Trends in Dressage: Anyone seen the article?

[Thoroughbred1201]

[QUOTE=mbm;6714201]
i think that one of the reasons why Western dressage might become more popular than regular dressage is that lets face it - real dressage is hard work and you cant get very far if you dont have a good trainer and if you dont spend a lot of time working hard to get better.

basically riding dressage well is hard work.[/QUOTE]

Um. Wow. I’ve ridden dressage seriously. Shown recognized as well. I’ve also ridden Hunters seriously. 40+ years for both. Yes, Dressage is hard. But so is Hunters. Nothing like a first level frame on a soft rein - the ultimate of self carriage. And to ride a very good western horse well? That’s a lot of work as well - just different. I’m dabbling in 5-gaited saddlebreds right now. And I’m using the dressage techniques I know from bending to driving with my seat (the seat is far more similiar than you might think.) And to ride that well is hard as well - far harder than I ever would have guessed.

Point is? To ride any discipline WELL is hard, takes work, good training and incredible decidcation. To lambast another discipline because you think it’s easier and dressage is harder is exactly why dressage is losing numbers. And why I don’t show dressage anymore.

The most amazing thing, was when I talk to people in other disciplines, I’m told, and I quote, 'people who can’t do anything else ride dressage.

Perception is everything when building a sport.

[atr]

[QUOTE=SillyHorse;6711452]
Well, if you can get judged by an “R” or even “S” judge for around 1/5 the cost of doing a recognized show and don’t care about going to regionals, schooling shows are a great way to go. Not your cup of tea, but it works for many, many people.[/QUOTE]

If you can, that’s great. But around here we have 3 L judges who judge every single schooling show. All of whom I know well and 2 of whom I used to train with… So, the reason I show recognized is to get a broader perspective on what I’m doing.

[mishmash]

[QUOTE=mbm;6714757]
heck, they could have TD available on chat on an iphone ap. that way the TD could be available for a wide swath of shows at the same time.

i also agree that having a paramedic on site is a bit much…[/QUOTE]

Most shows do not have a Paramedic on standby-costs would go up if they did. They staff with an EMT. And the EMT sleeps all day because he/she just came off a 24 hour shift…

[mbm]

[QUOTE=Thoroughbred1201;6714965]
Um. Wow. I’ve ridden dressage seriously. Shown recognized as well. I’ve also ridden Hunters seriously. 40+ years for both. Yes, Dressage is hard. But so is Hunters. Nothing like a first level frame on a soft rein - the ultimate of self carriage. And to ride a very good western horse well? That’s a lot of work as well - just different. I’m dabbling in 5-gaited saddlebreds right now. And I’m using the dressage techniques I know from bending to driving with my seat (the seat is far more similiar than you might think.) And to ride that well is hard as well - far harder than I ever would have guessed.

Point is? To ride any discipline WELL is hard, takes work, good training and incredible decidcation. To lambast another discipline because you think it’s easier and dressage is harder is exactly why dressage is losing numbers. And why I don’t show dressage anymore.

The most amazing thing, was when I talk to people in other disciplines, I’m told, and I quote, 'people who can’t do anything else ride dressage.

Perception is everything when building a sport.[/QUOTE]

first of all i wasn’t talking about anything other than western dressage… second of all - i agree there are a LOT of folks that “do” dressage because they are too afraid to do anything else.

however, that doesn’t change the fact that riding and training dressage correctly and well is hard… and the most important thing is a very good trainer - which most folks lack.

and those folks that feel like they cant get anywhere in dressage will probably vear off to western dressage which appears to be a very different beast.

[paulaedwina]

Indeed, WD is very different; instead of walk trot canter it’s walk jog lope. Instead of a dressage saddle it’s any kind of saddle as long as it’s western fenders. Instead of dressage test there are dressage tests. Instead of horses there are horses. Instead of people interested in learning the art of good riding there are people who are merely interested in the art of good riding.

Paula

[yaya]

[QUOTE=mbm;6714757]
heck, they could have TD available on chat on an iphone ap. that way the TD could be available for a wide swath of shows at the same time.[/QUOTE]

That’s a good idea, but we don’t have reliable cell service where our shows are held (you have to be very lucky to get a signal). And one facility doesn’t even have a land line.

[poltroon]

[QUOTE=yaya;6715677]
That’s a good idea, but we don’t have reliable cell service where our shows are held (you have to be very lucky to get a signal). And one facility doesn’t even have a land line.[/QUOTE]

I think, though, that we can figure out a way to adapt to all the multiple possibilities. Some shows have minimal phone service and are 45 minutes from emergency services. Some shows are within Los Angeles city limits. Some show grounds are next door to the firehouse. If we can walk back to our service goal, maybe we can find smarter and less expensive ways to meet it.

