{"id":23828,"date":"2015-07-23T13:42:56","date_gmt":"2015-07-23T03:42:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/?p=23828"},"modified":"2017-02-09T16:51:28","modified_gmt":"2017-02-09T05:51:28","slug":"a-judge-helps-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/2015\/07\/a-judge-helps-out\/","title":{"rendered":"A Dressage Judge Helps Out\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rebecca Ashton sits in on a clinic with Lilo Fore<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"_K3A5349\"<\/a><\/em><\/strong>Jayden Brown and F\u00fcrst Frederich<\/em><\/p>\n

What was to be a clinic dedicated to freestyles, thankfully turned into a clinic based solely on training the horse. A theme more interesting to most of us, it was a lovely opportunity to see some of our top riders work on their problems immediately after we had seen them compete the days before, their performances fresh in our minds. American based judge Lilo Fore took the reins and instructed everyone calmly and expertly, using thoughtful exercises to get harmonious results.<\/strong><\/p>\n

First into the chilly SIEC indoor was Jayden Brown on F\u00fcrst Friedrich, presented in a snaffle after what Jayden explained was a stressful night for the 12-year-old chestnut gelding with his first Sydney CDI Grand Prix K\u00fcr. Jayden was keen to work on\u00a0extensions.<\/p>\n

Lilo began, \u201cHorses need to have time to have weight bearing in the hindlegs so the shoulders can travel up. Ride the horse from the beginning in balance, but give them a little time to rearrange their body. Good balance leads to good, successful movements. Showing you this today is my goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lilo had Jayden warm up as he would at home. \u201cI don\u2019t try to take away from your skill and I just want to add to it, but not really drill you.\u201d The Queenslander proceeded with a loose trot, canter and some leg yield, but Lilo was a little unhappy with the horse\u2019s head carriage. \u201cI like his position but I want to keep his chin off his chest. This affects his shoulders and your seat is just a fraction behind. Even in the warmup, I like to do the opposite of what the horse wants. If he likes to fall on the forehand, I like to ride it up, if it is too high, ride it lower, too lazy, I gallop!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they are in the paddock, no one is there to carry their heads. They have to do it for themselves and it\u2019s the same when we ride them. We are not their leaning post. We\u2019re supportive of them, but not supporting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the half halts, try to be really sure that you don\u2019t over push with your seat, but hold it with your seat. I would sit a little straighter down, hold with my core and then use my gas pedal, the leg. The rein is the last piece. I want a good contact, but not a leaning contact. This has something to do with your extensions too. We don\u2019t want the horse to get faster and run, but to lift up and out, so be a little bit careful not to lean back. Then the horse can not only keep the poll the highest point, but also the shoulders. Keep your body upright and then just your legs lift him up. Get the collected trot more active and let him swing to the reins. We need a quicker tempo, Jayden.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lilo, like we hear from all the top trainers, wanted corners used to their full advantage. \u201cLet the corner help you keep the uphill balance, then his hindlegs can work. You should be able to let go of your reins a little over his neck. Don\u2019t keep it too slow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRemind him to stay up and be active behind, and then be quiet. Fix the crime when the crime is committed, but then just give little\u00a0reminders.\u201d<\/p>\n

A break then saw the walk analyzed and the judge had some more advice, \u201cYour arms have to follow from your shoulders. In extended walk, keep his poll the height of the withers or else it is more like a free walk and you will stop the shoulders from swinging.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next into the canter work and Fore indicated that this could make the topline more beautiful. \u201cHe has a very collectable canter. Ride the horse to the contact point. Notice I said ride it, not push it. Collect him a little more with the inside leg on the girth. That keeps the shoulders up. Look at your line of travel before the flying change. Keep your outside shoulder more square and think shoulder fore, not neck bend. Your inside hip should be leading. You have lovely long legs, but if your lower leg is too far back, you\u2019re literally not riding your horse straight. Keep your inner hip vertical over the ground.\u201d Good rider position and less effort led to improved work.<\/p>\n

\"_K3A5366\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Rachael Downs and Silbermond<\/em><\/p>\n

Rachael Downs and the super impressive Silbermond looked smart in their competition kit and Lilo was quick to comment on Rachael\u2019s skill as a rider, but still there was some good advice with Lilo focussing on the contact and Rachael\u2019s hand position.<\/p>\n

