Twenty years ago, Tracy Fall was working as a TV producer in London whilst training and competing her own dressage horses. She had the dream of combining her experience in TV with dressage, to create a training platform with a warm and welcoming community at its heart.
Of course, there are plenty of training videos available on the internet, but Tracy wanted to create a step-by-step approach to learning new skills right from the beginning. Her aim was to give riders a ‘road map’ to follow, with a clear path towards learning a particular skill or dressage level – not just a bunch of jumbled up lessons!
Take us back to the beginning of Dressage Adventures
Tracy & Jenku
It all started with three little letters…’TSK‘! In 2018 I began working with South African Horsemanship trainer,
. We share the same passion for developing better communication between horse and rider and together we produced a beautiful series of training programmes covering groundwork skills and classical ‘in-hand’ training. Jenku uses a sound ‘TSK’ to give instant accurate feedback to the horse. If you can say the word ‘whisky’ then drop the ‘wh’ and the ‘y’ – that’s the sound that tells your horse they have given you the right answer.
As a British Dressage coach, my philosophy is to keep things simple and help the rider to tap in the right ‘feeling’ under saddle. The further you progress up the levels the more you discover it is the basics which are key to all of the advanced movements – it doesn’t need to be complicated. If you can’t explain it to a 6-year-old – you don’t understand it yourself.
Filming Jenku with Jack In-Hand
Four years ago, I began a completely unique ongoing dressage series which follows the complete training of a young horse called ‘Raffles’ right from the start of his education – all the way up the levels, with all the growing up in between.
He was quite a strong character which makes for entertaining viewing, but what better way to demonstrate our system, than to show every step in real-life, right from the beginning. No gadgets, no shortcuts – just simple effective training.
How do you help dressage riders?
Half Pass In-Hand
Our aim is to empower our riders with the practical skills and confidence to train their horses, whilst building a beautiful partnership. Whether you are starting a young horse or competing at advanced level, our simple effective training programmes will teach you the skills to succeed.
Each training programme follows the real-life training of an individual horse from the beginning. The videos are arranged in seasons, through Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, to give a sense of progression through time and show a true representation of the development of each horse.
Whilst the video content is clear, accessible and engaging, I didn’t want to deliver information in a sterile environment. We film everything outdoors and deliberately include beautiful scenes from nature as it changes around the arena, such as flowers and birds give a warm immersive feeling – think ‘Gardeners World’ complete with joyful uplifting music. Sometimes the Great British weather is challenging, but we carry on – this is real life training, and we are all learning together!
Why do you feel groundwork is so important?
Jenku & Herman having fun
Groundwork gives you an opportunity to teach you horse ‘the answer’ from the ground, before ‘asking the question’ under saddle. You can train pretty much anything from the ground; shoulder in, travers, half pass, renvers, half steps, passage and of course the ultimate dream – piaffe.
Breaking the movements down into basic steps on the ground gives your horse information they need, so they can learn how to organise their own body. They are then already confident in the movement before they need to balance the weight of the rider.
Groundwork also helps you to understand key biomechanics, because you are standing on the ground looking at your horse, observing how they are using their body as they perform movements. This gives you useful insight, so you understand the posture and the shaping you are trying to achieve when you are riding.
Where do you begin with the fundamentals of groundwork?
Lunge & Liberty
We’re living in an era where everything is about instant gratification. But horses still learn at the same slow speed as they did 300 years ago. Slow it down, take your time and get it right. Aim to train little and often and take small steps toward your ultimate goal.
The best place to start is actually in the stable, with a fun exercise using ‘hand signals’ to develop a language with your horse. This is the very first lesson in the ‘Lunge & Liberty’ programme.
In your opinion, are there any common misconceptions that people have about groundwork?
Filming Jenku with Herman. Lunge & Liberty
One misconception is how to use a whip. The whip is only ever used as an extension of our arm – it is used like a pointer to help to explain to the horse the parts of the body they should be using. It should never be used to punish the horse. It’s not about making your horse do something – it’s about training them in a way that makes them want to do it with you.
Dressage Adventures proudest moments?
We have just received the amazing news that we have been nominated as a finalist at the prestigious 2025 Equestrian Business Awards. Of course I am proud of this achievement, but the moments which are most important to me, are when my clients reach their goal, whether it’s learning a new movement, feeling a magical connection with their horse, or trotting down the centre line for the first time – this brings me immense pride and happiness.
How does a dressage rider take the first steps to work with you?
Leg Extensions In-Hand
Firstly, commit to putting in the time and doing the work! It doesn’t have to be hours and hours of boring repetition – you will see from our training programs that short regular sessions are more effective. Follow each lesson step-by-step and you will soon see amazing results.
Whenever you need help along the way, you can connect directly with me and get coaching support. To access the platform you can either join our membership here: https://dressageadventures.com/membership/ – or alternatively buy each programme outright and own it forever.