wo thousand years ago a Greek Calvary
soldier and historian by the name of
Xenophon developed and introduced a
way of riding powerful, muscular steeds effectively and lightly into battle. His methods were based on balance, communication, trust, agility, and partnership between horse and soldier. These methods became the foundation of dressage, the discipline that today still inspires the same absolute connection between horse and rider that it did centuries ago.
Modern dressage still values the original principles that Xenophon fostered, striving toward enhancing and expressing a horse's natural athleticism and willingness to work with an empathetic rider. To observe a horse and rider performing in the highest levels of dressage, known as the FEI levels, is to watch a ballet of delicate strength and nearly invisible communication, between two completely different species, giving the impression that they are one body. The goal is to effortlessly guide a horse through complex maneuvers and predetermined patterns or tests. The result is simply stunning. Although extremely complicated, this degree of air-light perfection applies to the FEI levels, which include fourth level through Grand Prix.
However, the United States Dressage Federation (USDF) recognizes dressage riders as any rider wishing to learn and compete in dressage tests, performing maneuvers with graduating difficulty, from Intro level all the way up to Third level. Pretty cool for people who want to reap the benefits on a basic level, even if eventual upper level competition is not their "thing." Anyone can enjoy the benefits of basic dressage that encourage lightness, acceptance of the bit, balanced transitions and gaits, and improved cooperation between partners, regardless of how dedicated and serious the individual is about the sport.
In upper levels of competitive dressage, the breeds of horses mostly seen in the arena include Warmblood Sport Horses, Thoroughbreds, PRE breeds such as Andalusians and Lusitanos, with the occasional Quarter Horse and even a Morgan here and there. These breeds, especially those with shorter coupling (the loin area that connects the back to the croup or rump) and built slightly uphill, such as the baroque or PRE (Pura Raza Espanola) horses, do very well in the extreme physically demanding world of the higher levels. However, this is not to say that gaited horses can't excel in dressage, even in the upper levels. Exceptions to the norm exist in almost all facets of life, including dressage. All breeds of horses can benefit from basic and lower levels of dressage but some gaited horses, through dedication and astonishing talent, have excelled to teetering heights. Champagne Watchout, the multiple versatility TWH champion, is such an exception.
Jennie Jackson, her husband Nathanael, and Champagne Watchout, of Cookeville, Tennessee, have made it their mission to promote the benefits of dressage to all gaited horses, regardless of the level of their potential. Using the training pyramid of dressage, Jennie uses Champagne Watchout to demonstrate how dressage cross-training "teaches a horse to be a good load-carrying animal and teaches a rider to be a good load to carry." Champagne Watchout has won several championships in gaited dressage at the second and third level, as well as performing freestyle demonstration, where the horse and rider perform high level dressage maneuvers set to music, at the Kentucky Horse Park. His list of dressage-related success continues.
In classical dressage, the training pyramid is used as a roadmap, if you will, to achieving as much lightness, connection, and balance as is possible for horse and rider at whatever level they are currently training. For each level of dressage, the training pyramid applies, in varying degrees. Once one portion of the pyramid is accounted for, horse and rider can work on establishing the next. One of the greatest attractions about dressage is that no level can be skipped and no shortcuts can be used -- if a component of the pyramid or level is skipped, it will be completely obvious if the horse and rider attempts to move on.
The classical German training pyramid, beginning with the base and working it's way to the top,
is rhythm, suppleness, contact, impulsion, straightness, and collection.
Rhythm is the mental and physical relaxation of the horse while maintaining a steady beat during any gait. Suppleness applies to both longitudinal softness that affects the horse's neck, poll, back, jaw, and haunches while swinging forward, and lateral softness that relates to bending his body or neck sideways. Contact is the horse accepting the rider's hands, legs, and seat with energy coming from his engaged hindquarters. Impulsion is energy caused by the rider's seat that flows into the horse's hindquarters, allows his back to swing, and the energy of impulsion to be carried out through the lengthening of stride. Straightness occurs when the previous elements fall together concisely enough so that the horse's hind legs step directly into the line created by the front legs. Finally, collection can happen when all components have been obtained and the horse's balance is shifted to his hindquarters, allowing absolute self-carriage to finally take place. Notice how collection is the very top, which indicates that collection simply cannot happen without all the other components in place. Likewise, no progress in dressage can happen without rhythm.
Photo by Sarah K. Andrew
By Ashley Wakeman, Staff Writer
Going Gaited Online Magazine
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