Genesis Equestrian Center Clinic Series Dressage 101 David Bottorff Darlene Dixon-Bottorff 8282 Haley Lane 615-395-4228 College Grove, TN 37046-9111 ArabianDQ@aol.com www.genesisequestrian.com
Dressage 101 The primary goals of this clinic are to introduce a beginning foundation in classical horsemanship and build a solid path to better communication with your horse in any discipline. Topics that will be covered: The Seat and Position of the rider The Aids and their timing Arena Geometry and Exercise Patterns Purpose & Execution of Exercises Two-track/Lateral movements Clinic format is interactive so please ask questions and make comments. No question it too basic. All questions are important. Suggested Reading: Centered Riding by Sally Swift Dressage Formula by Erik Hebermann 101 Dressage Exercises by Jec Aristotle Ballou The Athlectic Development of the Dressage Horse by Charles de Kunffy Dressage for the 21 st Century by Paul Belasik My Horses, My Teachers by Alois Podhajsky Complete Training of Horse and Rider by Alois Podhajsky Horses are Made to be Horses by Franz Maringer Ethics and and Passions of Dressage by Charles de Kunffy; 2
The stillness of a good seat is an optical illusion. It is created by a great deal of movement beneath the surface. Every joint in the rider s body has to participate in the absorption of the horse s movement. The result is the appearance of stillness. If, on the contrary, a rider tries very hard to sit still by stiffening his muscles, the seat will become noisier and noisier. If one joint does not move as much as required, then its neighboring joints will automatically move excessively in order to compensate for the stiffness. The results are kicking legs, bouncing hands, a head-bob, or worst of all, a bouncing bottom. The classical seat with a vertical alignment of ears, shoulders, hips, and heels, is the "neutral" position to which the rider returns immediately after all deviations that the horse may have made necessary. It is the position in which the rider is the least burdensome, even to a young horse - because he is sitting in balance with the horse. Leaving this position is either an aid, which helps the horse improve or regain his own balance and straightness, or it is an interference, which destroys the horse's balance and straightness. 3
In addition to the seat are the arms and legs of the rider. When to the torso is correctly aligned, the arms and legs will hang in the proper place. The rider must then learn how to connect them to the seat and learn to separate all the different muscles for independent use. The leg must lay flat against the saddle knees closer but not gripping; calves in contact but not gripping. The hip, knee and ankle joints must remain supple but not overly loose. The arm hangs beside the torso, elbows bent wrists straight and relaxed. Thumbs up, fingers softly wrapped around reins. Reins are held between the thumb and index finger. Shoulders relaxed; head up eyes for ward. The rider must learn to connect the elbows to the seat, as the reins should be used as though they connect to the elbows and not just the hand. Often so much discussion is focused on the hands that they are thought by some riders to be a separate entity from the seat. This is entirely misguided thinking. The hand is a link in the total connection of the arm to the seat. The hands have to be independent of the seat and legs, while at the same time being connected to them. Quiet hands are a result of a quiet seat. Most common problems with the seat: Collapsed hip-crookedness; incorrect pelvic tiltingtoo forward or too far backwards; stiffness or tension; braced or unbending elbows; fists instead of relaxed hands; thumbs not on reins; looking down; hands crossing over the neck; hands too high; slouching or perching. There is a significant difference between sitting on a horse and sitting in to a horse. Sitting in to the horse requires all the elements of the correct seat with the added muscle use that results in a braced or bridged back. This feeling of bracing is not one of stiffness but one of controlled muscle application that forms the link from leg to seat to hands to horse. Best method of improving the seat - lessons on the lunge line on a good schoolmaster with a competent instructor who pays much attention to safety. Some key components of an independent seat: 1) Independent movement of body not a static position! 2) Core/strength Centering 3) Body awareness 4) Adhesive leg not gripping 5) Supple Hips 6) Chin Up and Chin to Poll 7) Correct alignment from head to heels Suggested reading for more in depth explanation of the seat: Centered Riding by Sally Swift. Suggested video- Karl Mikolka s 30 days to a Better Seat. 4
