Symposium New York 2008 October 18-19
Summary of category " "Compte-rendus"
Posted Tue, 28/10/2008 - 00:00
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Symposium New York 2008 October 18-19 |
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“How can we assure the future of Dressage competition ? written by Madeleine Debure
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The Friday before the symposium, Klaus Balkenhol and the Colonel Carde gave lessons all day. On this side of the ocean, the Colonel is known to unlock the forehand ; once again he did more than a miracle ( !). |
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He was laying stress on the importance to do the lateral flexion before the direct flexion. The quality of gaits and the balance improved considerably. Especially with a gorgeous german warmblood who arrived on the forehand : after some flexions, the Colonel gave some advice to the rider (« don’t use the curve rein », « open the frame ») and we were able to enjoy the sight of a different horse : the forehand was light, the hind legs gained activity and the horse that was moaning before, started to breath, his nose started to make a nice rythmic sound.
Also a rider from Bettina Drummont, Kim Walnes : very pleasant ride, the horse was gently chewing his bit in a constant and elastic contact. The Colonel helped her to work more collected, from the ground and then undersaddle. Work toward the piaffe.
Notes from other lessons : « if the horse is pulling it means that he doesn’t like the contact we’re offering him » ; importance of the half-halt to get a better balance ; « impulsion is like a balloon that you are filling with air : nothing should come out of it, especially when you slow the rythm down or shift to the slower gait » ; « progress in horse riding is not a matter of centimeters, rather of millimeters ».
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The Symposium |
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Due to a computer problem, instead of the Colonel, it is Gerd Heuschmann who opened the symposium. It is better, comments the Colonel because the veterinarian is giving the biomecanical keys to understand the working horse, and to compare the classical riding to the main stream dressage competitions riding.
Heuschmann insists on the « big political aspect behind every classical talk because it is a different riding than what we see in competition ». With a lot of wit and humor, he explains and comments on his book, Tug of war, Classical dressage versus Modern training : the effects of different work type on the squeletton, the muscles, joints and ligaments. « The definition of a good riding is a supple back, not a raised back ». « The neck has to be as long as possible, relatively to the angle of the frame » : « if you shorten the neck, it is another part of the body that has to carry the weight of the body and then you create tensions. It is the joint and the ligaments that have to cope with this excess of weight/tensions. » « If you work on a short neck, you are giving up the possibility to work with the back of the horse », hence all the problem of rythm. He remembers a 13 years old Grand Prix whose back « was as hard as a table ».
The rollkur supporters objects that it is the abdominals muscles that carry the weight of the horse : Heuschmann admits it may be true, but « only at the halt », « abdominals are for movements ». In classical riding, you ask the contact from behind, you don’t take it : « it is the horse who creates the contact, not you ». Heuschmann was not shy to present pictures and emphasizes that they are pictures of champions that are admired every days. He based his critics in older books, for example The Way to perfect horsemanship by Udo Bürger (Vollendete Reitkunst, 1966). Longing fo the military era, when horses were started on the trails, without asking nothing more but carrying the rider ; with principles such as « three rides a week for a three year old, four for a four year old… (Army Regulation, Heeresdienstvorschrift, 1912). « It is important to have days-off to leave the young body recover from the new tensions generated by his new work ». - 4 beats canter
- one foot on the ground at the trot
- broken diagonal in the swinging phase of the trot
- lateral walk
« Stiffness is stiffness even if the FEI judges say the contrary : look at this tail ! » (picture of a tensed tail in a CDI).
When Rembrand got the olympic gold, a german magazine make a whole page on describing everything that was wrong in his tests.
« The dressage horse of our time has a hollowed back ».
Heuschmann speak raised applauses many times, like when he showed a picture of Sydney winner and comments « you can win a Grand Prix without collection ; it has nothing to do with dressage » ; or when he refers to the bad use of the curb rein : « it is abuse, it is not dressage ».
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Colonel Carde then made a presentation where he analyzed meticulously the rules of the FEI (art. 419 and 401). He admitted that, like every important texts, the rulebook can raise some interpretation issues – like for example on the different definition of contact between French and German – but no matter what : « lightness stays the same ».
