Dressage - It Works
for All Horses
by Suzanne Porter
republished with
permission from Horsepower
Elegant. Harmonious. Brilliant. These
are the words that come to mind when describing a horse performing
upper level dressage movements. Dressage is both an art and a
sport in which horses are trained to be very obedient to their
riders and to perform a set of special movements. But how can
dressage (the word rhymes with "massage") help you
with your fourteen-year-old gelding that you trail ride and show occasionally?
"Dressage is the
French word for 'training'," says Vicki Hammers-O'Neil,
a United States Dressage Federation (USDF) certified instructor
who teaches riders and trains horses at Peter Flagg's Once Again
Farm in Meriden, Connecticut. "Teaching any horse basic
dressage will improve the horse and make him a better athlete.
Dressage will improve his response to, and his relationship with,
the rider."
When trail riding,
for example, a horse that has been taught some basic dressage
will easily move sideways to open a gate or allow you to retrieve
your jacket from a fence post. He will be easier to maneuver
in rough terrain and will settle down more quickly if startled
by something, by being tuned in to your leg, seat and hand cues.
How will basic dressage
help your horse in the hunter/jumper ring? "People are busy
trying to jump courses. They often don't take the time to do
the groundwork," says Hammers-O'Neil. Correct flatwork "will
improve your ability to rate your horse coming into a fence and
after the fence." Because your horse is "listening"
to you, responding to your aids (hands, seat, legs), turning
is easier, as is shortening and lengthening his stride.
How can dressage help
the western horse? The movements of an upper-level dressage horse
are similar to those used in cutting and reining (changing leads,
rolling back on the haunches, backing, etc.). It can be invaluable
to riders who show Western horsemanship, where they are judged
on how the horse responds to their signals, and how well they
perform patterns at various gaits. Dressage helps make a horse
supple and easier to "bend" around the rider's leg,
which is also very important to those who compete in barrel racing
and Western games such as pole bending. Because the emphasis
is on "forward" movement, dressage wiil probably not
help the western pleasure horse as much, although it will help
make him "rounder" and a more comfortable ride. However,
many a western pleasure horse who disliked his work found his
niche in dressage!
Hammers-O'Neil is something
of an expert on dressage for the average horse. Although she
trains some upper- level horses for dressage competition, she
teaches many riders who do not compete at all. Among those who
do compete, some compete in dressage, hunter shows, jumping,
or combined tests (requiring both a dressage test and a jumping
test). Some of her students fox hunt. She herself started riding
western and bareback at about 12 years of age. "I did tons
of trail riding," she says.
When she was 20 years
old, Hammers-O'Neil moved to the eastern United States to attend
a riding school. It was at the Potomac Horse Center in Gaithersburg,
Maryland, that she learned all aspects of horse care, jumping,
dressage, stable management, and teaching. She taught there for
a year and a half, starting a children's lesson program and a
summer camp.
In 1980, Hammers-O'Neil
moved to Connecticut to become a working student for Pamela Goodrich,
a top dressage trainer. "I didn't have a lot of money to
pay for lessons. As a working student, I got a lot of education
without having a lot of money." She later became Goodrich's
barn manager and eventually moved into the slot as trainer when
Goodrich left.
So how do you get started
in dressage? Hammers-O'Neil gives this advice about getting started,
"Ask around. Try to find an instructor who is certified."
In Canada, this means a CEF Level 1 or higher, and in the United
States, a USDF Instructor. "Watch them teach. Do they teach
others your age? Do the horses seem happy? Are the students comfortable
asking questions of their instructor? Does the instructor teach
HOW to do it, WHY to do it, WHEN to do it, or does she just tell
you, 'Go here, go there'?'"
For more information
on dressage, contact the Canadian Equestrian Federation at 613-248-3433
or the United States Dressage Federation at 402-434-8550.
SOME SIMPLE EXERCISES
Proper rider position can improve the horse's way of going. Hammers-O'Neil
often puts her students on the lunge line so that they can work
on their position in the saddle independent of controlling the
horse. She uses specific exercises and imagery to help riders
achieve a more flexible, balanced seat. These do not have to
be done on a lunge line; these can be done at a walk while warming
up. Here are some exercises that Hammers-O'Neil uses to improve
a rider's position:
Leg Scissors. Take
your feet out of the stirrups. Moving from the hip to joint,
with legs straight, bring your left leg forward and your right
leg back. (Your legs may only move a few inches.) Then slowly
bring your right leg forward, while bringing your left leg back.
It is important not to bend your knee or "swing" your
legs. This exercise opens up the hips.
Legs Away. Take your
feet out of the stirrups. Hold the reins in your outside hand.
Hook the fingers of your inside hand under the pommel. Open both
legs (thighs and knees) slightly away from the saddle and draw
them back slightly. As you return them to the saddle, make sure
the large muscle under the thigh is pressed back behind the thigh
and allow it to lie flat on the saddle. This helps you attain
a deeper seat by opening the hips and riding with the thigh flat
against the saddle.
The following images
are used to promote the proper positions:
o Pretend your head
is being held up by
a string pulling upward.
o As you post, lead with your belt
buckle.
o To open your chest, try to touch your
shoulder blades together, then relax.
Guide to Dressage Terms
Learning some basic terms will get you started on the right track
Above the bit- A head
position in which the horse avoids acceptance of the bit by putting
his muzzle forward and upward.
Acceptance- Lack of
evasion, resistance, or protest. The horse's willingness to allow
the a steady contact, the application of the aids, and/or the
placement of the rider's weight.
Against the Bit- Horse
presses its mouth against the bit with rigid or unyielding neck/poll/jaw.
Balance - Distribution
of the weight of horse and rider upon the fore and hind legs,
and the left and right legs. Loss of balance means the sudden
increase of weight onto the forehand and/or to one side.
Basics- The basics
form the correct foundation of the training of the horse:
They are: relaxation, correct rhythm with steady tempo, suppleness/thoroughness,
acceptance of the bit, balance/carriage, impulsion, and straightness.
Behind the Bit, Behind
the Aids, Behind the Leg- An evasion in which the horse shrinks
back from the bit contact, avoiding stepping forward into the
bit. The head may or may not be behind the vertical.
Carriage- The posture
of the horse most easily seen when viewing the horse's profile
from the side.
Collected (trot or
canter)- a pace in which the horse, showing a more "uphill"
balance and greater impulsion than in his normal working pace,
produces strides that are shorter than his other trots and canters.
Contact- Reins stretched
so that they form a straight line, not a loop - an elastic connection
between horse and rider.
Evasion-Avoidance of
a movement, often with a subtle disobedience (e.g. tilting head,
open mouth, etc.).
Forward- Toward the
direction that is ahead or in front of the horse.
Half-Halt- A brief
increase of collection, or applying the aids in a way which gets
the attention and improves the balance of the horse.
Impulsion- Thrust (usually
from the hindquarters).
Lengthening- Allowing
the stride and the outline of the horse to become longer, without
speeding up.
Medium (walk, trot,
or canter)- At trot and canter, a pace between that of collection
and extension, with more uphill balance, more forward thrust,
and more reach than in his working pace. The movement produced
is rounder that that of extension
At the walk, a pace between that of the collected and extended
walks. The toes of the hind feet touch the ground in front of
the front hoofprints.
Obedience- Willingness
to perform the asked for movement.
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