Exercises for a Better Seat 1) Centering feet out of stirrups. Walk on long rein. Focus on lower back/lumbar sacrum area. Breathe deep directing breathing into lower back. As you inhale flatten lower back into an imaginary board. As you exhale, maintain the fullness in your back. 2) Finding Your Center with stirrups, lean left return to center- then lean right. Keep your seat bones as you lean. Square shoulders, lift solar plexus then lean forward and backward without lifting your seat bones. The position you find where it s easiest to keep both seat bones in contact is your center of balance. 3) Carry the Tray rising trot on long line hold short whip between thumbs and forefingers and reins; Hold whip level and parallel to body. Post by pushing abdomen to whip don t allow reins to go slack. 4) Hip Slides Hands on hips, feet out of stirrups. Hands on hips, push left hip forward while keeping right hip fixed. Relax; then push right hip forward while keeping left fixed. Repeat several times. Keep seat bones on connected to saddle! 5) Leg Strengthening and Correcting Post 8 strides - Ride Half seat 8 strides then to sitting position for 8 then return to posting 8 strides and repeat. 6) Work without Stirrups Walk lines, circles and transitions. As balance/skill develops ride more transitions, leg-yields, lateral work and all gaits. 7) Paper Chase ride with a small piece of paper under your foot and see how long you can keep it. 8) Glove passing pass a glove from one hand to the other over the shoulders behind your head with one arm the other just behind your back. 9) Leg Lifts Lift A lift leg away together for 2 seconds. No irons straight legs. Lift B lift one leg at a time, 2 seconds at a time, 10-12 times each. Lift C same as Lift A but with stirrups. 5
The Aids Aids become like the instruments in an orchestra that have their own distinct scores to play, yet they all play in harmony with each other. Old Master By definition - To aid means to help; not force. The natural aids as we refer to them in dressage are: 1) Seat 2) Legs 3) Hands 4) Weight 5) Voice 6) The artificial aids are the spur and whip. Learn to give an aid, wait for the response, and then cease the aid. The release of the aid is paramount to successful riding. It may be necessary to repeat many times but one must learn to importance of the cessation even though the horse s ans wer may only last a stride or two. To cease an aid is not to give up what you gained but to remain passive. What is on the aids This is the state of ultimate readiness when horse and rider are in perfect harmony of asking by rider and ans wering by the horse with no delay. There is an absence of tension and a state or readied relaxation. Complete suppleness and throughness is achieved. Not an easy task. It requires much training and tactful riding to achieve this goal. Perfecting the timing of the applications of the aids is paramount for success. Learn to use the aids as much as necessary and as little as required. Common terms relating to the state of the aids: behind or in front of the leg bracing on bit not bending late bouncing between the aids Follow this sequence for giving aids: Give aid Feel (get) Response Allow aid to become passive (don t go back to nothing!) After each aid go to neutral. Resolve each request before asking for another. Set the horse up, when you feel the response allow horse to carry on by itself. This is the only way to develop self-carriage. Aids should be quick, bright and light, not long dead or too strong. Remember use as little pressure as necessary and as much as required. Give an aid allow it to flow repeat as necessary. Ride moment by moment; stride by stride. Always think forward driving seat exceeds restraining hands. Ride horse from back to front. Keep more horse in front of you than behind you. And breathe your aids into the horse! 6
The Hands There is only one correct way to hold the reins. Thumbs hold rein on top of forefingers. Fingers wrap lightly around reins as if to keep small birds from escaping. Wrists must remain supple. Elbows elastic. Thumbs slightly turned towards each other. The hand is merely the link from the back/seat through the arm to the bit. It is not an ending point. The hand refers to the whole arm apparatus and its connection the entire rider. There are three basic states of the hand: 1) Taking this hands makes a request 2) Passive this hand allows after request is answered 3) Yielding this hand give the rein to the horse. The hand also relates to the horse thus: Arms to influence or control the neck Wrists to influence the poll Hands or fingers to influence the mouth Think of the delivery of aids as a parade; one thing always precedes another. Typically the parade goes leg/seat before hand but sometimes the hand is applied just seconds before leg/seat. Timing and Delivery of the Seat and Leg Aids Correct timing of the aids is paramount for success and clear understanding between horse and rider. The rhythmic application of aids can accentuate, enhance or diminish the aspects of each stride. Each individual horse dictates the correct timing, by the footfalls of its legs as well as the lateral swinging of its ribcage and the longitudinal swinging of its back. One can influence the legs in the moment it leaves the ground while it is in the air; the rider can connect it to the ground when it is bearing weight. The rider s pelvis is connected to the horse s pelvis. The movement of the horse s hips communicates itself to the rider s seat-bones. When the hind leg touches down and carries the load, the rider s pelvis gets pulled back a little toward the cantle. This is most clearly noticeable at the walk. At the same time, the rider feels a little bump under his seat bone on the same side, because the horse s hip rises as the hind leg touches down. The rider also feels a pulse in the rein of the same side at the same time. There is also a little impact in the stirrup that the rider can feel in his toes. The short time span between the hind leg touching down and its passing the vertical line of the point of the hip is the moment in which the horse s hip and hock joints have to flex in order to support the load, while the stifle opens. This is the window of opportunity during which the half halt is most likely to go through, because the purpose of the half halt is to ask the horse to flex his haunches more, in order to execute a down transition, or to slow down, or to improve his balance. The rider can now enhance this slight backward-downward feeling in his seat-bones, as he applies the half halt through a pressure on the rein. 7