In the canter, there was no place for the horse rocking. \u201cRelax your hands. Put them forward and to the neck. Don\u2019t take them back. Keep your hands out of your lap. Let his shoulder come forward. Much better. Don\u2019t pull the neck to the inside. Let your hands go to the bit. Now there is a little motion in his frame but it\u2019s not so extreme. Don\u2019t hold that inside rein any more than you need. Collection is not holding on. When you hold on, the horse becomes slow again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rachael was working on transitions within the pace and Lilo liked what she saw, \u201cThat was an awesome transition. Don\u2019t make the canter any bigger than that. That\u2019s your canter. Your outside rein should stay down in place, the inside touches and releases. Don\u2019t turn with your inside rein. Turn with your seat. Trust yourself, you\u2019re a super\u00a0rider.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rachael was riding small circles in collected canter and Fore explained, \u201cThe circle is the giveaway of what needs to be worked on. There needs to be a very little motion in your hand. It should be more like a turned fist not a pulled arm. The yielding, suppling hand is not pulling. Think of your own self turning and leave the horse alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was then time for flying changes and Lilo insisted on small indications rather than big aids and corrections, \u201cBounce him with your seat rather than push him. Think of a ping pong ball, not a football, then when you ask for the change, think of a bee sting not a wasp sting. Don\u2019t push him so much, he\u2019s much too sensitive. You still have to ride the horse to the bit, but just very small.\u201d<\/p>\n

The session was all about training the quality of the paces and thereby creating good movements. \u201cI\u2019m not going to just do pirouette, pirouette, pirouette. Train throughness and adjustability. Don\u2019t get it slower and slower, instead train the quickness. He is such an awesome horse. I want the proof that the exercises help the horse. You need to know how to shorten the strides without stress, how to make them active without chasing.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the end of the session, Fore summed it up for the audience, \u201cWhat I was most paying attention to, is for the horse not to end up with an incorrect hindleg action, with the legs going wider and wider, for him to get his balance. He needs to learn to get the balance by bending the hindlegs. Making the horse go sideways is easy; controlling the sideways is harder. We need to make it smaller, so he can learn it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"_K3A5388\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Brett Parbery and Good As Gold<\/em><\/p>\n

Brett Parbery brought along his 12-year-old Good As Gold and although the horse is Grand Prix, Brett struggles with the gelding\u2019s brain. \u201cHe gets tense. He\u2019s my Rubik\u2019s cube. I want to solve the puzzle. I get one side of the colours right, but not the others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lilo explained, \u201cTension can cause a lot of issues. We have positive tension, and negative tension. Negative tension is when you\u2019re nervous. Then you cannot move muscles and then things get tight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Horses need to know it\u2019s ok for the rider to put the leg on and Fore suggested that putting them in small lateral movements can help because they get comfort from the rider\u2019s legs. Brett obliged, but was corrected when he introduced travers in the canter, \u201cThis I would not do because you did too much. It was too much sideways and then too unbalanced. You just need a very slight displacement. Shoulder fore, just a little bit, the outside rein supports. Don\u2019t use the inside rein. Beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Good As Gold calmed down a little and the work increased, but just slightly, in increments and Brett asked for a centre line with one flying change. Lilo guided, \u201cIn between you have to trust yourself to give the rein a moment forward. Outside rein and leg are balancing and straightening. The inside is just suppling. It\u2019s a team\u00a0effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

Step by step Lilo was trying to get the rider to gain a little more of the horse\u2019s confidence, \u201cDon\u2019t bend him more in front than you do behind. Just a little bit. We\u2019re not riding constantly a perfect show frame. Sometimes a little higher or lower but in the end we get the attention and confidence of the horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Things were going well and it was time to try the canter half pass. It was about keeping things simple and being sure of how, as a rider, you use your body, \u201cJust let the shoulder travel in front of you. It\u2019s not the hands that go higher, it\u2019s the horse that goes higher. I want to feel that he is going a little above my hands. So stay a little open in your\u00a0body.\u201d<\/p>\n

This slight correction to Brett\u2019s position and Lilo went weak at he knees, \u201cOh god look at you! I fall in love! Stay back on your own outside and back on your own inside. Don\u2019t pull the neck to the inside. Keep him really straight in front of you. He has to realise that he can bend but stay straight in front: bend behind your saddle without him going bigger and running away from your leg.<\/p>\n

