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I was teasing one of my riders last weekend, asking her about the wording of the rules of a canter pirouette, which she didn\u2019t know, but was showing PSG none-the-less.\u00a0 I gave her a hard time, but reassured her she is not alone in not having read them.\u00a0 I\u2019ve said it before, and will say it again, how is it that someone competes in a sport, yet doesn\u2019t read the rule book or guidelines that supposedly govern the sport they actively compete in?\u00a0 Sadly though, it isn\u2019t just my amateur clinic clients and friends who are either not reading the rulebook and its guidelines, or not knowing them, it seems to be a lot of us.<\/p>\n
If you look up the definition of \u201cEquitation\u201d in various dictionaries, you get more or less the same basic interpretation of the word as \u2018the act or art of riding on horseback\u2019.\u00a0 All of the definitions point to the \u2018art\u2019 of riding in some form and the act of being on a horse.\u00a0 We tend to think of equitation as something more relating to a hunter rider in an equitation class which is all about the rider\u2019s position over and between fences, not so much a dressage rider, but if we understand it as applying the art of riding while on a horse\u2019s back, clearly we can see we are a huge part of that picture any time we are on a horse.<\/p>\n
I watched the World Cup a few weeks back and was horrified by one of the riders competing with total lack of regard for equitation in either form; understanding riding as an art, and as our own position and its inherent effect on the horses we ride.\u00a0 The rider\u2019s legs were in the horses flanks and their spurs, at times, almost touching the horse\u2019s hips at one point looking like her toes were above her knees, overall sitting crooked and seeming like bad circus riding.\u00a0 I feel like this rider also hasn\u2019t read the FEI rulebook.\u00a0 Why is this rider allowed to ride at such a high level and not made to read the rulebook of a sport she is representing her country in, because if she had, she would see it clearly used to state:<\/p>\n
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\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 ARTICLE 418 THE POSITION AND AIDS OF THE ATHLETE<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sadly in the last year, in the FEI\u2019s infinite wisdom, the portion of the rulebook that included the movements, the gaits and the riders position has now been removed and is only a \u201cguideline\u201d, with the rulebook primarily and only being rules on how to run, sanction, define and schedule a competition.\u00a0The old rules have now become nothing more than guidelines.\u00a0 I guess that makes sense, why have a rule that states a canter is a 3 beat gait, I guess that is too subjective for the untrained or even trained eye to see or understand and who are we to judge?<\/p>\n While I am on it actually, why define a trot as a two beat diagonal gait where in extensions, the hind legs and front legs have to match \u201cThe movement of the fore and hind legs should reach equally forward in the moment of extension\u201d (per the FEI\u2019s old rulebook)<\/em>.\u00a0 Are these now just guidelines because it isn\u2019t actually a rule that a horse must have a 3 beat canter or that in extended trot the front legs should not be up by the horses ears, with the hind legs not matching their scope, or is no one actually judging these qualities any more, making the rules and rulebook pass\u00e9.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n All mentions of the horses nose remaining in front of the vertical, or its poll the highest point in all movements is now just a guideline too, not a rule since the FEI has removed this statement from the rulebook as well; \u201cIn all the work, even at the halt, the Horse must be \u201con the bit\u201d. A Horse is said to be \u201con the bit\u201d when the neck is more or less raised and arched according to the stage of training and the extension or collection of the pace, accepting the bridle with a light and consistent soft submissive contact. The head should remain in a steady position, as a rule, slightly in front of the vertical, with a supple poll as the highest point of the neck, and no resistance should be offered to the Athlete.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Why on earth are these now guidelines instead of rules as they used to be?\u00a0 Is it now just a guideline that no resistance should be offered to the athlete, basically saying, there is \u201cno rule against resistance\u201d only a guideline it shouldn\u2019t be there?\u00a0 There is nothing in the rule book about actual dressage as a judged art form anymore, only about how to hold shows.\u00a0 Needless to say, I guess it pays off for this rider and others, who won’t be held accountable for \u2018imperceptible aids the old rulebook used to refer to, as well as stating \u201cthe legs being steady and stretched well down.\u00a0 The heels should be the lowest point\u201d<\/em>.\u00a0 It saddens me greatly that the old rules are now just guidelines and those guidelines are honestly not easy to find on the FEI\u2019s website.