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Dressage


Dressage (a French term meaning "training") is a path and destination of competitive horse training, with competitions held at all levels from amateur to the Olympics. Its fundamental purpose is to develop, through standardized progressive training methods, a horse's natural athletic ability and willingness to perform, thereby maximizing its potential as a riding horse. At the peak of a dressage horse's gymnastic development, it can smoothly respond to a skilled rider's minimal aids by performing the requested movement while remaining relaxed and appearing effortless. Dressage is occasionally referred to as "Horse Ballet." Although the discipline has its roots in classical Greek horsemanship, mainly through the influence of Xenophon, dressage was first recognized as an important equestrian pursuit during the Renaissance in Western Europe. The great European riding masters of that period developed a sequential training system that has changed little since then and classical dressage is still considered the basis of trained modern dressage.

Early European aristocrats displayed their horses' training in equestrian pageants, but in modern dressage competition, successful training at the various levels is demonstrated through the performance of "tests," or prescribed series of movements within a standard arena. Judges evaluate each movement on the basis of an objective standard appropriate to the level of the test and assign each movement a score from zero to ten - zero being "not executed" and ten being "excellent." A score of nine (or "very good") is considered a particularly high mark, while a competitor achieving all sixes (or 60% overall) should be considering moving on to the next level.

Monday, August 28, 2017

Tristan Tucker Clinic

Last weekend we were very fortunate to host a clinic with Tristan Tucker. For anyone who has not seen Tristan's work you can find him at TRTmethod.com and you can find his alter ego Brett Kidding on youtube.
        I am grateful to be able to get a date in his busy calendar. Tristan is inspiring on many levels. His ability to communicate with the horses in a positive and productive way is always amazing to watch. I also feel that with every student he finds a way to encourage them to be the best they can be without ever being negative. I personally learn as much from how he delivers the information as what information is being delivered.
        This past weekend we had a wonderful group of diverse horse enthusiasts. High level horses that needed to find a way to deal with the stress of the environment and lower level horses that are trying to find their balance and learn to accept the aids better. It is my dream to be able to bring this information out to more and more people so that they are able to get the maximum enjoyment out of their horse experiences while their horses are understood better and able to benefit from this education.
                The way that Tristan is able to read each horse is extraordinary, and although he understands the reason for the mistakes the horse makes he does not justify the need for it to continue. He is able to help the horses to find better answers to hard life questions and he is awesome helping his students to get through the fog of doubt and indecision and get on the right track quickly and with confidence.  I am also positive that when people go home from this weekend of learning they have many more valuable tools in their tool box to use in all of the challenging situations that arise when we are training and showing horses.
          With the speed of technology these days we are informed of news so quickly and from all corners of the earth. It is heart wrenching to hear of all the tragic accidents and injuries. So many times these things can be prevented by being better prepared and with more education. I for one am very motivated to help anyone who comes into my path to better understand how to communicate better with their horses and I know this will push the enjoyment level up for many horseman, dressage riders and kids. This year for the second time I was able to participate in the Pony Club Festival at the Kentucky Horse Park as an instructor. It was awesome to catch up with some colleagues I have not seen in a while. It was also super exciting to work with these talented and enthusiastic kids. My ability to help these kids has multiplied ten fold because of the work I have done with Tristan, it adds a whole new dimension to the training system that I already have in place and it is so much fun to always be progressing and exploring the limits.
       All the best for you and for your horses!
                        Nancy

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