Rev Up Your Dressage Scores
Lesson
Four
What It All
Means
The “consensus” is:
the single best tip to rev-up your dressage scores is to “understand” what the
movements and scores actually mean.
We have discussed
where you need to be in the arena, and what you need to do to rev-up scores….
but what does it all mean? Just what is
expected and how is it all judged?
UNDERSTANDING THE BASIC MOVEMENTS OF THE HORSE
First and foremost,
the dressage horse has to have three natural gaits: walk, trot and canter.
Walk -
A clear "four-beat" gait with footfalls following one another.
Trot - A "two-beat" gait where diagonal leg pairs move
simultaneously followed by a moment of suspension.
Canter - This is a "three-beat" gait where one hind leg
strikes off (one beat) the opposite and diagonal foreleg (second beat) move
together, and the leading foreleg follows (third beat). There is a moment when both hind feet are off
the ground at the same time…a moment of suspension.
Within each of
these gaits there are several things asked of the horse as you move up the
levels. These would be collection,
working, medium and lengthen/extension paces within these gaits.
Collection - Improves the horse's balance and equilibrium as he engages
his hindquarters improving his ride-ability through self carriage and
lightness.
The horse remains
"on the bit" with the neck raised and arched with the poll at the
highest point. The horse's strides are shorter, but he maintains his rhythm.
Working - This pace falls between the collected and medium gait. The
gait shows proper balance and the horse remains on the bit and moves forward
with even elastic steps. Normally,
“working” is the horse’s natural movement within that gait…the movement with
which he is most comfortable. The other
paces within each gait derive from “working” as you collect or lengthen the
horse. As all horses are individuals,
the paces within the gaits are specific to that particular horse.
Medium - The pace between working and extension at the trot and
canter or between the collected and extended walk. Medium shows a moderately lengthened stride
with impulsion.
Extension - The horse covers as much ground as possible within a given
gait, thus demonstrating greater impulsion. He should not be faster, but is
longer striding. His nose should be in
FRONT of the vertical.
Free
Walk - The horse lowers and stretches his head and neck
illustrating complete relaxation with a non-restricted walk and a loose,
swinging back.
A
few other variations of gaits in the middle and upper levels are:
Passage - This
is a very collected, cadenced trot that is characterized by elevated movement
of the knees and hocks, as well as a defined engagement of the quarters. The
toe of the raised foreleg should come to the middle of the cannon bone of the
opposing foreleg. The horse should remain calmly on the bit with a raised
arched neck and head close to vertical. The poll should be the highest point of
the arch.
Piaffe
- This diagonal movement is highly
collected and cadenced as with the passage; however, it is done "in
place." The horse's raised foreleg should again be raised to the middle of
the opposing foreleg's cannon bone. The raised hind toe should be slightly
above the fetlock joint of the opposing hind leg. The piaffe
should always remain lively and animated with the horse's body moving up and
down in a relaxed, supple and cadenced manner. As with passage, the horse's
neck should be arched with his head in the vertical position.
Counter
Canter - Cantering deliberately on the lead
opposing the circle direction (i.e. - right lead canter while riding a circle
to the left or vice versa). This is often used to balance the horse because he
is maintaining his natural flexion at the poll to the outside of the circle and
positioned to the side of the leading leg.
Simple
change of Lead - The
horse is taken to a walk or trot
from a left-lead canter, for example, and then asked to depart on a right lead
canter.
Flying
change of Lead – The horse is asked to change his
lead without changing gait. The request
to change leads is made just before the moment of suspension, and the horse
changes while both hind feet are elevated.
This can be executed on every stride or any stride.
Transitions -
An upward or downward change of gait or pace at a given time/marker. These should not be abrupt, and the horse
should remain calm and maintain position.
All transitions should be performed with the rider’s leg gently
supporting him, especially in the down transitions.
Movements throughout the testing
levels:
Change of Direction -
The horse changes the bend of his body as he changes the direction in which he
is traveling. The horse should maintain
his pace without resisting or losing his rhythm.
Rein Back -
The horse moves backward in a straight line by moving legs in diagonal
pairs. This is asked by the rider
sending the horse forward into an unyielding hand which sets a barrier to
forward movement. The rider continues to
ask for movement which results in the horse moving backward. The horse’s neck and back should rise while
he moves backward.
