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In 2012, Emile Faurie conducted the Masterclass and DJWTS. The audience were treated to a barrage of exercises from Emile. Worth sharing again. Emile is still competing at the top level.<\/h2>\nIn 2012, Emile Faurie conducted the Masterclass and DJWTS. The audience were treated to a barrage of exercises from Emile. Worth sharing again. Emile is still competing at the top level.<\/h2>\nI’m sure it helps that Emile spends so much of his time teaching, as he told me earlier: \u201cI teach every day of my life, every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n
And Emile assured me that the lessons were not just to keep food on the table:
\n\u201cIf I had a choice, would I teach? Absolutely, I think you learn so much more about horsemanship through teaching, and I think as a rider if you don\u2019t teach it\u2019s a disadvantage, I really do. I learn a lot from observing from the ground and I learn an awful lot that I actually use in my own riding, from teaching. I think I learn so much from watching and observing different horse and rider combinations from the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n
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We started with a pair of greys, first Bianca Barnes and Belcam Cadell<\/em><\/p>\n and Kylie Burton and Tamarisk<\/em><\/p>\n The first segment was to demonstrate Emile\u2019s warm up exercises, and for this he selected two very pretty riders on matching greys: Kylie Burton and Tamarisk and Bianca Barnes and Belcam Cadell.<\/p>\n Like all good trainers, Emile kept it simple: \u201cAt the start, I like to spend as much time in walk as possible. At home, my horses are first walked around the gallop track. I remember Herbert Rehbein saying, the longer they walk before they start, the longer they stay sound. Loose rein, stretch, try to get them walking like a cat, through the body and with long stride.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI find that when I am judging, I want to award higher marks to a horse that wants <\/em>to do it, and to achieve that you need a horse in a physically good condition, horses don\u2019t have emotions, you can\u2019t explain things to them, they are happy if they feel physically well. If they are never pressured to do something they find physically difficult, then they will always look as if they want to do the test\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have a very strict pattern of working-in and always start in working trot rising. If a horse breaks into canter, that\u2019s good, that shows spirit, as long as the horse isn\u2019t doing it out of fear.\u201d<\/p>\n And, of course, no discussion of working-in dressage horses is complete without a consideration of the dreaded deep and low issue\u2026 \u201cGirls, a little stronger, a little rounder, softer. NOT Australian corners, go into the corners, half halts on the outside and support with your inside leg. Now they are swinging, now they are in better rhythm, now go shoulder-in in rising trot. I use this exercise for all my horses, from four-year-olds to Grand Prix horses \u2013 of course you cannot expect the four-year-old to produce a perfect shoulder-in. For me, this is a suppling exercise to get the bend through the ribcage and the shoulder. Make sure this is not with a backwards taking contact or you will end up with a tilting head and neck.\u201d<\/p>\n more follows<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It is simple work but so nicely thought out\u2026 Okay, time for some canter work, and on a twenty metre circle: And again, canter shoulder-in as a suppling exercise rather than a test exercise: The emphasis is always on the gymnastic quality of the work \u2013 even in the flying change\u2026 Always the emphasis is on not pulling back: Another collecting exercise on the circle in canter: \u201cUse your voice to reward the horse \u2013 it takes a long time before the horse is balanced enough for you to reward it by patting with your hand.\u201d<\/p>\n Emile felt that the horses were now ready for a stronger trot: “What is more important is the regularity of the trot, not a trot that flies but is irregular. When you make the transition to walk, ride a six metre circle in walk, that keeps the horse forwards and supple in the downwards transition, make the transition straight into the circle.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll this work is to show you a way of coming back to the correct technique rather than using short cuts and pressure.\u201d Another rider follows<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The next rider was Sydney professional, Michelle Baker riding Coldstream Dante, and since Michelle had already warmed the horse in, Emile had carefully avoided the trap of having a master class that endlessly repeated the introductory stage\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cAs if by magic, we are going to skip a few years in training and look at some exercises to improve some of the more difficult movements. The first is an exercise for canter pirouette \u2013 and that is all about balance, contact, and most important of all, control. It means good base quality of the canter.