When the rider s seat is pulled forward in the saddle, the hind leg that had just touched down has passed the vertical and is now pushing the load forward. The hip and hock are extending, while the stifle is flexing. This is most noticeable to the rider in the walk and the second beat of the canter, when the inside hind leg and outside front leg are on the ground together. This is the moment in which the driving seat aid can be applied with success, in order to ask the horse to push more and lengthen his stride. The rider s pelvis is also connected to the horse s ribcage and pelvis in the sense that the rider can bend and turn the horse by turning his own pelvis, since the horse at least the somewhat tuned up horse will try to mirror the rider s pelvic alignment with his own ribcage and pelvis. Lateral movements are also ridden with a rotation of the rider s pelvis as the centerpiece of the aids, while legs and reins have a supporting role. The rider s calves are connected to the horse s abdominal muscles and hind legs. The swinging of the horse s ribcage communicates itself to the rider s calves, which is most easily felt in the walk, but it s present in the trot as well. The horse s ribcage swings like a pendulum towards the side where the hind leg is on the ground, supporting the weight and thrusting. It swings away from the side where the hind leg is moving forward through the air, as if it wanted to make room for the hind leg that is in the air. If the rider s calf is in the right place and relaxed, it will feel the pendulum-like swinging of the horse s ribcage. The crucial moment to feel is the one where the horse s ribcage touches the rider s calf and starts swinging in the opposite direction. This moment indicates that the hind leg on that side is completely extended behind the horse, the abdominal muscles on the same side are completely extended as well, and are ready to contract again to pull the hind leg forward. The hind leg is about to lift off at that split second. If the rider s calf now touches the horse s ribcage at that very moment, it will amplify the contraction of the abdominal muscles that would take place naturally, anyway. The result is a snappier lift off and a higher arch of the hind leg on this side, with better hock flexion. The rider s calves are also connected to the horse s hind legs in the sense that they can monitor the tracking of the hind legs. The calves should feel instantly when a hind leg deviates from its assigned track, and push it back in line, while it is in the air. On the rider s part, it s important not to grip with the calves. Otherwise, the horse will start to hold his breath, tighten his abdominal muscles, and the swinging of the ribcage will be greatly diminished. The old masters used to say that the rider should feel the hairs on the horse s side, or the rider s leg should breathe with the horse, or the rider should feel the warmth of the horse through the leg of his boot. Only a relaxed muscle can feel and communicate effectively. The rider s knees are connected to the horse s front legs and shoulders. To some extent, the rider s femur mirrors the movement of the horse s scapula ever so slightly. As the horse s shoulder blade moves forward, the rider s thigh on the same side is pulled very slightly forward. When the front leg touches down, the rider s knee drops. Of course, the rider can always glance down at the horse s shoulders, but it s good to be able to feel these moments without having to look down. The rider s knees monitor the tracking of the horse s front legs. In other words, when one shoulder starts to bulge, the rider feels an increased pressure against his thigh and knee on that side and can quickly push the shoulder back in line. The rider s knees also support in turns and lateral movements. The outside knee can help to move the horse s outside shoulder, when the outside front leg is in the air. The inside knee can prevent the horse from falling onto his inside 8
shoulder in turns, while the outside knee prevents the horse from drifting over his outside shoulder out of the turn. When the rider applies all the aids in harmony with the horse s footfall sequence, as described above, they intuitively make sense to the horse, since they are working with his natural movement, not against it. The rider must also take care that all his aids speak the same language and agree with each other, so that there is no contradiction between the legs and the seat, the legs and the reins, or the seat and the reins. Riding and aiding in accordance with the horse s natural movement and avoiding contradictions between the aids prevents misunderstandings and many resistances, whereas when the reins tell the horse to turn left, when the seat and weight tell the horse to turn right, or when the legs tell the horse go, while the seat tells the horse stop, the contradictions between the individual aids cause unnecessary confusion, frustration and anger in the horse. The balanced, supple seat that enables the rider to feel the appropriate moment for each aid is