Carde stated all the breaks to the rules, like the fact that poll is no longer the highest point or the absence of a soft and light contact. « Few could compete in the Olympics if they were given the notes they deserve. » « Today, one can hardly tell what is wrong and what is good ». Another approval from the public when the Colonel regretted that some « divas express tendentious opinions » ; including this quote from Van Grusven « My problem is not classical riding, but winning medals ». The Colonel was not tender either when commenting the « catastrophical results » and « irreversible mental and physical damages » of such thinking.
The Colonel quoted J. Le Goff, who, refering to the eventing world ten years ago, complained that everyone was riding the same way, and that, to know what country the rider was from, you could only look for the flag on the coat. Carde to add : « why not also in dressage ? I wouldn’t mind, but only if it was good riding that respect the FEI rules ».
The Colonel then emphasized on the heritage of National Riding School and hoped that competition will not eventually mitigate their importance.
The presentation ended on pragmatical recommendations :
- make judges more credible
- make sure that judges do not give too many clinics, « because it is not healthy » (an idea he already submitted to the FEI – awaiting a feedback)
- gather riders around the Schools and their principles
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The afternoon, Klaus Balkenhol gave lessons, always bringing up the notion of time and patience. He successively and successfully worked with a three years old, a four, then five and six years old. He regretted that on the auctions catalogs, three years old are already shown in piaffe : « these horses already look eight years old, it is not good ».
The skills and the eye of the olympic trainer were impressive : some brief and calm indications were enhancing the quality of a gait, of an exercice. Always, he encouraged the rider to lengthen the reins and to strecht the horse. Balkenhol pointed out the necessity to be always switching from a collected frame to an extended neck.
All the way through the demos, Balkenhol paused and asked participations from Heuschmann and Carde : what they were thinking, what they would do, making the clinics all the more interesting and unique. Here Heuschmann would blame the horse to still be a tiny bit under the vertical, there, he would ask for more suppleness and activity from the hind legs ; « it has to be the main idea behind dressage, which has to be a gymnastic », concluded Balkenhol.
At the end of the working session of the three year old, the public could witness a complete change in the quality of the walk, that was tense and uneven when he entered the arena. After fifteen minutes of relaxing work, Balkenhol happily admited : « Now he’ll be getting a 9 ! » ; a judge in the public shouted « but why not a 10 ?! what is missing ? » (applauses) ; the german master to answer simply « a better connexion with the hand ».
The five year old work was maybe the most eloquent : the horse came in with a noticeable hollow back and throughout the session, he became considerably rounder and started to engage with his hind legs. To enable this, the Colonel had to correct the excessive tightness of the noseband (precaution that pleasingly kept showing up from either the three masters all through the rest of the week end). Then, on Balkenhol advice, the rider lenghten her reins, especially the curb one, soften her hands, concentrate in getting the contact from behind and not from the hands and open the frame : she successfully obtain far better gaits from her horse. Balkenhol ended by reminding that a horse should never be a slave and that « the problem is never the horse, always the rider ».
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The Colonel’s lessons ended the day : work on the lunge line, in hand and undersaddle. Importance of the lunge line to supple the horse in a gentle manner and to spot any disconforts. Someone in the audience ask if at any moment of the life of the horse, the Colonel uses side-reins : the answer was a no and received big applauses.
Benefit of the work in hand is to have a more connected horse, to help him to understand more easily. Lateral flexions demonstrations : « always start with lateral flexions, only after can you ask for the direct flexion ». « If the horse answers to a lateral flexion by a direct flexion, it is a resistance ».
On a horse a little bit on the forehand, the Colonel stop the rider and, from the ground, ask for some flexions ; then ask the rider to work with a more open frame : the balance is automaticaly corrected, sensibly enhanced : the public applauded.
Work with a irish-connemara crossed, a stallion : horse with a relaxed jaw, gently chewing his bit, soft and permanent contact. Klaus Balkenhol admits the quality of the work, cheers : « You are a terrible friend ! » and congratulates the rider : « we should see more horses like that on the warm-ups » - again, the public applauded.
