Michel Henriquet. Here are two that we really enjoyed and found of practical use: amzn.to/4gtYAbb and amzn.to/3Ewpn9C We will do at least video on Henriquet and his communication of Nunos work. So stay tuned for that.

[@ClareRosenkranzSig]

By chance I just came across your video and in listening brought to mind a dear friend I had the privilege of knowing who has since passed ... Jean Claude Racinet. Are you familiar with him?

[@longridehome]

Yes we are very aware of Racinet and his excellent explanations of the methods and philosophy of Baucher. The horse training apart, one of the things that was most interesting was his tracing of Baucherism as a political movement that paralleled the rejection of the ancien regime in France after the revolution and the rise of modernism in general. Because horses have been at the center of human political endeavors there are many such parallels in history e.g. the thoroughbred hunting and jumping as a parallel with the rise of the British empire. And going further back in history the conquest of the Americas and even the rise of Egypt and the conquests of Alexander the Great. We will for sure do a video not just on Racinet but also on how each of these historical timelines was reflected with a movement in equestrianism. Stay tuned.