“So You’ll Never Take a Dressage Test?” Part I

by Alice Trindle

I hope this article finds each of you having experienced a wonderful holiday season, and now ready to look toward 2008 as a year of new and deepening understanding with your horse. I recently read a quote by Johann Friedrich Von Schiller that seemed to sum up my personal visions for the upcoming year: “Only those who have the patience to do simple things perfectly will acquire the skill to do difficult things easily.”

I reflect back on how many times we have said in our clinics that horsemanship is really quite "simple," it is just not "easy." Now, that doesn’t take anything away from the blessings we receive from working with horses--not the least of which is pure joy and fun! So as I look forward to the activities of 2008, I am going to keep in mind that pursuing my passion for understanding horsemanship will take a four-letter word…work, combined with the patience to practice the basics in order to gain a measure of the wisdom that horses have to share. I am also drawn to two words that were emphasized to me during this past holiday season…humility and service. With these semantic ingredients, perhaps I have found the recipe for the over-arching theme for my 2008 clinics: working with patience to discover through the horse what is the best of our humanity, while giving and receiving unconditional service. I am so excited!

Looking Ahead
For the upcoming year, we have a great line-up of article topics in this ‘Beyond the Basics’ series exclusively in Northwest Horse Source magazine. In keeping with the original premise of providing readers with very practical exercises to apply to their personal horsemanship development, we have created a year-long series that looks at three BIG topics. Over the winter months, we will look at the benefits of pursuing the classical dressage training scale and how these age-old principles can prepare both horse and human for great riding experiences, including how these principles can help people make decisions about getting into riding at a later stage of life, or returning to horses after a sabbatical.

Over the spring months we will tackle one of my favorite subjects…riding outside the box! These articles will give you great ideas for riding games beyond the walls of the arena. From helping those of you pursuing trail classes with all sorts of obstacles, to seeing how cows can help the dressage horse enjoy his training tests, this series will keep your horse happy.

The final series breaks down a huge subject that really is the essence of horsemanship…training. Often times it is only people who want to start their own horse that take on the deep responsibility of learning to use tools that will help to establish a willing attitude with balanced movement. However, these same tools and the exercises you can accomplish with them are the critical foundation for all our horses, no matter where they are in their training. We will examine the use of some traditional cowboy tools such as the lariat, flag, and round pen, as well as looking at the more classical tools of the whip, the surcingle, and square pen liberty work. We "western-types" have so much to learn from the dressage folks…and vise-versa. Open minds and open hearts make for a better partnership with horses--and humans!

So let’s get started with this month’s topic...

Investing in the Study of Dressage
At first glance, I may have killed about one-half of the readership’s interest, as you are saying to yourself, “I will never ride a dressage test, so why would I want to study dressage?” The answer is, quite simply, in the semantics. The word dressage means training. Classical dressage, or intense studying/training of the movements of the horse, was first developed primarily for military warfare purposes to allow the rider to escape from incredibly dangerous situations. Not only did the horse need to be schooled in the basic movements with rhythm and balance, he also needed to know how to defend the rider from the ground attacker, and therefore learned to use his weapons--primarily his feet and legs --in amazing movements called "airs above the ground." By rearing up in the levade or jumping straight up and kicking out with the hind legs (the capriole), he could protect himself and his rider. The essence of these movements is still being preserved today as an art form in such classical riding schools as the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, the Cadre Noir in Saumur, the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art in Jerez de la Frontera, and the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art in Lisbon.

Why, then, should we mere mortals--who are probably not interested in military pursuits with our horses--want to study the principles of dressage? Again, quite simply, it gives us a clear system of principles we can use to train the human and the horse...one based on thousands of years of study. It truly is "so old that it is new again."

From the human’s perspective, dressage gives us not only the training tools to help develop the horse athletically and mentally, but also calls us to a higher standard to be mentally, emotionally, and physically prepared to become a good leader. From the perspective of the horse, dressage principles provide clear, step-by-step exercises to achieve; when combined under the watchful eye of a good rider, these exercises blend into a symphony of movement. This dance is not limited by the costume worn, the country in which it is being performed, or the breed of horse. The concert that is achieved by applying mindful dressage--thoughtful training--is universal in my book. From the court in Vienna to the cow pastures of eastern Oregon, it is a joyful noise!

Getting Started...Again
In the past several years I have had the pleasure of working with many people who are getting into playing with and "training" horses in later life, or are returning after years without riding. Many of these folks happen to be women who find they now have the time and means to pursue their life-long dream. Equally so, I have encountered many people who rode when they were younger, and are now returning to horses for joy, companionship, and maybe even to participate in smaller equine competitions. In both of these scenarios there is often a wee bit of trepidation and fear involved with both riding a horse and safe ground handling. It is here that this series of articles, "Investing in the Study of Dressage," can give you a template for fun and safety.

Thousands of years of study have yielded some practical steps to help humans develop a willing and safe partnership with their horses. The dressage training scale is a great place to start preparing the horse and rider, in the saddle and on the ground, to have a positive experience. In next month's article, we will examine how this training triangle can provide a picture for all of us to pursue no matter what discipline we enjoy, or where we are within our horsemanship journey.


For now, begin to think about your personal definitions of the elements in the training scale and examine how they apply to you and your horse, both on the ground and in the saddle. How does rhythm apply to your everyday life? Do you walk with rhythm as you are doing your shopping? How does balance play a role with rhythm and perhaps influence the timing of your movements? Does rhythm affect your attitude?

Get the picture? Over the next few months we are going to dissect the training scale and look at each element's depth and possible implications. In the end, I can guarantee you will be walking with better posture, completing a safe dance with your horse, and most importantly, having fun with dressage--the training of you and your horse!