\u00a0 It seems to me they are turning the post-Glamourdale days of dressage rules into more soundbites of hints and subjective ideas than actual concrete structure to follow.<\/p>\n I was really saddened to see this and can’t help but wonder why this change.\u00a0 Those rules have been in place for decades now, being modified slightly as needed, when needed, but never completely erased.\u00a0 I\u2019m not a believer in \u2018just because it\u2019s old, it\u2019s right\u2019 or \u2018because we\u2019ve been doing it this way for a long time, we aren\u2019t changing now\u2019, I don’t think every black and white photo of a dressage horse is a good one and won\u2019t argue that there were plenty of horses above the bit in the good old days, but in this case there was nothing wrong with the rulebook, only in the lack of adherence to it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Is a good position or correct equitation something that we can argue is subjective, when, by definition, a good position is an agreed on thing?\u00a0 (Ear, shoulder, hip and heel aligned, with the heels down; the elbow, hand and bit all in one continuous line, with the hands upright and carried just above the horse\u2019s wither about a horse\u2019s mouth width apart; a supple seat which is independent of the riders other aids.)<\/p>\n Even in the old FEI rulebook there is reference to the arm alignment and hand position, \u201cthe hands should be carried steadily close together, with the thumb as the highest point and a straight line from the supple elbow through the hand to the Horse\u2019s mouth\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n I saw something on Facebook the other day showing the heel, hip and shoulder alignment that we all either know or need to know as, and is, a fact of a well sitting rider.\u00a0 This illustration and visual \u201csoundbite\u201d however was wrong and kept being passed around like another one of those soundbites that people start repeating but don\u2019t investigate the source of, being forwarded to me as both a good and bad example of what is correct.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Indulge me for a moment, and take for instance Gustav Steinbrecht, who is one of the ‘founding fathers’ of German dressage who wrote in his book \u2018The Gymnasium of the Horse\u2019, \u201cride your horse forward and set it straight<\/em>\u201d.\u00a0 That quote, or soundbite from his book, is often referred to as well as re-quoted in varying apparitions and is an obvious fundamental principle of dressage riding as a whole.\u00a0 Everyone seems to repeat it, not always knowing its context or history.\u00a0 Luckily, this one is a principle and soundbite that not only the Germans quote and live by, but also the French to a degree \u201ccalme, en avant, droit<\/em>\u201d (Calm, Forward, Straight) as well as riders of the Spanish Riding School; from Podhajsky\u2019s \u2018Complete Training of Horse and Rider\u2019, \u201cStraighten your horse and ride him forward<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n It is a soundbite that transcends borders as it\u2019s a principle that makes sense and has been tried, tested and proven time and time again for decades in many shapes and forms.\u00a0 Sadly though, many people and friends refer to the exact Steinbrecht quote, but haven\u2019t read the entire book, therefore often missing the historical significance and context it is from.\u00a0 We have a lot of these types of sound bites in our day-to-day work that we hear and live by, some well founded, others just repeated with no historical background or proof.\u00a0 One of my favorites I heard a few years ago was \u201c3yr olds work 3 days\/week, 4yr olds work 4 days\/week and 5yr olds work 5 days\/week\u201d, which I\u2019ve then continued to hear since then, re-quoted, but wondered where it came from, or who.\u00a0 I wonder if that quote came from a book I hadn\u2019t read, which is very possible or was it just overheard from someone, and repeated since no one who says it to me can source that information or give me its historical use, other than they saw it on Facebook and it\u2019s catchy.<\/p>\n The ‘jab’ with the spur…<\/em><\/p>\n Steinbrecht was in fact a founding father of German Dressage, but that doesn\u2019t mean all his quotes are ones to take to heart, or live by.\u00a0 Take this one for instance, \u201cThe \u2018jab\u2019 with the spur is the strongest and most emphatic influence with the spurs.\u00a0 It gives the horse a momentary, intense pain and, by injuring the skin, causes infection and swelling of the parts involved so that, for some time, the sensitivity at that point is even greater<\/em>\u201d\u2026and goes on to say \u201cLazy horses, and those that are reluctant to use their power, are driven into lively action by a jab with the spurs; and any stubbornness, resistance, or mischievousness is punished with the spur.\u00a0 The rider must give the jab forcefully and decisively<\/em>\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Basically saying if we mildly injure the horse with the spur, we can use that to our advantage in their added sensitivity.<\/p>\n Although I see the quote \u2018ride your horse forward and set it straight\u2019 on many German riding hall walls, I haven\u2019t seen the one about how to use the jab of the spur.