Making The Transition From Hunter Under Saddle

To Training Level Dressage

By

Julie Ann Fleming

4-H and Open Show Judge Michigan

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Table of Contents Section Page Arena …………………………………………………………….......................................... 1 Tests ………………………………………………………………………………………… 2 Scoring ……………………………………………………………………………………… 4 Training …………………………………………………………………………………….. 5 Frame ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 5 Tack …………………………………………………………………………………………. 6 Attire ………………………………………………………………………………………… 7 Summary ……………………………………………………………………………………. 7 About the Author ……………………………………………………………………………. 7 Appendix ……………………………………………………………..................................... 8

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Making the Transition Dressage is one of the fastest growing equine sports in the United States today. Many 4-H clubs and breed organizations are jumping on the band wagon by adding dressage to their list of classes. But for those who have never tried to maneuver around the maze of letters called a dressage arena, the sport can be intimidating and overwhelming. This publication is designed to help the beginning dressage rider, particularly those who come from a background of hunter under saddle horses, to make the transition from hunter under saddle rider to dressage rider. While Training Level Dressage is not just another pattern class, thinking of it that way may help you get through your first test. Once you have ridden a test the first time, subsequent tests won’t seem so difficult and intimidating. You are even permitted to have someone read the test to you out loud while you are riding it so you don’t have to memorize the pattern (although memorizing the test can be helpful just in case your reader makes a mistake). In a Hunt Seat Equitation class which uses patterns to test rider abilities, judges are looking for accuracy and precision in interpreting and riding the pattern, the proper frame of the horse for the class, and the proper form of equitation of the rider. The patterns presented are typically prepared by the presiding judge based on the perceived skill level of the horses and riders in each class. By contrast, Dressage emphasizes the correct development of the horse which is then tested by the varying levels of tests. Training Level tests are designed by a panel of international dressage experts in order to test the correctness of the training of the horse. Correctly designed and ridden tests will develop the horse’s musculature in order to enable him to progress to more difficult maneuvers. While accuracy is weighed in a dressage test, accuracy alone will not achieve the highest scores. By the same token, the equitation of the rider, while certainly a determining factor in the horse’s performance, only plays a small part in the scoring of a dressage test through the collective remarks at the bottom of the test. A high score in dressage will be achieved through a demonstration of lightness, engagement of the hindquarters of the horse, connection with the horse over his back

and through the reins, self-carriage by the horse, and smoothness of transitions and maneuvers evidencing a high level of subtle communication between horse and rider. All of these things combine to present a picture of effortless elegance which is the hallmark of correct dressage training. Arena The playing field for dressage is the dressage arena. Dressage arenas all over the world are constructed using the same dimensions and placement of markers. The dressage arena is a rectangular arena with letters posted at various points around the perimeter and invisible letters designated for specific locations inside the arena. The letters are simply reference points where the tests instruct a rider to begin and end different maneuvers. For instance, the instruction Change Rein H-X-F means to move your horse in the stated gait straight from the letter H in the corner through the center of the arena on a diagonal line (through the invisible letter X) to the letter F in the opposite corner. Transitions should occur when the rider’s body is aligned with the designated letter. There are two sizes of dressage arenas. The small dressage arena is 20 meters wide by 40 meters long. Only walk/trot and training level tests may be performed in this arena. The large (standard) dressage arena is 20 meters wide by 60 meters long. Dressage tests from walk/trot through Grand Prix may be ridden in the standard dressage arena. A meter is the approximate equivalent of 3 feet. Therefore, 20 meters is roughly equivalent to 60 feet which means that a dressage arena is roughly 60 feet wide by 180 feet long. Riding in the small arena is a little different from riding in the large arena because the reference points change. For instance, riding a 20 meter circle beginning at B in a small arena will take you further into the length of the arena and in alignment with different markers than a 20 meter circle beginning at B in a large arena. Example: In a large arena, the 20 meter circle beginning at B will take up one-third of the length of the arena almost out to the letters S and V. In a small arena, the 20 meter circle beginning at B will take up one-half of the arena with each side of the circle meeting the quarter line of the arena on the long side. See Appendix

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A for examples of circle sizes in the arena layout in both the small and large arenas. Tests Here is the 2003 Training Level Test 3 that explains some of the things that the judge is looking for in each movement: Markers Instructions What you are

being judged on

A X

Enter working trot. Halt, Salute, Proceed working trot

Straightness on centerline, Quality of transitions, quality of trot and halt

C E X

Track left Turn left Circle left 20 meters

Quality of turns, Quality of trot, Roundness of circle

X B

Circle right 20 meters Turn right

Quality of trot, Roundness of circle, Quality of turn

A Working canter right lead

Smoothness of depart, Quality of canter, Balance in transition

A Circle right 20 meters

Quality of canter, Roundness of circle, Straightness from A to E

E-B B

Half circle 20 meters, near centerline working trot Straight ahead

Quality of canter, Quality of trot, Balance, Smoothness of transition, Straightness from B to A

