
Cynthia Hodges
Cynthia Hodges translated the dressage books “Monsieur Baucher and His Art: a Serious Word with Germany’s Riders” by Louis Seeger and “Anatomy of Dressage” by Heinrich Schusdzirra from German to English. She has approximately 20 years experience training and showing dressage.
Cynthia Hodges has a J.D. and an LL.M. in Environmental/Animal Law, and a B.A. and an M.A. in Germanic Studies. Cynthia practices animal/equine contract law in WA state.
LINKS:
BOOK: Monsieur Baucher and His Art: A Serious Word with Germany’s Riders by Louis Seeger is available at Amazon.com. Seeger’s book, which had previously only been accessible to an elite group of German-speaking experts, is now available to the English-speaking dressage community. The translation contains a foreword by Karl Mikolka, former Oberbereiter of the Spanish Riding School and coach of the Brazil Olympic Team.
Most recent by Cynthia Hodges

DRESSAGE: STRENGTHENING THE HIND LEGS
BY CYNTHIA HODGES, JD, LLM, MA Strengthening the hind legs is key in dressage because balance is the ultimate goal. When the horse can carry himself and the rider in balance, the quality of the ... continue reading...

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE EXERCISE? ANSWERED BY CYNTHIA HODGES
By CYNTHIA HODGES – In choosing arena exercises, the rider should bear in mind that the ultimate goal of dressage is for the horse to attain balanced self-carriage under the ... continue reading...

RIDING AUF DOPPELTRENSE: INTRODUCING THE HORSE TO THE DOUBLE BRIDLE
BY CYNTHIA HODGES, J.D., LL.M., M.A. Graduating to the double bridle is a milestone in the horse’s training. This article discusses how to make the transition easier for the horse so as to ... continue reading...

INFLUENCING THE HORSE: THE HALF HALT
BY CYNTHIA HODGES, J.D., LL.M., M.A. The ultimate purpose of dressage is to teach the horse to carry himself in balance under the rider. To develop balance and self-carriage, the horse must shift ... continue reading...

WHAT ARE SOME WAYS TO IMPROVE THE TOPLINE? ANSWERED BY CYNTHIA HODGES
By CYNTHIA HODGES - If a horse has a low, weak back, the rider can improve his topline by combining exercises that will strengthen the muscles in the back and then relax them. If the rider ... continue reading...

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF RIDING FORWARD? ANSWERED BY CYNTHIA HODGES
By CYNTHIA HODGES - Forward riding is an essential element in achieving the ultimate goal of dressage: balanced self-carriage. To carry the rider in balance, the horse’s center of gravity ... continue reading...

AN OVERVIEW OF THE THREE TRAINING PHASES OF THE CLASSICAL SCHOOL
An Overview of the Three Training Phases of the Classical School Excepted from Monsieur Baucher and His Art: A Serious Word with Germany’s Riders by Louis Seeger Translated by Cynthia Hodges, ... continue reading...