\u00a0 When taken out of context, any soundbite or quote can have many meanings, both good and bad, which can be applicable to the improvement or the detriment of any horse or training program.\u00a0 When not sourced or fact checked and historically validated, they can become skewed, misunderstood or misused.<\/p>\n The photo of the rider I saw on Facebook clearly had the rider sitting in a chair seat, but a straight line was none the less drawn from the shoulder joint, down just behind the riders actual hip joint, then on to the back of the riders heel or boot.\u00a0 The image clearly showed a rider who if removed from her horse in that position would have tipped over backwards since her ankles and heels were clearly in front of her center of mass.\u00a0 The heel\/shoulder\/hip alignment must align the joints of each major intersection, so the ankle, the hips socket and the shoulder socket are what need to be stacked on top of each other for the rider\u2019s upper body to be balanced over their center of mass, with their feet underneath that same center of mass, so when removed from the horse in their current posture or stance, they would be able to stand upright without falling down.\u00a0 It was another time the soundbite gets used without the science or research to back it up and in this case an incorrect illustration, but then repeated and reposted over and over helping to change the landscape of the art form because of the ease of its media.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I would love to take the rider from the World Cup, put her on one of my horses and lunge her without stirrups, without reins, for as long as it takes till she can sit independently and straight enough to earn the right to again hold the reins and be set loose in the arena once again.\u00a0 Over and over I paused the video to see, if in fact, it was her horse\u2019s tongue I saw out the side of her horse\u2019s mouth and couldn\u2019t help but think that her position had to play a significant role in the horses incorrect way of working as well as the obvious mouth issues.<\/p>\n Again I refer to the old FEI rule book or the new, now \u201cguideline\u201d in the definition of \u2018on the bit\u2019 which states, \u201cand no resistance should be offered to the Athlete\u201d.\u00a0 <\/em>The lack of understanding the cause and effect of this rider\u2019s position on her horse is appalling to say the least and there is definitely resistance that is due to poor equitation on more than one level.\u00a0 Does the trainer at home have these discussions with the rider and are the judges making note of the incorrect things that are so easily seen by the naked eye and by the layman which are inhibiting and distracting from the performance and art?\u00a0 Who is accountable for such poor equitation?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019ve heard time-and-time again from people about various riders that they might not be a pretty rider, but they are an effective rider and this is, once again a soundbite that has no foundation in truth.\u00a0 I cannot disagree with the sentiment of that statement strongly enough, it is basically saying it doesn\u2019t matter that your aids are obvious and loud if they work or produce the required movement.\u00a0 Why on earth would anyone claim to be a good communicator when all they do is yell\u2026\u00a0 Being loud does not make you a good communicator, being succinct, well spoken and able to make your feelings, ideas or views known quietly in a straightforward manner does.\u00a0 Yelling at the horse with your aids does not make you effective, it does the exact opposite.\u00a0 If it is possible to convey an idea to a horse with invisible or as the FEI says, imperceptible aids, shouldn’t that be the goal, being an effective communicator?\u00a0 Why on earth do we allow riders to skate by on the \u2018they are effective\u2019 card when they are screaming at their dance partners?\u00a0 Is that just another sound bite that has been passed around and we all have been agreeing to without really studying the implications of?<\/p>\n I remember a clinic a few years back working on a rider\u2019s position, and after a bit, what I said to her, probably seemed like endless challenge, she snapped back at me, and said to go easy, all she does is ride young horses and it is really hard to sit well on the novice unbalanced horse.\u00a0 Where-and-when did it become ok to ride young horses in a bad position, crookedness or lack of body control because it\u2019s hard?\u00a0 It seems to me it would be the most important time to have those qualities in check, as the young horse is so susceptible to balance impurities of the rider, and will suffer because of them far more than our older more schooled horses will.<\/p>\n Our older horses will definitely struggle with an out-of-balance rider, but a young horse suffers when a rider\u2019s position is poor.\u00a0 Is that being taught or allowed and I don\u2019t know it, is it just something that I missed in my own education and the next soundbite I\u2019m going to hear is that \u201cit\u2019s ok to sit poorly on young horses because it\u2019s hard to sit well?