BEYOND RIBBONS & ROSETTES
BEYOND RIBBONS & ROSETTES – THE REAL POINT OF DRESSAGE COMPETITION
This is a video of Ruby. Ruby is a 5-year-old warmblood mare and she has featured in a number of my blogs since she was started as a 3-year-old. This is footage of part of her dressage test at her second ever competition. It is a preliminary 1B dressage test. This snap shot is her performing the 20 metre “stretching” trot circle and the walk movements of the test.
All movements of a dressage test are designed to provide insights into how the horse’s training is progressing. In this blog I would like to promote the true gold of competition that is beyond ribbons and rosettes. To do this I thought I would use this snap shot of Ruby’s test to discuss the movements seen in this footage and the meaning behind them. In the “stretchy” trot circle the reins are allowed to lengthen which reveals if the horse stretches forward and downwards over the back. The horse should maintain a light contact, so not suck behind the contact or start leaning or pulling. The horse is then observed by the judges to see how this release and lengthening of rein impacts the horses balance, quality of trot, bend, shape and size of circle. It shows if the horse’s frame is being forced by the reins. If this is the case the horses head tends to come up and the back hollow. It also shows if the reins are incorrectly controlling the horse’s speed as the release of the reins can release the “hand brake” and the horse will rush. The rider then has to pick back up the reins to demonstrate how the horse comes back into a shorter frame before performing a walk transition to medium walk and then a free walk. The shorting of the reins gives insights into how well the contact is being developed. Does the horse brace or resist the shortening of the rein? Or does the horse softly accept the shortening and change its posture? The judges are watching the calmness of the transition from trot to walk as this is demonstrating how well the horse responds to the rider’s aids. Does the horse respond off an “invisible” aid? An aid so small, such as off the rider’s seat, that you cannot actually see the rider do anything. Or is the rider having to haul on the reins to get the horse to respond?
The regularity and quality of the walk reveals the level of tension within the horse. Does it jig jog, trot or are the steps tight, short or disrupted by tension? The free walk is similar to the stretchy trot. The judges are watching how the horse stretches forward and downwards, which again gives insights into how the horses contact with the bit and posture are developing. The judge watches the walk strides to see if they are reaching up and under the horse. If the walk is covering ground. Observing all these things provides insights into how relaxed the horse is. This movement really highlights the horse’s foundation of relaxation and rhythm.
So, how did Ruby go? She did really well, she was not perfect. There was a delay before she started stretching into the contact in the stretchy trot circle. There was a tail swish signaling some negative feelings as the reins were shortened. In the medium walk, you can see moments where her neck muscles show that if the reins where released she would most likely raise her neck and hollow her back. A dressage test shows a tiny snap shot of how the horse is progressing and Ruby’s performance presents so much to be proud of considering this is Ruby’s second ever competition. It’s a new environment. There are distractions galore. Plus she was one of the only horses NOT wearing a flash noseband and being ridden MINUS spurs or a whip.
Competitions are extremely stressful situations for horses for many reasons. The aim of these early stages of competing is to focus on getting Ruby relaxed, focused and responding to her owner and rider, Tegan. Training a horse to excel in competition is a long careful process. It is not getting depressed about placings or comments from judges. First and foremost, it is about listening to the horse and working out how to get the horse feeling confident in the competition environment. Ultimately, it’s about building trust between horse and rider and expanding the horse’s comfort zone.