Halt - The
horse stops all movement with all four feet equally balanced underneath
himself. The rider makes the request to
halt by pushing the horse into an unyielding hand. The horse should remain relaxed, attentive,
straight, and on the bit.
Leg Yield - The
horse exhibits a slight flexion of the poll away from the direction he is
traveling. The inside legs should cross in front of the outside legs with the
rider being able to see just the inside eyebrow and nostril. This movement is
the precursor to the shoulder-in and half pass seen in the more advanced tests.
The horse should remain supple and relaxed during the execution of this
movement.
Serpentine - The
horse performs half circles followed by straight lines. The horse should be parallel to the short side of the arena as
he crosses the center line.
Volte
- This is a 6, 8 or 10 meter circle. The term “circle”
is used only if the diameter is greater than 10 meters.
Shoulder-In - The horse’s forehand should be slightly bent around the rider's
inside leg, away from the direction of movement - (approximately 30 degrees) in
collected trot. The outside front leg should move over and track in front of
the inside hind leg. The inside hind leg
should remain on the same track as the outside foreleg, thus stepping under the
horse's body as he moves. The horse should be traveling on 3-tracks and
maintain his cadence as he moves.
Travers - The horse’s hindquarters is bent around the rider's inside leg,
but with a 35-degree angle of bend so the horse travels on 4-tracks. Travers is performed at either the collected
trot or collected canter with the forehand remaining on the track. The
hindquarters leave the track while performing the travers
and are not returned to the track until the end of the travers. Upon returning
to the track, there should be no counter flexion of the poll or neck. In this
movement, the head will remain closest to the outside of the arena or wall.
Renvers
- This is the opposite of the travers with the tail remaining closest to the outside of
the arena or wall.
Half Pass - The horse bends slightly around the rider's inside leg with the
forehand moving slightly in advance of the hind quarters as the horse travels
across the diagonal. The outside legs pass in front of the inside legs and the
horse is looking forward and does not look toward the diagonal path. The horse
should maintain his elasticity, cadence and impulsion throughout the execution
of the movement.
Turn on the
Haunches - This movement is similar
to the pirouette in that the horse's forelegs move around the horse's hind
legs.
Pirouette - This movement is generally performed at the collected walk or
canter where the horse's forehand circles around the hind limbs at a distance
equal to the length of the horse. The horse should be slightly bent in the
direction that he is traveling. He should remain "on the bit" and
maintain his cadence. The horse should not deviate from his direction by moving
backwards or sideways. This movement can
also be performed as a half pirouette or quarter pirouette.
The
Half – Halt - The
half-halt is a nearly invisible, simultaneous action of the hand, seat and legs
used to capture the horse's attention and regain balance. The secret to effective half-halts is balance
of the aids. If the rider applies too much leg, the horse will drive forward
through the hand and come over the bit. If too much hand is applied, the horse
will lose momentum. Applying the aids in appropriate order and in balance with
each other will result in an effective half-halt and well balanced, collected
horse.
How to Execute the Half-Halt
Apply leg aid to send the horse forward
– do not lean back. Apply outside hand
by closing the fist. Pulse your inside
hand by closing and opening the fingers gently.
Release aids and praise!
I
like to think of it this way: push (with seat/leg), soften (the hand), relax (the body.
When to use the Half-Halt
It
is very important that the horse be sensitive to both the leg and rein aids. He
must also be accepting and reaching for the bit. Only then should the rider
focus on requesting the half-halt to attain the following:
·
To capture the horse's attention
·
To slow the tempo
·
To achieve lighter contact
·
To increase collection
·
To improve cadence
Each
of the above reasons improves the horse's balance. Half-halts can be used as
needed so long as appropriate releases and praise are used. Think of them as the clutch of a car, and use
a half-halt to signal:
·
Change of speed
·
Change
of direction
·
Change of gait
Common
Errors in Execution
·
Too much leg
·
Too much hand
·
Bad Timing
·
Pulling on reins or See-sawing
To understand the
reason of the movements you must know a little about the “Dressage Training
Scale”. It is considered the foundation
on which subsequent levels are built. This training structure is outlined in
the illustration.
Everyone should
start at the base of the scale.
It is the standard
around the world.
This structure serves only as a template for training the horse.
As a horse progresses through its training, the levels must be mastered to
support the improvement of the upper levels.
Each level of the training scale is complementary to the next.
Within each level,
there are a series of graduated tests increasing in difficulty.
