a professional equine facility promoting balance & harmony between horse & rider
About Classical Dressage
We often are asked "What is Dressage?" and "If I am not interested in Dressage Competition, why study it?" - we have found that Dressage serves as the best foundation for any rider and horse. No matter what discipline, Dressage improves balance and helps develop the horse and rider both physically and mentally. If you are new to Dressage, we hope you find the following information helpful.
Dressage (pronounced dress-ahhzh) (a French term, most commonly translated to mean "training") Its fundamental purpose is to develop a horse's natural athletic ability and willingness to perform, thereby maximizing its potential as a riding horse. At the peak of a dressage horse's gymnastic development, it can smoothly respond to a skilled rider's minimal aids by performing the requested movement while remaining relaxed and appearing effortless.
Dressage means "training" and is the foundation for multiple disciplines, including Western riding.
Although the discipline has ancient roots, Dressage was first recognized as an important equestrian pursuit during the Renaissance. The great European riding masters at that time developed a training system that has changed little since then. Refered to as "Classical Dressage" - this training approach is considered the basis of modern Dressage and is also applied to other equestrian disciplines...including Western Riding.
This youtube video demonstrates how Classical Dressage training and Reinning share the same principles. Taken by an audience member, the Pas de Deux is not fully viewable at all times - however, worth watching, especially when the riders switch horses. Hope you enjoy this as much as we did.
The Training Scale
The dressage training scale is arranged in a pyramid fashion, with “rhythm and regularity” at the bottom of the pyramid and “collection” at the top. The training scale is used as a guide for the training of the dressage horse (or any horse, for that matter). Despite its appearance, the training scale is not meant to be a rigid format. Instead, each level is built on as the horse progresses in training: so a Grand Prix horse would work on the refinement of the bottom levels of the pyramid, instead of focusing on only the highest level: “collection.” The levels are also interconnected. For example, a crooked horse is unable to develop impulsion, and a horse that is not relaxed will be less likely to travel with a rhythmic gait.
Rhythm and Regularity (Takt): Rhythm, gait, tempo, and regularity should be the same on straight and bending lines, through lateral work, and through transitions. Rhythm refers to the sequence of the footfalls, which should only include the pure walk, pure trot, and pure canter. The regularity, or purity, of the gait includes the evenness and levelness of the stride. Once a rider can obtain pure gaits, or can avoid irregularity, the combination may be fit to do a more difficult exercise. Even in the very difficult piaffe there is still regularity: the horse "trots on the spot" in place, raising the front and hind legs in rhythm. Relaxation or Suppleness (Losgelassenheit): The second level of the pyramid is relaxation (looseness). Signs of looseness in the horse may be seen by an even stride that is swinging through the back and causing the tail to swing like a pendulum, looseness at the poll, a soft chewing of the bit, and a relaxed blowing through the nose. The horse makes smooth transitions, is easy to position from side to side, and willingly reaches down into the contact as the reins are lengthened. Contact (Anlehnung): or Connection —the third level of the pyramid—is the result of the horse’s pushing power, and should never be achieved by the pulling of the rider’s hands. The rider encourages the horse to stretch into soft hands that allow the horse to lift the base of the neck, coming up into the bridle, and should always follow the natural motion of the animal’s head. The horse should have equal contact in both reins. In ideal contact the rider could at any moment lengthen the reins and encourage the horse to stretch forward and downward to maintain the same steady contact, or lengthen the reins and encourage the horse to stay in self carriage and not change position but to continue on lighter contact or no contact at all for at least a few few strides.
Impulsion (Schwung): The pushing power (thrust) of the horse is called "impulsion," and is the fourth level of the training pyramid. Impulsion is created by storing the energy of engagement (the forward reaching of the hind legs under the body).
Proper impulsion is achieved by means of:
Correct driving aids of the rider
Relaxation of the horse
Throughness (Durchlässigkeit): the flow of energy through the horse from front to back and back to front. The musculature of the horse is connected, supple, elastic, and unblocked, and the rider’s aids go freely through the horse.
Impulsion can occur at the walk, trot and canter. It is highly important to establish good, forward movement and impulsion at the walk, as achieving desirable form in the trot and canter relies heavily on the transition from a good, supple, forward walk.
Impulsion not only encourages correct muscle and joint use, but also engages the mind of the horse, focusing it on the rider and, particularly at the walk and trot, allowing for relaxation and dissipation of nervous energy.
Straightness (Geraderichtung): A horse is straight when the hind legs follow the path of the front legs, on both straight lines and on bending lines, and the horse's spine and sternum is directly in the middle of his shoulders (horses have no clavical connecting the scapula to the spine and can lean towards one front leg). Straightness allows the horse to channel its impulsion directly toward its center of balance, and allows the rider’s hand aids to have a connection to the hind end.
Collection (Versammlung): At the apex of the training scale stands collection. It may refer to collected gaits: they can be used occasionally to supplement less vigorous work. It involves difficult movements (such as flying changes) in more advanced horses. Collection requires greater muscular strength, so must be advanced upon slowly. When in a collected gait, the stride length should shorten, and the stride should increase in energy and activity.
When a horse collects, more weight moves to the hindquarters. Collection is natural for horses and is often seen during play in the meadow. A collected horse is able to move more freely. The joints of the hind limbs have greater flexion, allowing the horse to lower the hindquarters, bringing the hind legs further under the body, and lighten and lift the forehand. In essence, collection is the horse's ability to move its centre of gravity to the rear.
Competition
Dressage offers a path and destination of competitive horse training, with competitions held at all levels from amateur to the Olympics.Early European aristocrats displayed their horses' training in equestrian pageants, but in modern dressage competition, successful training at the various levels is demonstrated through the performance of "tests" of prescribed series of movements within a standard arena [20m x60m dressage court]. Judges evaluate each movement on the basis of an objective standard appropriate to the level of the test and assign each movement a score from zero to ten - zero being "not executed" and 10 being "excellent". A score of 9 is considered "very good" and is considered a particularly high mark, while a competitor achieving all 6s (or 60% overall) should be considering moving on to the next level.Dressage competitions may begin in local communities with Introductory level classes where riders need only walk and trot. Horses and riders advance through a graduated series of levels, with tests of increasing difficulty at each level, until the most accomplished horse and rider teams compete at the Grand Prix levels and international competition, such as the Olympic games.Dressage consists of the lower levels: First, Second, Third and Fourth. Introductory and Training levels prelude First level in the United States. The FEI (Federation Equestre Internationale) levels: Prix St. Georges, Intermediare I, Intermediare II and Grand Prix. There is more information on competition on wikepedia and the USDF websites
Candlewood Stables, Yucca Valley/Pioneertown, Ca Updated: 8/01/11
