In my experience only -
When I was a very fit eventer and jumper rider who decided to get serious about my dressage education, it took 1.) a lot of lunge line lessons on a big moving school master which then required me to have 2.) chiropractic and 3.) massage in between the lunge line lessons so I could walk, function and get to the next lesson.
So my opinion is, until you’ve actually attempted to sit a real working trot, or dog forbid, extended trot (extended, which is different than lengthened) you have no idea of the level of fitness and core strength it takes. Balance is CERTAINLY not enough.
To this day, I retain the muscle memory of how to sit a big trot, but I absolutely lack the fitness and the suppleness to do it for more than a few strides.
Some people may learn easier than I did, because I had to unlearn some bad habits from lots of time galloping in two point.
A “road” trot, which is a highly efficient, ground covering forward trot, favored by distance riders and foxhunters is also a gait that you need some experience to ride, but it is absolutely nothing like a good working, medium or dog forbid, true extended trot.
Some other nits to pick:
Lateral work means you have a broke horse, not a dressage horse. Lots of horses in lots of disciplines rein back, leg yield, turn on the forehand/haunches and shoulder in. That’s being a broke horse. And a pre-training level dressage prospect should be able to do them, just not in a 2nd level frame and balance with the beginnings of collection.
This is the purpose of 2nd Level: To confirm that the horse demonstrates correct basics,
and having achieved the thrust required in First Level, now accepts more weight on the hindquarters (collection); moves with an uphill tendency, especially in the medium
gaits; and is reliably on the bit. A greater degree of straightness, bending, suppleness, throughness, balance and self-carriage is required than at First Level.
You can school 2nd Level movements in a Training or Intro Level frame. That doesn’t mean your horse is a 2nd Level horse.
“Collection” has two senses or meanings. Many disciplines use “collection” to either mean a slower, shortened gait OR a horse that’s moving correctly from its hind end and through its back. Dressage riders and theory pedants like me refer to a horse that’s moving correctly and through its back as “through”, “connected” or “on the aids” and reserve “collection” for gaits that are both shortened and have more impulsion, created through the increased flexion of the joints of the hind end and the uphill balance. That is, sustained collected work as required at second level.
Casual instructors throwing around the word “collection” make me skeptical and nervous. And prone to quote the Princess Bride: “You keep using that word. I do not think that word means what you think it means.”
If a hunter trainer tells riders to do a “collected sitting trot” I wince; but I know what they mean. If someone who claims to be a dressage rider/trainer talks about working on “collection” before the horse is reliably on the aids, I have some serious doubts.