thus where the education of the rider has to start, and no amount of time spent on these issues throughout the rider s entire career is ever wasted. Timing of the Rein Aids The rein aids best influence the horse s head and neck posture when delivered at certain times. The horse can best yield to a rein when the corresponding leg on that side is on the ground. He can yield to a rein aid also during the moment of suspension found in the trot and canter. Half-Halts best delivered during moments of suspension. Common Mistakes in giving an aid; Poor timing; too long or too short; too weak or too strong. Results can be opposite from what you asked for or no response. Listen - Feel Delegate when giving aids! Think of the aids as hot potatoes that you don t want to hold onto for very long. Avoid at all costs a dead or heavy feeling. Diagonal and Unilateral Aids Inside Leg - active driving aid or active yielding aid. Can also be passive and like a pillar. Outside Rein controls pace and limits the bend of the neck. Also controls outside shoulder and is the chief guiding rein. Directly affects balance and frame. Active aids nudging, pulsing, vibrating never steady or dull. Driving seat and legs. Bending reins. Outside rein determines amount of longitudinal flexion and suppleness of head/poll. Also controls height and length of neck. Inside leg for yielding. Outside leg can also ask for yielding. Passive Aids outside leg holds haunches from swinging out; inside rein to supple poll and sustain positioning of the head. Outside rein to keep neck/shoulders straight. A following seat. 9
Movements of Dressage The following are essential movements practiced and performed in dressage. Transitions - The changes of gait and pace should be clearly shown; they should be quickly made yet must be smooth and not abrupt. The cadence of a gait or pace should be maintained up to the moment when the gait or pace is changed or the horse halts. The horse should remain light in hand, calm and maintain a correct position. Perfect transitions are the result of correct gaits before and after the transition. Perfecting transitions is an essential element of classical training. Two Track or Lateral Movements The goal of movements on two tracks is: (1) To improve the obedience of the horse to the cooperative aids of the rider; (2) To supple all parts of the horse thereby increasing the freedom of his shoulders and the suppleness of his quarters as well as the elasticity of the bond connecting the mouth, the poll, the neck, the back and the haunches; (3) To improve the cadence and bring the balance and gaits into harmony; the additional aim of lateral movements is to develop and increase the engagement of the quarters and thereby also the collection. Leg-yield - The horse is almost straight, except for a slight flexion at the poll away from the direction in which he moves, so that the rider is just able to see the eyebrow and nostril on the inside. The inside legs pass and cross in front of the outside legs. Legyielding should be included in the training of the horse before he is ready for collected work. Later on, together with the more advanced movement shoulder-in, it is the best means of making a horse supple, loose and unconstrained for the benefit of the freedom, elasticity and regularity of his paces and the harmony, lightness and ease of his movements. Leg-yielding can be performed on the diagonal in which case the horse should be as close as possible parallel to the long sides of the arena although the forehand should be slightly in advance of the quarters. It can also be performed along the wall in which case the horse should be at an angle of about 35 degrees to the direction in which he is moving. Travers - The horse is slightly bent round the inside leg of the rider. The horse s outside hind leg passes and crosses in front of the inside leg. The outside foreleg is placed in front of the inside foreleg. The horse is looking in the direction in which he is moving and the haunches are displaced to the inside or off the wall. Renver - This is the inverse movement in relation to travers, with the haunches instead of the head to the wall. Otherwise the same principles and conditions are applicable as at the traver. Shoulder In -The horse is slightly bent round the inside leg of the rider. The horse s inside foreleg passes and crosses in front of the outside leg; the inside hind leg is placed in front of the outside leg. The horse is looking away from the direction in which he is moving. Shoulder- in, if performed in the right way, with the horse slightly bent round the inside leg of the rider, and at the correct tracking, is not only a suppling movement but also a collecting movement, because the horse at every step must move his inside hind leg underneath his body and place it in front of the outside, while lowering his inside hip. Horse will move on three tracks. Being one of the early 'movements' introduced to a horse, the shoulder-in teaches the horse to improve his self-carriage while suppling his joints, back, and muscles. Even if the horse is introduced to it later in his training, the 10
