Classical Dressage Art in Motion

For me the close of summer heralds an end to a busy coaching season in the North East and like most clinicians the Fall months will keep me extra busy as riders recover from their exhibitions in the arena and come back to full schooling mode.  A select few students have qualified for the National championships, others are wrapping up their season at Dressage at Devon. For the majority of competitors the expens es of the show season hang heavily on the annual budget but the barn is bright with ribbons of a variety of colors demonstrating to all their sojourn into t he world of the sport of dressage. If the show season did not go as well as you had hoped this is a great time to reflect and take stock of a few key ingredients that you may have been missing in your quest for success. Here is a list of thoughts to consider before you trot down the center line again. Did I prepare my horse properly for the task I set? Most importantly was he 100 % sound? Was he 100% fit an...

Politics rage on as usual apparently. I cannot believe that Princess Haya was endorsed as FEI President given her connection through her husband ( Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum) who was marked at the center of the endurance racing scandal. The stories of horse deaths and blatant rule breaking have rightfully highlighted the equestrian world to a much larger audience and here we are, as protectors of the horse or so we claim, allowing this endorsement to happen. Although let's face it, the FEI never seem to take much notice of what the competitor thinks. The meeting of course includes very few actual riders or competitors although at the recent meeting Ludger Beerbaum was present and brought up several good points about warm up footing and the star rating system of Event Classification. Poor old Rolex, banished in favor of Longines does not even warrant a mention for all their sponsorship of the European World Cup in the past. Not smart is it? A sponsor like Rolex who h...