\u201cRide up from the inside. The hind leg steps under, so the travelling shoulder can step uphill. When you have gorgeous long legs, sometimes you just have to let them hang so they don\u2019t end up behind\u00a0you.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the most important elements of a dressage test is accuracy, and Lilo demanded its attention in training as well, \u201cAccuracy is very important. I never let my students travel around the arena and not know where they\u2019re going. You have to have a specific line. Only then are you training the horse. As judges, we want to give 8, 9s and 10s, and as riders, when we are accurate, we ride better.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the canter work complete, Fore wanted to look at the trot. She wasn\u2019t going to let a little shortfall in conformation hold the combination back, but instead looked to finding a solution, \u201cHe has a lot of power, that\u2019s not his problem. He is a little shorter in his front legs, but if we train this horse a little more with the hindleg under, then he can lift his shoulder better. Brett, you have such a lovely position, but if you just add a little more of your core, there you go, the horse changed. Don\u2019t round your shoulders, you\u2019re too handsome for that! Don\u2019t let the hindleg get lazy. Keep that little bit of tension. You need to draw his hindlegs a little more under you. Beautiful. This is training collection.\u201d<\/p>\n

The all-important shoulder-in preceded some half pass and it was the same message we\u2019d been hearing all morning regarding the shoulders. \u201cKeep his shoulders upwards and keep the same trot. If the hind leg leads too much, he can\u2019t lift the shoulders up. You want him to grow in front of you. You don\u2019t need to push horses sideways too much. You don\u2019t need to overbend them, then you loose that uphill, free, suppleness. You want it easy and not looking like hard work. What a nice sensitive horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCollection in my mind means you can only collect what you have. You need impulsion, submission and to have the horse into the contact or else you can\u2019t collect it. You need to ride the horse into collection. It\u2019s all related to each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Good As Gold was working calmly so piaffe and passage were a great note to finish on. Lilo warned, \u201cPiaffe doesn\u2019t mean backwards, it just means you hold in your core. If they sit too much with the hind legs under, they can\u2019t stay through the back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want him balancing on his toes so move him a tiny bit forward and think diagonal legs. Ride piaffe, but feel you can ride him a little away from the wall and a little back to the wall. He has to be a little more responsible for balancing himself. I think that is how you will get this. I think you have to interrupt his double tapping. His toes come too close to the ground and he crouches a little. Move him slightly to the side.\u201d<\/p>\n

The following idea was then offered to help the passage, \u201cThink of riding shoulder in when in passage. He wants to be a little too much crouching. Shoulder-in gets the inner hindleg under.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRide a bigger swing, not a faster swing in trot. Then he learns he can swing through the whole topline. Then passage and one tap then leave him alone and let him do his job. Just a little compression but not too much or else he\u2019ll crouch. In all that he does, he needs to be able swing through his back to the\u00a0contact.\u201d<\/p>\n

Security from the rider\u2019s legs whilst keeping the work small and interesting helped keep Brett\u2019s complicated partner\u00a0happy.
\nView part two here.<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

\"_K3A5333\"<\/a>Lilo Fore was originally from Germany, growing up just outside Dusseldorf. Her dressage journey began at age four when she saw her first horse and from that time on she knew horses would dominate her life. Lilo moved to the USA in 1971 where she bought a broken three year old American thoroughbred called Dionysus for $1. Fore trained the horse so well that he went on to be US \u201cHorse of the Year\u201d at every level. Lilo\u2019s career has spanned over thirty years and has included breeding, competing, training, coaching and judging. She was shortlisted for the USET in 1976 and is currently a FEI 5* dressage judge. In that role she has been a member of the Ground Jury for numerous international competitions such as this year\u2019s World Cup final in Las Vegas, Olympics, Pan American Games, and World Equestrian Games including the recent WEG in Normandy last year.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

American dressage judge, Lilo Fore works with some of Australia’s top dressage riders at her recent clinic…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23830,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1243,360,20,1198,535],"class_list":["post-23828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dressage","tag-dressage","tag-dressage-judging","tag-dressage-training","tag-lilo-fore","tag-rebecca-ashton"],"acf":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23828"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23828\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32265,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23828\/revisions\/32265"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}