The levels are:
Training, First, Second, Third, Fourth, Prix St. Georges, Intermediate I,
Intermediate II, Grand Prix.
Dressage tests serve as a measure of the horse and rider’s
schooling. Each level builds upon the preceding level. A horse and rider should not consider
progressing to the next level until sufficient mastery of the current level is
demonstrated by attaining a 60 percent or better score in all areas. This helps
ensure that the horse and rider build the strong foundation required for the
skills needed at higher levels.
The overall dressage score is comprised of individual movement
scores, as well as collective marks. Coefficients are also applied to add an
element of importance to certain movements. Scores are calculated using a 0-10
scoring scale, which is broken down as follows:
·
0 - Not Executed
·
1 - Very Bad
·
2 - Bad
·
3 - Fairly Bad
·
4 - Insufficient
·
5 - Sufficient
·
6 - Satisfactory
·
7 - Fairly Good
·
8 - Good
·
9 - Very Good
·
10 - Excellent
Collective marks are
given after the rider has completed his/her test. These marks are also based on
the 0-10 scoring scale and consider gaits, impulsion, submission and the
rider’s position and seat; they are the marks of the horse and rider combined.
The following describes
each element:
Gaits: The freedom and regularity of the horse’s movement.
Impulsion: The
horse’s desire to move forward, elasticity of steps, roundness.
Submission: The
horse’s attention and confidence; harmony with rider, lightness of movements, and
acceptance of the bit.
Rider’s seat and position: Correctness
and effectiveness of aids.
Because of the
pyramid style training structure used in dressage, it is imperative that each
level of dressage is performed at least “satisfactory” before moving to the
next level. Inadequate preparation at lower levels will result in a decreased
level of performance and possible injury to the horse when attempting to
perform upper level movements.
Receiving poor
marks on a dressage test can be upsetting, but you must realize that it is only
an analysis of where you are at that time.
Use the analysis to improve the areas mentioned by the judge. The judge has no idea how well you and your
horse perform at home. The judge can
only grade what is seen in that particular test.
Take all scores as
information and opportunity. The idea is
to improve your foundation so you’ll reach your “success goals.”
The judge does not
want to see horses and riders fail, but rather see horse and rider achieve the
desired level of success. The judge’s
comments will help you rev-up your dressage scores if they are taken as
positive guides to your success.
The
judges will be looking at how your horse moves and how he performs the actions
requested.
Dressage
scoring is really based on the ease and efficiency of the horse’s
movement. Dressage judges do not want to
see a western jog or lope, nor Saddle Seat leg movements.
Just
what do they want to see?
Judges
want to see things such as: the haunches being propelled from the hips and not
the hocks. Over-use of the hocks will
bring your score down. Horses which
over-use their hocks are telling the judge they have incorrect posture, or
perhaps an injured or tight back, and the judge will
note that in his or her scoring of the horse’s movement.
Judges
don’t want to see “high stepping” horses.
It is a popular misconception that a high-knee stepper is correct. High knees may look flashy and pretty to some
people, but in dressage, the judge will see it as incorrect and inefficient movement.
Dressage
judges are looking for very specific movements, and your horse must provide it
if you are to attain high scores. If the
horse doesn’t have natural ease and efficiency in movement, there is little you
can do.
Evaluate
your horse as a judge does. Look for
haunches that are propelling him forward and that his knee action is not
exaggerated. The horse’s shoulders should be working to help send his forelegs
in long elegant strides, not marching-style with knees coming up to his chest.
The
judging of a dressage horse centers on the use and shape of the horse’s
back. The back is the bridge that
connects forehand and hindquarters. You
must be sure to work your horse so his back is raised.
If
the hips, shoulders and back cannot work together, the whole system breaks
down. Your judge will reflect the system
breakdown in your scores under submission, willingness and sometimes as
possible lameness if gaits are negatively affected.
Above
all else, the judge wants to see the hindquarters as the driving force, which
when correctly activated, guides the horse into balance and lightness.
If
you want to rev-up your dressage scores, learn as much as you can about helping
the dressage horse to attain ease and efficiency of movement. The course, Dressage: Foundation for All
Riding Disciplines will help you polish and refine your horse’s
movement.
Assignment:
TASK
1. Study the Dressage Training Scale; please send
a few lines about your interpretation of the different levels.
TASK TWO:
2. What are your horse's strong and weak points
regarding movement? How do you plan on
improving the weak points?
Please send report to: angietlr@gmail.com