GENERATION Dressage

THE BRITISH DRESSAGE NATIONAL CONVENTION, SUPPORTED BY HCR, WAS FULL OF BRILLIANT TAKE-HOME MESSAGES AND EXERCISES. JANE CARLEY LOOKS AT JUST A FEW OF THE HIGHLIGHTS.

Gareth Hughes and Michael Eilberg delivered an absorbing and inspiring National Convention with two packed days using some very talented combinations to showcase the best of training and horsemanship. The underlying theme was the role of the rider to work with the horse’s natural ability and plan a training programme that could help their mount to learn and develop, all the way to Grand Prix. Gareth pointed out that many of the simplest exercises could benefit even a top level horse, by helping to ‘service’ the movements, keeping the work correct and encouraging softness and suppleness. Michael added a host of patterns and pole work to develop collection and introduce variety, while advancing correct training.

Gareth explained what he’s aiming for with the young horse: rhythm; balance; a consistent contact and relaxed on the end of the rein; happy to move forward and be adjustable.

“Develop a nice forward thinking walk, trot and canter. Teach aids that the horse can understand and follow.

“Create confidence and then add impulsion and power in trot; this comes with strength.”

In canter, Gareth commented that he wants the horse to ‘have a go’.

“I don’t mind if he makes a mistake, but he’s got to be willing and this means thinking forward. We want a tempo in which the horse can hold the canter, then when he develops his strength, we can start to ask him to wait a bit more.

“The canter tires them out as babies, so we tend to do more work in the trot.No shapes too small, no questions too difficult – no line should dare him to fail.

“When do you progress? There will be a day when he fi nds it too easy and then you can move on.

ANGELA COLLINGS WITH HER OWN FIVE-YEAR-OLD THISTLEDOWN I SEE FIRE

Gareth explained that once the horse can go forward in trot, you can start developing an understanding of connection.

“Use circles to get connection, lateral work to help with riding straight lines; if you are working on the straight all the time they can fall onto their shoulders.”

“Leg yield makes him supple through the body but don’t use too steep an angle, so you can maintain the trot. You can use a serpentine to help you shape through the inside aid and turn through the outside aid.

“In canter – look for try, it doesn’t matter if he picks up the wrong lead. When asking to soften in canter with light flexion, if he stops listening come back to trot and get back on the aid.

Make 2-3 transitions into and out of canter; he doesn’t have a half halt yet so needs transitions to make an improvement.

“Young horses get tired. Give him a break before working on the other rein; otherwise if you get a problem you may not have the energy to fi x it.”

Gareth explained that lateral work helps the horse to understand body positioning and builds strength, while most of the movements are also required in tests.

“Leg yield teaches the horse to bend round the leg, in a similar shape to shoulder in and you can take it into half pass. In trot, lateral work develops collection, but you have to start collection to begin lateral work in canter.

“To start half pass, on a diagonal, when you cross the quarter line take the nose to the right and bring hips around, like a banana. We want the horse to accept the shaping aid. The shoulders go to the left and you then can ride forward from the outside leg.

“If he collapses into the aid, use the threequarter line instead. Once he follows the aid into the shape, you can give him the direction and once he’s more confident in position, use a steeper line from the centre line.

“Don’t start or train the horse on the test lines. Open the line up, make it easier – when the quality is there ride the test line. Even Grand Prix horses can come in and be stiff. Use the exercise with a shallow angle to check the horse understands it technically, and then increase the angle.”

Gareth explained that tempi changes require the rider to be able to count and move the leg to give the aid at the right time. “Most people find it difficult to do both together initially. Start when you can do a balanced, clean single change.”

Start on the three-quarter line or track to give a constant line on one lead. First ride a change one way and then ask the horse to change back again.

“Set up is the same aid as asking for canter; maintain the aid to tell the horse another change is coming, and then swap the aid over to change back. Part of the change aid is release of the previous aid.

“The next step is to change after a stated number of strides ie left canter six strides, change, right canter six strides, change etc. When you land from the first change start preparing for the next – the horse should look for the aid but wait for it.”

Counting four-tempis, use the number of the change to help you count and remember eg 1, 2, 3, 4, then 2, 2, 3, 4; 3, 2, 3, 4 Gareth suggested. “When you reach four that’s your cue to ask for the change. Count out loud and find the rhythm.

“You don’t need to ride each set twice with a more experienced horse – if 4s are good move on to a row of 3s and so on. If you have a problem go back – if 3s go wrong, try 4s again.”

With one-tempis, the aid for the second change comes before they have made the first one ie right leg, next stride, left leg, he explained.

“Introduce one tempis in pairs, ride along the wall and change to the outside. Then reduce the number of strides between the pairs, moving onto the diagonal and finish with odd numbers of consecutive changes – three, five etc. For a full line count leg aids, rather than as the horse changes, otherwise you will be behind the right number.”

Michael explained that he likes to fi nd ways to introduce the concept of the pirouette without being too physically demanding.

He demonstrated pole work that helps with collection – ‘the main essence of canter pirouette.’

“Come on three-quarter line, collect the canter, enter the box in walk, pick up canter in the second half and canter out. Try to pick up the canter sooner each time until you get rid of the transition altogether. He explained that this gets the horse round a small circle without having to pull.

