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Sport Horse Training from starting the horse under saddle to advanced training in both jumping eventing and dressage. Horses are trained based on the "dressage pyramid". We strive to produce happy and healthy horses with a good work ethic and a strong foundation. To achieve this we not only work horses in the arena but take them out on our many trails and cross country courses as part of the regular training sessions weather allowing. As an extra bonus horses in training have the opportunity to participate in our shows and clinics. All fees include first class care of your horse
The dressage training scale is like a pyramid, with the most basic element 'rhythm' providing the foundation, and the ultimate element 'collection' at the pinnacle. The pyramid consists of six fundamental elements of horse training, with one “kindergarten” element that precedes these six. They are introduction, rhythm and regularity, relaxation, contact, impulsion, straightness, and collection. Collection, the topmost element, is the ideal that all upper level dressage horses strive for, and is not reached by many horses due to conformation, training inconsistencies, or unwillingness to work for it. That is why there are only a handful of dressage competitors at the international level, compared to the number of horses in the world today. The Introductory ElementBefore a horse can be ridden and shown, he must be introduced to his stall, his schedule, his tack, a lunge line, being handled daily, and many other essentials to being a horse in work. It is part of the grouping “familiarization and habituation” for these reasons.
Rhythm refers to a horse’s regularity of gait, such as a two-beat rhythm in the trot or three-beat rhythm of his canter. His tempo (speed) may increase or decrease depending on what is being asked of him, but his rhythm should be natural and regular, like a metronome. Rhythm is crucial to further development of athleticism because it is the foundation of pure gaits. Quality gaits are of good rhythm, and will allow the horse to progress in his training. Rhythm is also part of the “familiarization and habituation” grouping.
In order for the horse to be able to work to his optimum and happily, he must be relaxed. Relaxed horses are confident and engaged in their work, not bored, sluggish, tense, or nervous. Boredom, sluggishness, tenseness, and nervousness can interfere with the horse’s brain-to-muscle function, and cause him to not perform well. Relaxed horses are able to perform with rhythm and regularity. Relaxation is part of both the “familiarization and habituation” group and the “development of pushing power (also known as impulsion)” group.
Contact is the term used to describe a horse and rider who are well-connected from hind end to bit, coming through the horse’s back and rider’s body. A horse on the contact is easily visible due to the rounded-up appearance of his back just behind the saddle pad, which suggests he is rounding his back and stepping well underneath himself, and has an arch to his neck with his face on the vertical. The rider feels as if she has an arched bow under her, ready to spring. A horse, not the rider, should take the contact. Contact is part of the “familiarization and habituation” group and the “development of pushing power” group.
Impulsion means “pushing power.” A horse has good impulsion when he steps well under himself with his hind legs, and creates more suspension in his stride because of it. He combines forward moving with upward moving. A horse with poor impulsion generally responds to aids slowly, and does not have much forward energy. The impulsion element is part of the “development of pushing power” group and also the beginning of the “development of carrying power” group.
Straightness can be tough to imagine in horseback riding. A horse traveling on a straight line should have a straight spine: head directly in front of shoulders, shoulders directly in front of hindquarters. On a circle, however, a horse is “straight” when his body aligns in a bend to match the bend of the circle. Although this seems simple, a horse with natural sidedness and crookedness (like most humans) will contort into non-aligned ways when asked to go straight (i.e. popping out a shoulder, carrying haunches in). Straightness takes a lot of work to develop. This element is part of the “development of pushing power” grouping and also the “development of carrying power” grouping.
The ultimate goal in dressage riding, collection is achieved when the horse carries more of his weight on his hind legs than his front. To achieve this redistribution, all of the previous elements must be well-founded. They ultimately lead up to the horse being able to position his hind legs closer together and further underneath his body, allowing him to carry more body weight on them. A rhythmic, relaxed horse with contact and impulsion, who has developed straightness throughout his education, is a good candidate for accomplishing collection. Collection is part of the “development of carrying power” grouping, because the horse is able to carry his weight on the strongest part of his body: the hind end. The levels of dressage competition stem from this training pyramid. The stages (familiarization and habituation, development of pushing power, and development of carrying power) show what each element is striving to achieve, and give trainers a “big-picture” ideal to work towards. Manager: Lena Warner |
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