\u201d Michelle and Dante, rein back, and into canter \u201cWalk a ten metre circle, quarters in on the walk, but the shoulders on the line of the circle, now canter with the quarters still in. This is a really good exercise to get the turn of the pirouette with control and ease. Canter, quarters in, shoulder-in on the circle line, then just sit still and turn and ride out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow a big training walk pirouette. Careful, the horse shouldn\u2019t cross its hind legs in a walk pirouette.\u201d<\/p>\n That done it was back to canter: Everything was going well, the horse was looking calm, let\u2019s try a little passage\u2026 \u201cLet\u2019s try it on the other rein, trot, walk, trot, touch, half halt\u2026 the moment you lose an inch of regularity go out, and then repeat the exercise. Don\u2019t think of riding the passage strides, think of the transition. It\u2019s about the initiation into passage \u2013 make it easy and increase his willingness to want to do it.\u201d Another combination to come<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The next rider into the ring is Matthew Dowsley riding the very fancy Falsterbo son, Falstermeyer.<\/p>\n \u201cNow we\u2019ve skipped another year or so. The higher the level, the longer and more careful I am with the working-in process. The higher you get the more you have to concentrate on the well-being of the horse\u2019s muscles and his frame.\u201d Let\u2019s see what he looks like in canter: “The most important thing is for the horse to want to go \u2013 after all we get a mark for it at the end of the test, it is called impulsion.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRide half the long side in shoulder fore, and half the long side in travers, we want to encourage suppleness.”<\/p>\n “Now ride a half pass right, but be careful that the shoulders are positioned to the right before asking for the quarters. Right now we are using the half pass diagonal as a suppling exercise, in a test we would be asking for more collection. We are seeing better throughness now, the horse is straighter.\u201d<\/p>\n Now for one out of the left field: \u201cIf he feels behind you, go back to walk. Walk \/ trot \/ walk \u2013 better than time, he went into trot without help.\u201d The next exercise is to help with the canter zig zag: \u201cHalf pass to X, then straight down the centre in shoulder-in, and at the end of the centre line, a flying change.\u201d<\/p>\n Now the flying changes are coming thick and fast, fours down the long side, threes across the diagonal\u2026 And Emile also wanted Matthew to ride forward into the passage: Furst Belissaro, combining the bloodlines of Furstenball and Belissimo.![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/1Pt1Last.jpg\")
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\n\u201cThere is no miracle, there is no magic wand. It is just education, trying to be as clear to the horses as you can. When I give an aid, is the horse going to understand?\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/1WalkCircle1.jpg\")
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\n\u201cDo we want the horses looking up their own backsides? If the horse is technically correct in its acceptance of the bridle, it doesn\u2019t matter where they put their head and neck. I like to start a little longer and get them swinging through the back. It all comes back to the scale of training, and they can\u2019t be correct if they are not through\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\u201cGo on the diagonal, and on the second half of the diagonal, leg yield, only leg yield on the second half to keep the rhythm and the cadence \u2013 that way we teach the horse to go sideways without losing the throughness of the trot, and we keep the throughness and swing in the rising shoulder-in.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIn a nice working pace\u2026 at the higher levels, there is lots of collection, and it is such a strain on their bodies. We have to build the joints and limbs to make the work easy for them.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cMake the inside leg come under the rider to take the weight, across the short diagonal and into counter canter, and now a downwards transition, but keep the momentum of the pace. We want a canter with a big, bold, ground covering stride, but the horse to have a natural way of carrying itself. And now a counter canter down the long side in medium, really forward, that helps straighten the horse through its body, and really lets it stretch.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cA nice big forward flying change, big and expressive. The horse will naturally come back on the short side, so riders don\u2019t have to take the rein. Ride a medium counter canter down the long side, half halt on the short side, and flying change.