“You can ride the hind leg underneath the centre of gravity, which is what collection is all about. You stay out to the poles with the balance of the shoulder as your horse is likely to want to fall in.”

Eventually you can complete the circle without coming back to walk. “Don’t make it too small – the horse needs to be confident he can canter in the box.”

Michael used poles to help with zig zags.

“It’s another simple exercise you can start early and can play with and come back to when needed. We begin at PSG with a half pass to the centre line, fl ying change and half pass back.

“Keep the horse fairly straight to make it easier for her and you can set her up for the change slightly in shoulder fore to be ready for new half pass.

“Use the pole to help with the positioning and don’t ask for too much bend – ride the corner and ride into half pass with a ‘leg yield feel’. You do need to be able to ride adjustability within the movement.”

He explained that you can make the exercise harder by steepening it to help ensure you will get the GP zig zag in – move the centre pole in to 5m, and add the correct bend to challenge the horse’s balance.

Michael used pole work with Charlotte ‘Pip’ Blain and Frodo to help with collection and lengthening.

“Start with a straight line of poles set up for two trot strides or one canter stride; if the horse is a bit sharp and breaks into canter he’s not going to frighten himself. Once he’s settled you can add the middle pole to make it trot only. Don’t try to see a stride, just trot in. If the horse has good balance and rhythm, the strides take care of themselves.

“Then you can move on to poles spaced at a longer distance,and go rising for more of a working trot, encourage the horse to reach. Then can you lengthen the poles again and think towards medium trot.

“To help with collection, use the poles at the shorter distance – raise alternate ends and ride for balance and connection.

“You can use both sets together – the short distances in sitting trot, longer ones in rising. The horse learns that sometimes we want him to move on and sometimes back.”

Michael gave fascinating demonstrations of groundwork on both days. He discussed the pros and cons of lunging youngsters.

“I don’t like the strain of constantly being on a circle. If you lunge a fouryear-old before you ride it, the horse will get fitter and fitter and then have to lunge for longer, leading to more strain. Our youngsters come in, do a bit of work in-hand and then we get on.However, for a 5/6 year-old, lunging is really good and can you do exercises with raised poles etc.”

He then used Natalie Woodward’s General Custard to show how in-hand work can help a green horse to learn to bend.

“They don’t always understand how to listen to the bit, so they can become unsettled and crooked.

“If he can bend his neck, he can stay straight but follow the bit to the inside.

“Put the buckle of the reins on the saddle and then ask him to bring his neck to inside. He will want to move his feet to stay straight, but just keep asking with the same pressure. As soon as he bends, drop the rein. You shouldn’t have to hold him there, he should stay in the position briefl y when the pressure is taken off.

“Next, shorten the outside rein, so having less space to bend asks the horse to give on both sides. Start by holding the buckle and then move up the rein to the join between leather and rubber. To get space to bend, he has to come up through wither.

“Be consistent and wait for the horse to fi gure it out. You can do this a couple of times before getting on.”

Multiple Paralympic medallist Sophie Wells explained that Izzy is a grade IV para with cerebral palsy affecting her right-hand side. Izzy also competes able bodied to PSG.

“Para training emphasises working in best balance possible for horse and rider. We want to start at a neutral point in the saddle – not leaning back or forward. Izzy uses fi xed loop reins which give a fi xed contact so she has to ensure that she balances French with her seat, not the reins.”

Sophie explained that she likes to use a give and retake of the reins to see if the horse will stay in self carriage, and then moves on to lateral work.

SOPHIA MARSTON AND IMOGEN

MURRAY’S E-MAIL

“In leg yield, check that you are heading onto the three-quarter line straight; if there’s too much bend you can lose alignment and quality of the pace. In canter you pull on the inside rein, the canter loses rhythm, there’s too much right bend and the horse falls out of her shoulder.” a 10m circle back onto the centre line and then a 10m circle

Leg yield in from the track helps with straightness if the horse comes down the track with its quarters in, and is also good for suppling, she said.

Michael gave Sophia some counter canter exercises to help with collection and balance.

“Using counter canter on a smaller circle helps with collection as you progress towards pirouettes and gets the idea in the horse’s mind. Canter up the centre line, make a 10m circle back onto the centre line and then a 10m circle on the other side of the centre line in counter canter. Use shoulder fore to keep a slight flexion over the leading leg.

“If the horse fi nds it easy, you could do it with more impulsion and flexion away from the leading leg. Check on the other rein – does he fi nd it easier or more difficult?”

You can progress to adding a simple change so that all three circles are in counter canter. Keep the straightness through the simple change.”

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If you’re aiming for peak performance, it makes sense to consider all areas of management. Your horse’s nutrition is something you’ve most probably chewed over and changed frequently to reflect his lifestyle and workload, but how about your own?

As British Equestrian (BEF) nutrition consultant Dr Dan Martin points out, a dressage partnership is only as good as the weakest half. Riders who fail to address their own dietary shortcomings could be letting the side down.

“If the horse is on fi re but the rider is not, that will be the limiting factor,” he explains. “The rider is also an athlete.”

So how do we approach our own nutrition to secure those vital marginal gains? According to Dan, fuelling ourselves correctly means having an idea of energy expenditure.

“While there’s not a fantastic amount of research in dressage, we can piece things together from what we know generally about human physiology,” he says.