A A-K

Medium walk Medium walk

Quality of walk, Quality of transition

K-B Free walk Straightness, Quality of Walk, Quality of transition

B-M Medium Walk Quality of walk, Quality of transition

M Working trot Quality of trot,

C Working canter left lead

Quality of canter, Smoothness of depart, Balance in transition

C Circle left 20 meters

Quality of canter, Roundness of circle, Straightness from C to E

E-B B-H

Half circle 20 meters, near centerline working trot Change rein

Quality of Canter, Quality of trot, Smoothness of transition, Balance in transition, Straightness from B to H

B Before B

Circle right 20 meters, rising trot, allowing the horse to stretch forward and down Shorten the reins

Quality of stretch over the back, forward and down into a light contact, Maintaining balance, Quality of trot

A X

Down centerline Halt, Salute

Straightness on centerline, Quality of transition, Quality of trot and halt

Dressage judges want to see a very smooth test. Abrupt halts and transitions will be penalized. A good test should look like the rider just thought about what she wanted to do and the horse just did it without any direction from the rider. The less visible movements the rider makes, the smoother the ride will appear. Bobbing heads, jerking hands and tapping legs are distractions that take away from the smooth appearance of the ride. Prior to starting the test, riders are allowed to warm up around the outside perimeter of the dressage arena until the judge is ready to begin your test. When the judge is ready, he or she will ring a bell or blow a whistle. The rider then has 45 seconds to enter the arena at A. For most horses, 45 seconds is enough time to comfortably trot around the entire dressage arena.

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If a horse is better going in one direction than the other, the horse will likely be more balanced and, therefore, receive a better score, if the horse is traveling in his/her best direction when entering the arena at A. A very common mistake made by riders is overshooting the center line at A so that the horse is not traveling straight to the judge. The blue line in the drawing below shows the trajectory of a shallow turn as compared to the pink line which shows the trajectory of a deep turn. Making as deep a turn as possible before entering the arena at A will allow for a smaller correction on your path to the center line.

A

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The halt at X should be straight to the judge and the horse should, ideally, stop squarely on all four feet. The horse should not move until the rider has saluted (by putting both reins in one hand and dropping the free hand out to the side in a crisp manner while nodding the head downward), the rider has received an indication from the judge to proceed, and has asked the horse to move forward. Backward steps during or after the halt are penalized. The levels in dressage build on each in much the same way that school grades do: Introductory Level (Test 1 and 2) Introductory Level tests demonstrate the ability of the horse to perform basic movements, such as 20 meter circles, in Walk and Trot only. Training Level (Tests 1, 2, 3 and 4) Training Level tests add canter and stretchy trot circles to the skills mastered in the Introductory Level tests. First Level (Tests 1, 2, 3 and 4) First Level tests add sitting trot, trot and canter lengthenings, 15 meter circles, and leg yield to the skills mastered in the Training Level tests. Scoring Each separate set of instructions contained in a test is called a “movement”. Each movement will receive a score ranging from a 0 to a 10. The scores can be interpreted as follows: 0 = Not Done 1 = Very Bad 2 = Bad 3 = Fairly Bad 4 = Insufficient 5 = Sufficient 6 = Satisfactory 7 = Fairly Good 8 = Good 9 = Very Good 10 = Excellent Certain scores are weighted double throughout the test as these movements are considered the most important aspects of the performance at that level. Working to improve the movements that are weighted double will help the overall score and will also help in any tie breaker situations since the rider with the highest marks on these

movements will be selected as the winner of the tie. Scores are also given at the bottom of the test in what is referred to as “collective remarks”. The rider’s position will be scored here, but will not be given weight throughout the rest of the test. Therefore, a “pretty” rider will only score marginally better than a less visually appealing rider if all else in the test is equal. A horse who performs well with a less visually appealing rider should place over a pretty rider whose horse is not performing well. Scores of 9 and 10 are very rarely given as they are reserved for only the very best possible performances. By the same token, scores of 1 and 2 are also very rarely given. Once a horse and rider team are consistently scoring 6s or above on all movements within a test, they may begin training for the next higher test which contains slightly more difficult movements. Moving up to a more difficult test within a level often means that the same movements are combined in a more difficult sequence. Moving up to a new level will require the mastering of new movements altogether. For instance, the move from Training Level to First Level will require the horse to perform leg yields and lengthening of stride in addition to all the movements in Training Level. Some very common comments given by judges on tests are listed below along with a general description of what these comments mean. Above the bit: When the horse avoids contact with the bit by putting his nose up and forward. Behind the bit: When the horse shrinks back from contact with the bit, sometimes the head position is behind the vertical, but this can also be with the neck and body while maintaining a vertical head position. Cross Canter: The horse canters on one lead in the front and the other lead in the back. Needs more Energy: The horse needs more thrust from his hind legs to cover more ground. On the forehand: The horse places too much weight on his front legs. Overbent: Too much bend in the neck relative to the body.