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThe next exercise is to encourage collection without pulling back, Circle me, 20 metres, working tempo, nice balanced rhythm, then 16 metres, circle but working tempo, the half halts from your shoulder and the back of your neck, not your hand or your bicep. Then 12 metres, 10 metres, ride from behind into the half halt. Keep the working tempo, straighten the neck. The horse comes more and more together without being pulled together. And trot, and now we have a balanced working trot.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cTurn the shoulder in on the circle. Don\u2019t use the outside leg, don\u2019t push the quarters in. This is a very important exercise, collected canter with impulsion and good tempo. And after an exercise like that where you have asked for a condensed frame, then go to working canter and working trot.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cNow ride a very\u00a0 measured, very controlled medium diagonal. Controlled, half halts from the shoulders.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nAnd two happy riders, and happy horses, smiled as they left the arena.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nMichelle was to ride a big circle around Emile in canter and get Dante listening to the half halt. \u201cForward to walk and halt, walk and halt, rein back three strides. Now rein back two strides without halting, encourage the horse to respond to the half halt but at the end of the rein.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/em>\u201cNow canter the circle and try to achieve a little more collection, small circle, turn the forehand, turn the forehand, turn the forehand and ride out and change the rein to the inside of the circle.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cCanter straight, come in on the circle, still straight, walk quarters in, and canter, keeping your shoulders parallel to the shoulders of the horse, now ride out and we can see that the quality of the canter has improved.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cTrot, walk, trot, now almost walk, and a little touch and a few collected strides. The most important thing is to keep it easy, a few quality strides with ease and rhythm, and you have the beginnings of passage.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nIt was another entrancing lesson, and it really helped that in Michelle, Emile had a rider who could instantly respond and do what was asked\u2026<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cYou can work the horse longer and lower but the horse has to still be in good balance. If there is a change in the quality of the stride, then long and low is not so good.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWith this horse, we are trying to get the canter stride to cover more ground, so get him a little shoulder fore, get the hindlegs into the shoulder. This horse has a a tendency to draw back into himself, he\u2019s shy like me (that\u2019s a joke, Joyce) <\/em>and we have to encourage him to open up. Matthew you can even lean forward slightly out of the saddle.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cRide a line of twos on the long side. I quite often do that straight after working-in, when you ride a line of twos, it tells you how much you have the horse on your aids, it tests your two times changes, and improves throughness and straightness, provided you\u2019ve worked them in properly. If you have a mistake, you know that your working-in routine is not proper.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cNow ride from X to M, not in half pass but in travers. This encourages freedom in the horse\u2019s shoulders. Keep your thumbs pointed to the horse\u2019s ears, and the ears pointed to the markers\u2026 and keep the cadence in the trot.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cLet\u2019s be greedy, and the short diagonal ask for three ones\u2026 They were good, let go and ride on, now another short diagonal and five ones, now on the longer diagonal, eleven ones, sit still and trust the horse. Although the ones got a little shorter, he is a young horse, they were still technically correct. It is better to ride fewer changes and encourage the horse to go forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cTrot forward and then passage. Trot half pass to the track and into passage \u2013 it\u2019s good to ride passage out of the lateral movement, it is a way of making sure you ride forward to passage. Keep the passage collected and a little smaller and develop \u2018push\u2019. Now medium trot on the diagonal, regulate the rhythm, now medium to E and walk and medium trot and walk and medium and walk. Now medium trot from M to B, walk at B and medium trot. Now a medium across the diagonal. The transitions are a nice way of getting them to respond to the half halt.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\nReally Emile summed up his message in his final comment:
\n\u201cThere are many different schools of training\u00a0 – the one thing that is most important is the welfare of the horse, the one thing we must concentrate on is producing healthy and strong horses.\u201d<\/h1>\n
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