I have never met Carl Hester.  I have read  his Down to Earth Dressage, and recommend it to others to encourage them to learn with the horses they have, rather than to postpone learning until the dream horse comes along.  And I have used elastic rein inserts at various junctures in horses’ development. They were especially useful with a horse I rehabilitated 45 years ago, and another I rehabbed 4 years ago. In both cases the horse needed to gain confidence that he could contact the bit enthusiastically without being punished for his enthusiasm. So I am glad he has promoted “Fantastic Elastic” commercially.  AND I thrill at the quality of motion of his horses Valegro and Uthopia. SO I was quite pleased that Astrid Appel reported so thoroughly on the MasterClass Carl Hester gave at the Global Dressage Forum, and amazed that he uses a riding and teaching schedule quite similar to mine, and that he uses three different surfaces…turf, court, and “hard” in everyday process, as do I.

http://www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/2011/11/08/carl-hester-has-fun-factor