The following have been suggested as the right way to perform dressage. What do you think?
VIDEO1
As suggested by Emma:
VIDEO 2
As suggested by SHARON:
VIDEO 3
DressageDisgrace
'Enough is Enough'! Speak up NOW to stop this cruelty…
The following have been suggested as the right way to perform dressage. What do you think?
VIDEO1
As suggested by Emma:
VIDEO 2
As suggested by SHARON:
VIDEO 3
I could only see the Cathy Morelli video. The horse in the beginning still seems behind the vertical to me. I enjoy watching well executed dressage work but wish milder bits were used especially at the lowere levels. As a hunter rider I use basic dressage to help my horse with balance and suppleness. Most dressage riders in my area go for artificial head set and think elevation created by extreme shortening of stride (they don’t know true collection) are the end all and be all. And dressage, just like hunters, reiners, etc. are plagued by poor trainers using whatever artificial “quick fixes” they can find to force horses to behave in a certain manner or form. What happened to partnership and less is more – bit, spur, aids? I would love to see more natural self-carriage in dressage interspersed with the high head carriage and collection. The current “stretch down” in some tests is a farce in my area, riders either let their horses fall apart or they have added another gimmicky head set with a horse cued to drop its head. Rollkur is just one of the many abuses that occur throughout the horse show world. We all need to speak up whenever we see abuse.
Not so much a comment, more a request. I was sorry to see that the video clip of the grey horse had been removed and I cannot find it on YouTube. Does anyone know how I can access it? The transitions were great and the horse was fluid and I would like to view it again.
Does anyone know the breed of Cathy’s horse?
In general I think this ride was much nicer than what we see in most competitions. It needs to be more open and soft in the neck with less downhill steps to be the best representation it can be.
I thought it had an Iberian pelvic tuck. I liked the degree of tuck behind the saddle most of the time. Shame it was quite tight in the neck and often btv, not seeking forward so that sometimes the collection requests just shortened the front. It can be hard to keep a horse seeking forward in front if the horse has a huge degree of natural pelvic tuck. I know she works a great deal more kindly than she feels she used to do and I _think_ she would not want that neck to be in such a sharp V from chest to jowl as we see in this clip. I have seen her video of her system of riding the neck.
I found it interesting that it was all slow mo (or is that my laptop??) which often disguises things and that when walk was attempted it was not awfully pleasant. Perhaps that was just too much tension.
I observed that the changes in the test arena were not as expressive as the ones in schooling. The ones on the far side of the schooling arena were not as good as those nearby the camera.
a very interesting observation, Heather, I will watch more closely and see how things progress with both horses in the future. Thank you for pointing this out!
It is so much nicer than many, Dorothy, but look at that passagey trot, yet again, and whilst he is not flicking the toe in extension as much as Paragon, that dissociation of front and hind is still apparent- the still shot at the beginning shows it totally.
I have always had huge respect for Kyra and Richard, but I gather the latter also is training Heather B, and horses both show, Rico to a lesser extent, the same pattern in training, that which until now, has been associated with rollkur, and we know that Kyra/Richard/Heather are absolutely not using rollkur.
But it is going to weaken the argument if those who do not use rollkur, are starting to produce the same results as those who do. OK, it proves that rollkur is not necessary to do so!! But at the same time, this trot and the extensions in particular, are not abiding by the FEI rules. So if the FEI doesnt want to see a hind cannon at the same angle as the forearm, and prefers to see the extension with hindlegs kicking out behind, and also now sees a passagey trot as ‘having expression’ then change the b****y rules!! What otherwise,is the point of having them!?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW_M9dQa_Zo&feature=player_embedded
this is another amazing example – admin – can this be linked in? I am not sure how to do it!
this is Kyra Kyrkland on a wonderful Iberian….
I liked Cathy’s video the best and actually found it beautiful. The first horse, the grey was also very nice.
A quick visit to Cathy’s web page shows who her dressage influences were, and their mastery comes to life in Cathy’s riding. A list of books on her site as recommended reading clearly indicates this.
http://cathymorelli.com/bookstore.html
At this point I have only seen the grey, who I believe is lovely and fluid. I really wish the rider would show the horse in a simple snaffle just doing that lovely, fluid trot. The rhythm is lovely , with real “digging in ” behind to move the horse forward without changing the cadence. I am tired of seeing piaffes and passages when only a few can really judge their ultimate quality. I really would love to see the basic, pure gaits perfectly ridden. It used to be said of silver that it was much harder to make the simple pieces than those with all the chasing (engraving), as on the simple pieces every mistake would show and couldn’t be covered up. The loft and fluidity of the trot at the beginning of the video is magnificent for me. And I would rather see more of that than a piaffe in progress.
The grey horse and rider are very elegant and fluid, just a little more play with the fingers might allow him to open the angle of head that little bit more, a harmonius couple. I’d love to find that kind of balance.
Paragon is probably young still? Not so very balanced yet, connection of front and back end not really sorted yet and trot extensions a bit toe-flicky. Heaps of potential though.
3rd video Cathy Morelli, very, very inspiring in terms of elevation of the front end due to the wonderful,powerful engagement of the hindquarters.
I am riding first level and I am not very interested in competing. My trainer is very patient. Soft hands, ride back to front. It is a shame that when money and egos are at stake, this wonderful creature is the loser.
The end does not justify the means. As an amateaur, these 3 videos look like rides I would like to emulate. I will take a stand against Rolkur.
I prefer the gray and Cathy Morelli’s horse as representative examples. It was very appropriate that the video of Cathy included her warm up. She sets a standard worth striving to achieve.
