Here is a blog post I wrote a few years ago. I called it “Second level slump”. I hope it helps.
It took me about five years to get my first dressage horse to 2nd level. The first scores were not fantastic but we improved throughout the season and ended up very competent at 2nd. I can tell you the one test I am most proud of had loads of 7’s and very few comments telling me that, in this test, I was definitely competent at 2nd level.
Of course we had some setbacks along the way, but I don’t think it’s unusu- al for beginners to do fairly well at training and first and then get stuck in the jump to 2nd. Why is that? My theory is that it’s all about collection.
2nd level is the first time we are asking for the horse to show some collection. If we look back to the training scale, you might have nailed the first few steps but when you add in the next steps, impulsion and collection, you lose the earlier steps, maybe rhythm, maybe suppleness. The training scale is not particularly linear. For example, you might find that as you work on straightness you lose impulsion. The steps are so intertwined.
The other thing is that dressage is really not about the tricks. You can train your horse to shoulder in and walk canter, but if they aren’t in a 2nd level way of going then you have not developed your horse sufficiently for 2nd level. In my opinion the movement that tells the most about the horse’s collection is the canter walk transition. The horse must have some level of uphill collection in order to do that cor- rectly. The walk canter is fairly easy to teach, you see hunter riders doing lovely smooth ones. Coming back down is more difficult.
Riders that have never felt collection before are going to have a tougher time working on this. They real- ly don’t know how it should feel, often they just end up going slower (losing impulsion). Of course learn- ing on a schoolmaster would be ideal but there are not many of us with access to this mythical beast.
2nd level is where the manure hits the fan. Someone told me that it separates the people who want to do dressage from the people who think they want to do dressage. That’s a pretty accurate description, it’s painful, there will be tears, but if you really want it you will persevere. Those small magical moments make it worthwhile.
The beginnings of collection can take a long time to develop, months and months of strengthening work. You might not be able to show until you have developed it enough. This where having an experi- enced coach becomes vital. They have to have trained enough horses through this phase that they can help you from the ground, or get in the saddle and show you if need be.
Collection is something that you will continue to improve all the way up to the ultimate collection of the Grand Prix.
So, if you feel stuck in a 2nd level slump, don’t despair, try to enjoy the journey. Patience and perseverance.