[Boomer]

[QUOTE=Thoroughbred1201;6714965]
…
Point is? To ride any discipline WELL is hard, takes work, good training and incredible decidcation. To lambast another discipline because you think it’s easier and dressage is harder is exactly why dressage is losing numbers. And why I don’t show dressage anymore. …[/QUOTE]

Funny in a way. I guess it’s human nature to think whatever chosen event we want to do is the “hardest”- I was watching reining the other night on HRTV and they were interviewing a guy who was at the top and he said “reining is like dressage except with a higher degree of difficulty”…

[mp]

[QUOTE=Boomer;6716119]
Funny in a way. I guess it’s human nature to think whatever chosen event we want to do is the “hardest”- I was watching reining the other night on HRTV and they were interviewing a guy who was at the top and he said “reining is like dressage except with a higher degree of difficulty”…:D[/QUOTE]

That is pretty funny.

I don’t consider my experience all that wide-ranging, but I’ve ridden and competed in three disciplines and dabbled in one or two more. And I’ve found that dressage requires the most concentrated effort to get it right. By far.

[mbm]

[QUOTE=paulaedwina;6715580]
Indeed, WD is very different; instead of walk trot canter it’s walk jog lope. Instead of a dressage saddle it’s any kind of saddle as long as it’s western fenders. Instead of dressage test there are dressage tests. Instead of horses there are horses. Instead of people interested in learning the art of good riding there are people who are merely interested in the art of good riding.

Paula[/QUOTE]

i am not going to go down this road further than to say:

riding a horse well forward/active/on the aids/ in the classical german style is hard work both for the horse and the rider. it is poetry in motion when done well but doing it well is challenging - in a very different way that jogging and loping around.

dressage will lose those folks who have a hard time with the amount of forward activity needed to do well - and that is fine. But to say that western “dressage” is the same as real dressage is silly - it is not. its like saying dressage is just like jumping except we dont jump

oh and fwiw, in my over 40 years of riding experience i have done western/4H/backyard f’n around/bareback/gymkhana/eventing/and now dressage (for the last 15 years i guess) dressage is the hardest of anything i have ever done. it is very difficult to do well. (and by well i mean to train in a manner that produces harmony and a lovely ride for the horse and rider etc)

[Thoroughbred1201]

[QUOTE=Boomer;6716119]
Funny in a way. I guess it’s human nature to think whatever chosen event we want to do is the “hardest”- I was watching reining the other night on HRTV and they were interviewing a guy who was at the top and he said “reining is like dressage except with a higher degree of difficulty”…:D[/QUOTE]

LOL. Exactly. Everybody is convinced that what they do is far harder, and far more complex than any other discipline.

Some disciplines, however, keep that to themselves, and don’t shove the feeling that they are ‘superior’ into everybody else’s face. Again, in my own personal opinion, this is why dressage is losing numbers. Lack of tact, LOL.

[Perfect_Pony]

Its ridiculous to make blanket statements. So much depends on the horse, your experience, hell even your physical build! I lost 25lbs and my dressage seat improved immensely.

One of the hardest things I have ever tried to do on a horse was pilot a huge moving, back cracking horse around a 3’ hunter course! Riding a naturally forward, naturally round and balanced horse with easy to sit gaits around a dressage court is easy.

[MysticOakRanch]

ANY discipline at the lower levels is relatively easy - that is why they are LOWER levels. You can dabble in any discipline and think it is fun and easier then dressage - but I guarantee the people who come dabble at Training/First level dressage are thinking how easy it is too.

I do agree, dressage is hard - once you have to start working in collection it is hard for the rider, hard for the horse - but I also guarantee that an advanced reining pattern is hard (as is the training to get there), and navigating and surviving an advanced cross country course is damn hard too! Jumping a 3 foot course may be no-big-deal, but try a meter 6 and come back and tell me it is so easy:eek:

Sorry, while I agree our discipline is hard, I don’t think we have cornered the market on hardest! Personally, I think advanced 3 day has everyone beat, and combined driving is probably close behind:lol:

[Thoroughbred1201]

[QUOTE=MysticOakRanch;6716756]
ANY discipline at the lower levels is relatively easy - that is why they are LOWER levels. You can dabble in any discipline and think it is fun and easier then dressage - but I guarantee the people who come dabble at Training/First level dressage are thinking how easy it is too.