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Resistant: When the horse physically opposes the rider. Snatching: When the horse attempts to jerk the reins through the rider’s hands. Square: When the horse stops with all four feet underneath him as in the four corners of a square: Tilting: Cocking or tilting of the horse’s head indicating a horse’s desire to evade the rider’s aids. Uneven: Unequal height of steps or weight bearing on both sides of the horse. Wobbling: When the horse appears to lose his balance from one side to the other while on a straight line. Training There are a number of very important differences in Dressage from typical Hunter Under Saddle classes. Forward. A western pleasure horse with an English saddle and bridle on who does not make any other changes to his way of going will not be moving forward enough to receive good scores in the dressage arena. This is not to say that these horses shouldn’t compete in dressage. To the contrary, dressage can improve the performance of any horse. However, emphasis will need to be given to asking the western pleasure horse to move with much more impulsion than he is normally asked to move. Often even a hunter under saddle horse will not move forward enough to be competitive in the dressage arena. This is not to be confused with faster; the horse in many cases needs to maintain the same tempo in his footfalls, but should increase the amount of energy exerted in order to cover more ground with each step. Calm. Some horses are naturally more spirited than others. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, a horse with a more spirited demeanor may need to work on relaxation in order to achieve good scores in dressage. Some times, later in his training, a horse with more spirit will end up being more expressive than a more laid back horse once he has learned to contain his

energy and willingly comply with the rider’s requests. Straight. Today’s hunter under saddle horses are often asked to perform in more than one discipline. All around horses are very popular and the horse with the ability to perform western pleasure is often put in the hunter under saddle classes in the hopes of gathering points toward high point awards. Many of these horses have been slowed down to the point where they can no longer carry themselves in a straight frame. While this manner of moving is not generally approved of in the western and hunter under saddle classes, many times judges will still place horses who are exhibiting crooked movement. In the dressage arena, however, crookedness will be heavily penalized. Often this can be easily corrected by asking your horse to move more forward simply because the horse needs to be straight in order to push himself forward. Frame Below are two drawings depicting the difference in frame from a typical Hunter Under Saddle horse to a Training Level Dressage horse.

Hunter Under Saddle

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Training Level Dressage Note that the poll is the highest point, the horse’s face is vertical, and the horse is pushing more from behind into the bridle and contact with the rider’s hands rather than loose reins as depicted in the Hunter Under Saddle drawing. At Introductory Level and Training Level Tests 1 and 2, it is enough for a horse to accept contact with the bit without having to be “on the bit”. However, there must be good contact…flapping reins will not receive good scores. Tests 3 and 4 of Training Level Dressage require the performance of a “stretchy circle” which tests whether your horse is properly on the aids. The correct frame of the horse for this circle looks something like this:

“Stretchy circle” frame

Note that although the frame appears similar to the Hunter Under Saddle frame, the horse is pushing more forward from the hind leg into a solid connection with the horse’s mouth. No flapping reins here! Please note that if your horse is not “on the bit”, performing a correct stretchy circle will likely not be possible. Tack Although a dressage saddle is preferred, competitive dressage can be ridden in any English saddle. Using a dressage saddle will help place the rider over the horse’s center of balance for work on the flat. Comparatively, a jumping saddle will place the rider’s balance further forward to assist him/her in getting up over the horse’s withers to go over a jump. This type of saddle will make it more difficult for the rider to stay in the correct position for flat work. For lower level dressage, horses are required to wear a snaffle bit. A sampling of bits considered acceptable snaffles for dressage are shown below.

Full Cheek Snaffle

Loose ring snaffle

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Eggbut snaffle

French Training Snaffle Attire Hunter attire is very similar to dressage attire, but there are some differences even at the lower levels. Hunt coats generally come in dark colors such as black, gray, navy, and green. They also generally have 3 buttons and one vent in the back. Dressage coats, on the other hand, generally come in black and navy, have 4 buttons and two vents in the back. It is acceptable to wear dark colored Hunt coats in lower level dressage classes. Hunt breeches are acceptable in many more colors than in dressage. Dressage requires the use of white breeches, although cream colored or light gray breeches are acceptable at the lower levels. Stock ties are usually worn in dressage instead of rat catchers. Helmets are required in lower level dressage tests. Summary I hope this has answered some of your questions about how to successfully make the transition to Dressage from Hunter Under Saddle. If you have any other questions not addressed in this booklet, please feel free to contact me. I wish you the best of luck in your dressage endeavors! Julie Fleming

About the Author Julie Fleming is an approved Michigan 4H and Open Show Judge. She has been actively involved with the sport of dressage since 1982. Julie was formerly the President of the Utah Dressage Society and is currently on the Board of Directors of the Midwest Dressage Society. Julie is a breeder of Andalusian crosses and places an emphasis on breeding horses with dispositions suitable for youth and amateur riders and movement and athletic ability competitive enough for the dressage arena. Julie is dedicated to improving the quality of dressage through the education of youth. She gives lessons, clinics and judges 4H and open shows throughout the state of Michigan (both dressage and pleasure classes). Additional copies of this booklet can be obtained on the Michigan 4H website or by contacting Julie directly: Julie Fleming True North Equine Enterprises, LLC 684 S-M52 Webberville, MI 48892 (517) 521-3222 JudgeJulie33@aol.com

Artwork contained in this publication was created by Caroline Behne of Gone 2 The Dawgs. Caroline can be reached at gawn2thedawgs@hotmail.com

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