HORSEWORLDS MASTERCLASS

FROM NOVICE TO DRESSAGE GRAND PRIX WINNER

So, you have bought your first young horse and you are dreaming of the Grand Prix. There are hundred and hundreds of riders thinking of becoming a winning dressage rider but only a very few actually do.

When you buy your first horse it will be much easier on your wallet or purse if you buy a younger horse, say a two year old, rather than a trained eight year old which is beginning to show some promise

All right but what should you look for in a young horse? Riders tell me all the time that they liked the look of the horse so they bought it, or she seemed to have such a lovely nature, or the horse appeared to behave so well or it looked intelligently at me.

Of course all of these attributes are good and worthy, however the one thing I like to hear is… the horse felt right when I rode it. I know it sounds so obvious but 'feeling the ride' is what you need to be doing – it is more than a partnership; it is a marriage between horse and rider.

The instinctive nature of a winning Grand Prix pairing comes from a long term understanding between man or woman and mount. It does not happen overnight. The one common denominator for all dressage riders including Grand Prix winners is… repetition, repetition and repetition.

A pull of the reins on the long side, a touch of the leg, the loosening of the bit or the lowered head should mean the horse instinctively knows the next action.

It might be a slow canter or a pirouette, the lateral movement that every dressage horse and rider must master. Reins that are loosely held can allow the young horse to just give you the ride they fell like but conversely it can help build great sensitivity between rider and horse that brings out a sense of balance.

The horse gains its confidence from legs and reins and may build a good work ethic, say one to two or even three hours bonding with you.

THE DRESSAGE YOUNGSTER

What type of horse have you got? Is it a lazy horse, is it high spirited, is it a big strider, is it naughty or sparky or is it crooked. Very few people I meet ever describe their horse as any of these terms but youngsters very often are one or a combination of them.

Is this a problem? Initially yes but it can be trained out of them.

THE POSITION

The dressage horse will gain or loose confidence from the rider. An uncertain rider begets an uncertain horse. The lazy horse needs the bit slightly higher in the mouth maybe or the feel of closed hands or the feel of the legs. He gets used to the legs until they become second nature to him, they become a part of him and he needs their assurance for his next move. Without his legs he begins to predict what his next move is and invariably confusion will enter the partnership, leading to nervousness and tension in his rear. Now his rhythm has deserted him and the routine is lost leaving horse and rider with building frustration.

THE RIDER

Where have you come from, what is your background? Were you an eventer, have you just been riding a hack up and down the lane, whatever you background you will have to train yourself as well as the horse. Each discipline is different and brings out different qualities in the pairing and you may have to go back to basics to build confidence in the new pairing.

THE DISCIPLINE

The qualities you are looking for takes time to develop. A two or three year old may be eight or nine before he or she starts to show real promise. So both horse and rider need dedication, practice, practice and more practice. An important quality that is needed is…'Expression'.

So how do you find expression? Do whisper in his ear "we need some expression", no what you need is a video camera with a minimum  of a 1000^th of a second shutter speed to review and note exactly how it looks from a judges perspective.

Has your horse got shape at the front, use the leg to develop expression, trot to find expression, drop his neck stretch his back, a canter pace needs to be good or the wrong rhythm will develop. Are you holding a floppy position, if so you have just sent him a message that you are not too fussed today? Is his nose in front of the vertical? Walk him naturally, build the confidence from there, and don't ask him to go laterally too soon. Get him to accept the steps then try a springy walk.

It is always a temptation early on to see if your horse is a star of the future and have him go straight into a passage but it might be a mistake and the confidence you have built up could be lost for a while because he doesn't know the passage from the pasodoble.

It is an easy way for a two year old to loose their movement. What is needed is active steps, springy walk, suspension and always collection and good shape.

As your relationship builds you both become reliant on seat, legs hands, a leg move in the wrong place makes him think 'Flying Change' but that was not what you wanted at all. Every movement of legs, hands and seat tell him what he should do next, a mistake by you means to the horse oh that’s what they want next.

As the relationship grows more confident he knows supple hands with none on the seat or the legs and a loose rein enables him to develop sensitivity and correction to balance. The merest touch raises his back or lowers his head.

There are those that see the young horse that will not stand still in test and describe him as badly trained, however the best trained dressage horse can react to 10,000 people applauding in a Grand Prix arena.

When he is tensing up in the back a way to relive this type of tension is to stretch him in one movement, sometime bouncing or springing with neck down is a movement that can help. Also clicking with your tongue can reassure him that everything's fine, just go with the sound of the click. He may stop thinking everything has gone wrong and gains rhythm from the clicking sound.

A loose transition from a walk to a trot to a canter can develop expression. The lack of weight in the reins reaffirms he's doing alright and can build confidence for the more difficult maneuvers.

When a young horse on the centre line looses rhythm in the passage, the fastest way to bring it back is to let it travel forward

Bring the neck up, push forward and place your weight backward

This is because they have room in front of them and it is a natural recovery for the horse.

A cantering horse that is not hot and willing may feel no pressure or if he misunderstands and just goes for it he needs to be collected straight away by clicking, moving forward and your legs should be moving forward as well to collect him quickly.