DRESSAGE FOR ALL DISCIPLINES

(reprinted from Pegasus Equine Express Alabama)

The discipline of dressage has often been misunderstood.  I know from experience that when I am teaching a lesson or giving a clinic, many riders feel that either their horse or that they will not have the ability to “do dressage.”  Also it is commonly thought that dressage is a “trick” or “fancy” thing to do with horses,  that is not applicable to hunter, barrel or trail horses.

Fortunately, more and more rider-horse teams are discovering the benefits of dressage. Indeed, the word really just means “training”, and all of us are involved in that with our horses.  If a horse has had basic and correct dressage training, he is more able to perform whatever task he has been chosen to do.

To give and anecdotal example: as a CHA Clinician, part of the testing procedure for the instructor-to-be is to prove their competence in directing and leading a trail ride. Unfortunately, the horses provided, especially for the clinicians, are not always suitable!

This particular clinic was in upstate New York during winter. My mount was a horse trained in dressage. Unfortunately, it’s owners had not included other training, such as a lot of riding cross-country.  Part of the route was along a road with a side ditch and traffic.  The other horses chosen for the students were quite well-mannered, but the site management had chosen the animal for me because of a shortage of suitable horses. (Note:) In leading a ride it is important for the leader to have one of the best-mannered horses.  If there is an accident or incident, the less competent rider can be put on the leader’s horse.

Naturally, my horse was a bit keyed-up as the trail ride started. Because of it’s dressage training, however, I was able to easily put the horse in a modified shoulder–in position and thus have complete control.  If my horse had not understood the use of the rider’s leg for lateral movements and the essence of half-halts, the ride, I am certain, would have not been as pleasant for either of us.

Often when I am giving clinics for gymkanna rider, i.e. barrel racing, pole bending, etc. I find that many seconds are lost because the riders lose control of their horse’s haunches at the top speed turns required in the games.  Going through the basics of dressage, specifically directed to what is required of their horses, almost always resulted in not only faster times, but of happier, more controllable animals.

What teaching the fundamentals of dressage is about is to make it easier for the horse and rider to perform the task desired.  A basic knowledge of  the biomechanics of horse and rider results in the horse becoming sounder, stronger, and more supple.

Years ago our Equestrian Team was not doing well in show jumping. We had some outstanding horse/rider combinations, but the overall results were disappointing. Bertan de Nemethy was brought over to coach the U.S.E.T.  One of the first things that he did was to coach the jumping team mostly on the flat, teaching them dressage! Obviously, it worked, and has been the basis of training a hunter/jumper rider ever since.  The saying that jumping is just “dressage over fences” is definitely a truism.

Another example:  I had a woman start lessons with me who was showing on the “A” circuit.  Her horse, she said, needed a long warm-up because he got tense and was stiff and “high” for  a while unless she worked him a bit before jumping him.  She had only been told to go around the ring trotting and cantering, until he settled down.  The problem was that by the time he settles, he had lost his “edge” for jumping the big fences he was required to jump, and would sometimes hand a leg or even refuse.

So I started teaching horse and rider basic dressage.  She learned how to leg-yield him, which immediately caused him to round and move off his haunches. They worked together on shoulder-fore, which helped his balance on tight turns into fences.  She learned how to correctly half-halt, which made shortening and lengthening for distances between fences much easier. 

Another advantage was obvious at the next show.  She was used to not placing too high in the hunter on the flat classes.  The judges had not thought his movement sufficient.  The strength, cadence and impulsion he acquired through the dressage work resulted in his beginning to win large flat classes.  When he got strong with her, pulled, or started to rush a bit, she relied on the methods she had learned to supple him in a way that resulted in control without harsh methods.

This article will continue with a series of articles aimed specifically at a different discipline each month, i.e. trail riding, saddle-seat, hunter, reining, etc. and give suggestions on how to help your horses with the basics of dressage.  You do not have to buy a shadbelly coat and a top hat to allow the basics of this 2,400 year old method of training help you!

Mitzi