\u201d\u00a0 Is the understanding that equitation is not just about position, but about the art of how we affect the horses we sit on and the picture that creates, or do we believe these things to be separate, as in position is a different entity than its affect on beauty?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Is the FEI, and some of the larger powers of the sport, waging a kind of war of attrition on good equitation, where the paradigm is slowly shifting noticed only by a few?\u00a0 They keep taking away founding principles of the art form or at least downgrading them to either insignificant or non relevant until the general population believes the standard is still high, not realizing the standard has slowly been lowered further and further causing a sort of illness or death to good equitation that has taken place from within, noticed by some, but unnoticed by many.<\/p>\n On the TV show Ted Lasso, Jeremy Swift\u2019s character \u2018Higgins\u2019 says, “one pilgrim alone is a zealot, two pilgrims together are a pilgrimage\u201d and it was one of the best lines on television I have heard in years.\u00a0 A perfect soundbite so to speak.\u00a0 More and more I hear of less and less people, who are fewer and further between, who are willing to speak out on horsemanship, equitation, the art as a whole, and in the end sound more and more like fanatical and uncompromising zealots in pursuit of what they believe to be right, who fight alone against the attrition of the sport.\u00a0 I find it sad that it isn\u2019t a pilgrimage more people want to be on.<\/p>\n Dalera and Jessica von Bredow-Werndl – a journey of love…<\/em><\/p>\n Training dressage is an endeavor of love.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t an easy undertaking and can often be frustrating. It\u2019s a studied art, or at least I hope we can see it as an art and study it as a whole, not parse out segments we agree or disagree with or changes the framework and rules as we go to suit our individual needs.\u00a0 I said in my last column \u201cAll the methods have been tried and used, the experiments have been made, the hypothesis has either been proven or dismissed and now the art gets to begin\u201d, which I believe with my entire heart.\u00a0 I asked a friend the other day, if tomorrow there were no more horse shows, would you still ride?\u00a0 I\u2019ve asked that question at various times to various people over the years and am always curious as to what the answer will be.<\/p>\n If the shows stopped tomorrow, would the judges still have jobs in the industry since a clinic on how to improve your test wouldn\u2019t be relevant any more, it would be totally antiquated.\u00a0 The trainers who could teach and ride, would still be needed by those who would still be riding, but would their instruction need to change?\u00a0 They would be riding to improve themselves, their horses and for the love of the art and the horse and in turn, better equitation as a whole, since they would then be riding to study art and to better themselves and their relationships with their horses instead of for a score.\u00a0 I find it to be an interesting mental exercise to do with people and myself from time-to-time to make sure our love for the craft, technique and mastery would still hold as true now as it hopefully always has.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Seeing as the rules have now become just guidelines, is it possible that eventually the guidelines become mere soundbites we use in our day-to-day training, not understanding their historic significance, lineage and background, lending themselves to the further and further weakening of the structure of the art only sometimes repeating them when they seem applicable, but not living by their rule of law and knowing why these standards are the lifeblood of the art?\u00a0 The guidelines and soundbites are only as valuable as our understanding of their ancestry and their inherent impact and significance on the craft.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t know the body of knowledge and science behind why it is important your horses nose is in front of the vertical, does it become irrelevant and trivial with bothering to have it there?\u00a0 In this day and age are we becoming more soundbite followers and teachers than erudite creators and craftsman who know an equine sport and celebrity, but not an art?<\/p>\n Breeding a top dressage horse in Australia? Choose from the best bloodlines available in the world, go to www.ihb.com.au<\/span><\/p>\n Dressage coach, Jeremy Steinberg confronts the problems of position in the dressage world today, and wonders why FEI rules are no longer rules?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":67588,"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":[81,4],"tags":[27,1243,1403],"class_list":["post-67575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-dressage","tag-classical-principles","tag-dressage","tag-jeremy-steinberg"],"acf":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67575","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=67575"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67575\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67619,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67575\/revisions\/67619"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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