Also, the gray’s one tempi changes look as fluid as true canter. What a talented pair!
OH my I LOVE this video of Cathy! Thanks Sharon. THAT for me is something to aspire to. The front legs are expressive but the horse stays connected. And sometimes he looks like he almost ’scoots’ he gets his hind end under so well!
I think we should also mention that Cathy is in her 60’s, and fought and survived cancer a couple of years ago!!
Heather
I have Cathy’s DVD’s Sharon!! Amazing lady!!
Heather
I’m not super positive about the performance of the combination with the chestnut. In my opinion she restricts the neck to much with makes the hindquarters not being able to engage enough.
The front and back of the horse are not in balance and not moving together.
The horse has a lot of movement on the front but not much in the back.Only short seconds (when the riders gives the horse a bit more freedom) do I see more engagement of the hind legs.
It is up to the rider to let go of the reins a bit more so the horse has more freedom to step under with his hindquarters and be a lot more balanced in his movement.
If it is true what some say that this horse is still young and in training then I don’t understand what she is doing all these movements for in the first place, because then he is not ready for it…Also, why is she riding to bits then? But like I said, what I see it is not the horse ‘being untrained’ but the rider restricting him…
The grey horse brought tears to my eyes appearing to display willingness and joy, hardly a tailswitch, soft mobile neck. Piaffe appears to still be a work-in-progress but appears to be positive in that progress. The enormously talented chestnut horse has an amazing range of movement but looks restricted by a shortened immobile neck. This is evidenced by most sweat being on the most stressed, hardest-working hot muscles of that neck fighting the fact of his true balance. As I see it, it appears that only a horse of this talent could still perform despite it. If this horse could only lengthen that important balancing tool (his Neck) and be given guidance and freedom to use it he would have a lightened forehand that could float anywhere the rider wanted to put it.
I prefer the grey horse as an example of the Right Way. The fact that the rider of the chestnut is ‘anti-rollkur’ just goes to show how slippery the slope which is ‘deeper and rounder’ is!
I would submit Cathy Morelli as a modern competitive rider who is training not only without rollkur but also without ‘deeper and rounder’. She has a great video in which she not only explains how she trains now but she includes video clips of how she USED to train. HUGE difference in the horse. There is a youtube of her warm up prior to competing the horse at GP. [EDITOR'S NOTE: Now posted above]
Heather, I also took up your suggestion of looking at Kalman de Jurenak’s video. ALSO a most excellent example of correct work. I wrote a little something about it on my website.
Sharon
http://www.horsemansarts.com
Both horses look happy, but why has Paragon developed that strange trot, Dorothy? I remember seeing a video of him last year, and he didnt move like that then in extension, unless I am going senile! The grey’s trot is much more correct and fluid, Paragon is kicking out behind and as Shirley says, the rear cannons do not match the forearms. I really like the grey, would like to see him more open in the jowl angle, but Paragon is also btv at times. Nice that Heather Blitz is so anti rollkur though, need more like her!!
In the second video of the big chestnut, I see a horse behind the vertical most of the time and flinging his front legs. The riders hands seem to low…?? And she looks a little collapsed in her frame. The horse doesn’t look up in his back and doesn’t look well connected. There was no clear transition between the different trots. Lovely horse though. He can park his boots in my barn anyday.
I like this young chestnut horse a lot. His way of going was very flowing BUR..he was exibitting in the trot the toe flicking motion that is being talked against so much lately. The rear cannons do not martch the slant of the forearms in the trot. I think both are natural ways of going for some Hannovarians and maybe other breeds; but it is being cited as the result of bad riding. Help!!
I still prefer how someone like Hempfling performs dressage movements – on a totally loose rein. The horse is then in self carriage, not being brought into frame with the hands at all. Dressage only mean exercise, it does not mean to imply we need to put any undue pain or pressures into play to obtain a well muscled and beautiful moving horse. Look at the horse run free and this is what you want to emulate, a horse in freedom moves like a dance …a ballet of lightness and timing. Dressage movements do not require a bit in the mouth, they do require a bit more time, on the ground and explicit feel and timing and body language.
I am personally acquainted with Heather, having seen her teaching on 5 clinics in the UK, and ridden on 2 of them, as well as seeing her at 3 symposiums with Mary Wanless and Prof. Hilary Clatyon. Heather is the most ethical rider trainer of both horses and riders. She is particularly good at judging exactly the right way to proceed with the horse and rider in front of her, and has just as much time for the grass roots rider as the serious competitor. She is absolutely anti-rollkur, and has posted an interesting discussion on her FB group site – ‘Mind Your Riding’.
I have a huge amount of time and respect for this top rider with no ego. At the time this video was posted on YouTube, Paragon is still a young horse in training and has, I think, only been competed once. Heather is taking her time, and is working on organising his huge frame (he is 17.3, I think)into more upness in front and reach into the rein.
Please support Heather, she and other riders of her like, are the future of competitive dressage, and has the talent and horse power to beat the rollkurites.
The horses appear fairly relaxed and not stressed in the mouth. The rider’s hands appear light and elastic with nice light bit contact, not heavy contact as I have seen in some.
i think this is a very good example. But people will have to remember that, this horse has a very cresty neck to begin with (makes the horses neck look very rounded)however the horses head is right on the vertical almost the whole time. There is also freedom of movement and neither look unhappy or forced.
another excellent example is Heather Blitz and Paragon [EDITOR'S NOTE: Now posted above]