I do agree, dressage is hard - once you have to start working in collection it is hard for the rider, hard for the horse - but I also guarantee that an advanced reining pattern is hard (as is the training to get there), and navigating and surviving an advanced cross country course is damn hard too! Jumping a 3 foot course may be no-big-deal, but try a meter 6 and come back and tell me it is so easy:eek:

Sorry, while I agree our discipline is hard, I don’t think we have cornered the market on hardest! Personally, I think advanced 3 day has everyone beat, and combined driving is probably close behind:lol:[/QUOTE]

This! Middle to upper level 3-day completely intimidates me. I’d never have the guts. Not only do you have to be good at dressage, but then both you and your horse have to be brave enough for Cross Country and accurate enough for show jumping. I can’t imagine having the discipline (and fitness and skill) to do just one of those WELL, much less the concentration for all three. Then, the sheer amount of horse.

An upper level dressage horse can be like sitting on C4, but add to it something fit enough for cross country? Geez. They have my absolute respect.

[paulaedwina]

Indeed, if we’re going to have a weeing contest I’d say massive respect to upper level 3-day eventer gods.

Paula

[Dune]

[QUOTE=exvet;6714382]
I’ve never understood why someone would go to all the trouble to prepare the horse, trailer the horse, get dressed up (even if it’s just a clean pair of breeches and a polo shirt), braid, whatever to go to a schooling show.

LOL Oh Dune…I think you know how competitive I am and the amount I show (as well as the number of horses). As many have pointed out it’s a sheer luxury, all of it. I get to fewer recognized shows each year now both due to the economy and because I have less help in the way of grunt work. It’s really hard to take even two horses on your own let alone 4. All these years I have always supported the schooling shows as well as the recognized shows. I do go to all the trouble of getting my backside to a schooling show because while the scores don’t count I do not have a full-size dressage arena at home. Simple fact. When you have a 13 hand pony, amongst others, that loooong diagonal does make a difference and it’s worth practicin’ even if it’s just to build up wind <wink>. I do haul out to lessons but a schooling show gives me the opportunity to get the entire show string out to a full size arena, sometimes with a rated judge to SCHOOL. It’s the same expense actually for me to do so as it would be if I hauled out to a local facility to use their dressage arena because of the facility use fees per horse. I also back/start all of mine and I find the schooling shows a bit less daunting to take an unpredictable entity to. For all of mine, if I’m working through an issue that seems to be brought on by the show atmosphere (stallion scared to death of other horses unless he’s suppose to breed them), well a schooling show is a less expensive to work through those bugaboos. So while you choose not to, and I respect that, some of us try to juggle “it all” in every aspect of our lives. I will continue to school and practice at the schooling shows and cut way back on recognized shows this coming year. In fact I’m pretty sure I will only get to two more recognized shows this year for a total of 3 (compared to 5 in 2012, 6 in 2011, 8 in 2010 and to really make the point, 12 each in 2002 - 2006 ).[/QUOTE]

HA! Exvet, you’re too funny…I actually thought of you after posting! You are one of the few who seem to make the most of the schooling show experience and you go to the recognized shows as well. From what you’ve shared, your scores are comparable at both types of shows as well, so you are taking something away from the schooling show experience. YOU are not the norm, however, and I mean that in the nicest way possible. <smile/wink> I think that if you’re an ammy with a lifetime horse, or maybe one that is limited/older, you just want to have some fun, then schooling shows are fine. But if that horse is going to be for sale at some point, or you want to see how your horse really stacks up, the recognized shows are the way to go. I think maybe a combination of the two may indeed be the ticket for a lot of folks, I know I’ve found my little method and it works for me, but each to his/her own…

[mbm]

pssst… i didnt say dressage was the hardest - i said doing it well is hard work… and that you cant compare jogging and loping around (aka western dressage) with riding well at dressage.

and fwiw, i used to think dressage was easy - but that was before i actually started really getting how much i didn’t know.

[paulaedwina]

I understood and others did to. We still disagree -just about any of these disciplines done well is hard work. Dressage doesn’t have a corner on it. And yes, you can compare it to other sports.

Jeez.
Paula

[CFFarm]

Talk to a TB jockey and they will tell you what they do in the “hardest” until you talk to a steeplechase rider…

[exvet]

YOU are not the norm, however, and I mean that in the nicest way possible. <smile/wink> I think that if you’re an ammy with a lifetime horse, or maybe one that is limited/older, you just want to have some fun, then schooling shows are fine. But if that horse is going to be for sale at some point, or you want to see how your horse really stacks up, the recognized shows are the way to go.

AH Shucks! Well I’m sure it comes as no surprise to you that I was often referred to as Abby in school for Abby normal <wink> I do see your point and don’t really argue with it. It’s just that I also see the “other” side and with the second kid going to college, well, schooling shows continue to look more and more appealing. They don’t pay us Humane Society vets all that much and with 9 horses to feed, the announcement we just got in our GMO newsletter that entry fees are going up yet again definitely has curbed my taste for recognized shows.