shoulder-in can form the first building block to collection. To be concise, the benefits of the shoulder-in are explained below: Deepens the hindquarters and elevates the forehand - because the horse has to engage his hindquarters to perform the movement, the weight is lifted off his forehand, which supples both hindlegs and haunches. Strengthens the horse's back - the shift of weight to the hindquarters strengthens the back and loins, giving the horse the physical capacity to achieve higher collection and perform more complex moves. Gradually, the horse will begin to develop a rounded appearance as he becomes stronger and more flexible. Counter-Canter - This is a movement where the rider, for instance on a circle to the left, deliberately makes his horse canter with the right canter lead (with the right fore leading). The counter-canter is a balancing movement. The horse maintains his natural flexion at the poll to the outside of the circle, and the horse is positioned to the side of the leading leg. His conformation does not permit his spine to be bent to the line of the circle. The rider avoiding any contortion causing contraction and disorder should especially endeavor to limit the deviation of the quarters to the outside of the circle and restrict his demands according to the degree of suppleness of the horse. Purpose is to test balance and obedience to the aids. Flying Changes changing of leads while in canter. Done singly or in tempo often referred to as tempi changes. Tempi changes are done every 4 th, 3 rd, 2 nd and 1 st stride or one tempis. Advanced training and true test of collection and horse being truly on the aids. The Rein Back -The rein back is a movement in which the horse moves backwards by raising and setting down the feet in diagonal pairs. The croup should be lowered the feet should be well raised and the hind feet remain in line, and the direction of travel should remain straight. Pirouettes - Pirouette, Half-pirouette, Quarter-pirouette, Turn on the Haunches. The pirouette (half-pirouette) is a circle (half-circle) executed on two tracks with a radius equal to the length of the horse, the forehand moving round the haunches. Pirouettes (half-pirouettes) are usually carried out at collected walk or canter but can also be executed at Piaffe. At the pirouette (half-pirouette) the forefeet and the outside hind foot move round the inside hind foot which forms the pivot and should return to the same spot, or slightly in front of it, each time it leaves the ground. At whatever gait the pirouette (half-pirouette) is executed the horse slightly bent in the direction in which he is turning should, remaining on the bit with a light contact, turn smoothly round maintaining the exact cadence and sequence of footfalls of that pace. The poll stays the highest point during the entire movement. Half-Pass There are two schools of thought on this movement. One way to describe it or ride it is to ride a traver along a diagonal line. Moving both forward and sideways at an even rate. Or it can be ridden as a shoulder in on a diagonal line. The aids are similar to both the aids given for the Traver and shoulder in. Done correctly, it is a graceful and elegant movement. Purpose to illustrate the horses advanced training in collection and self-carriage. Turn on Forehand in Motion A movement, which is schooled but never shown in competition. A movement of leg-yielding that requires the haunches to travel in a circle around the forehand maintaining for ward steps but while the hind legs travel a greater 11
distance than the forelegs. Purpose is to supple the horse and produce increased obedience. Full Pass Basically known as a side pass in this country. Horse moves sideways in an even manner of both forehand and hindquarters. Maintaining straightness and even strides. Purpose is to supple the horse and produce increased obedience. NOTES: 12
Small Arena 20m x 40m Large Arena 20 60 13
Basic Arena Patterns Circles and Half-Circles 20m, 15m, 10, 8m, volte (circle 8m or smaller) 14
Changes of Rein 15
Lines of the Arena 16
Transitions, Bending and Straightness Developing a perfect transition is no easy feat. One must learn to keep horse straight, supple and engaged for every transition. The strides before the transition must be correct, then the transition must be correct and the strides after the transition will be perfect. There are several ways to achieve the perfect transition but the horse must first be willing to accept the riders aids and step into the rein contact. Leg-yielding is an excellent way to practice transitions to teach horse and riders to step into the transition. Always execute transitions in 3 steps 2 steps to prepare - 1 to execute. Learning to bend a horse correctly is the next step of training once forwardness and contact have been developed. A horse is correctly bent only when his spine and neck follow a fluid arc. It s not just bending the neck. Bending comes from an active inside leg; steady outside rein, inside suppling rein and outside holding leg. A horse should virtually wrap itself around the rider s inside leg. Inside rein maintains the position of the poll. It does not hold or force the bend. Straightness is one the confusing terms in dressage. Straightness applies to correct alignment of a horse s head, neck and back. It can be in a straight line or on a smooth arc of a bending line. It is imperative for correct work and training. It is one of the elements that must be maintained no matter what level of training training through Grand Prix! Exercises for this session will include; Getting horse on contact or on the bit Riding transitions Riding into corners Riding Circles Changes of rein Turn on the forehand Leg-yielding Riding 3 loop serpentine Shoulder -in Prepare to be quizzed on this material! 17