Work at the piaffe with another horse : the Colonel helped with a whip. Importance to stay straight and active : « the difficulty in collected work is to ask a slow down and not to loose any activity – what is contradictory for the horse ». « It is a matter of understanding : if the rider is not precise then he cannot obtain anything from his horse ».
With the same horse, the Colonel worked to collect the canter by narrowing the circle very progressively : importance of keeping the hind legs active, with someone on the ground if necessary. In these two exercices, Carde insisted on the moderation you have to keep in mind : to be pleased with very little, to stop the exercice as soon as there is the beginning of an answer, then keep on, and stop accordingly.
At the end of the day, we could identify to style of teaching : Balkenhol was giving more astonishingly effective on-the-spot advice, correcting here and there to enhance a work in progress, whereas Carde would often stop the horse to solve a deep issue (contractions or concentration) or to explain something to the rider – with a desire to sum up his advice in elements of a theory. Both masters got as successfull results as the other, but it is still interesting to point out the difference techniques of the olympic trainer and of the Cadre Noir instructor.
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The second day opened with an historic presentation of dressage and its thinkers. The Colonel Carde draw a chronology from Pluvinel to the present time. The most striking change was maybe the older frame, much more open than nowadays ; Carde showed a picture from the olympic champion of 1936 at the extended trot : « our judges would condemn him for being above the bit ».
Importance of La Guérinière and Baucher, explanations of founding concepts. La Guérinière bringing with him the importance of theory, lightness and engagement and Baucher describing how to fight resistance from the halt.
Carde commented on the different countries and their results on the competition stage throughout the years. Existence of a russian, of a french and of a german riding. Regrets that France is not at the top of international competitions.
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Then it was time for the long awaited discussion between the public and the three masters.
- What does classicism means to you ?
Klaus Balkenhol : To bring the horse on the right position ; a human training where one put the horse first. That the horse is straight and that it appears effortless.
Gerd Heuschmann : I agree. A healthy and happy horse.
Colonel Carde : I agree.
- What about breeding nowadays ?
KB : Before, breeding was not only for sport, but also for working purposes. And now, breeding has changed our horses : they are lighter, easier ; more mature, younger. But it brings a new danger because these horses can be pushed too far, too young.
GH : Yes. When I was working for the auctions in Westphalia, a very famous trainer would come every year and he was never asking for the x-rays of the most popular horses, of the most expensive horses. The trainer answered : « I don’t want to win the National Championship, I want a Grand Prix horse ». He did not want any of the fancy movers, that he thought would be too hard to collect.
- What about the FEI Young horse classes, is it not dangerous in the same manner ?
GH : There is truly a big industry of the young horse with big movements. Hence, many riders don’t have to think so hard about collecting their horse. The gaits should not be as much important in the test, rather the work of the rider. A Haflinger should be abe to win a class. One has to question himself if he prefers the spectacular or the classical work.
KB : Yes, and judges love spectacular movements. They don’t pay enough attention to the hind legs. They should be better educated.
- Should we call for a new type of competitions ?
CC : Why not having judges on the warm-ups ? It is so frequent that thirty minutes of forced work is the key to five minutes of pretended happiness. It has to stop. Why not a note for the warm-up ? We can also think to write the test so that the judges would only have to answer « yes » or « no » : « is this trot regular ? », « is the horse harmonious ? »…
GH : We could also add a judge : three judges would look at the rideability – suppleness, quality of the contact. Because one of the problem today is that too much importance is given to the technicality.
KB : As for me, I think that the system is good but the problem is that judges don’t follow the rules. They have a tendancy to take names in consideration !
- Coud you talk about the walk?
CC : The walk is not such a difficult gait : it is an embarrasing gait ! One never work too much at the walk. Let’s bring the memory of Monsieur de Lubersac who was riding his horse only at the walk during the first two years of training. Then he was saying that he could easily get anything from them.
KB : A lot of horses loose their walk after a few years.
- Is the movement preceeding the balance or the opposite ?
GH : Well, that’s a big french/german discussion ! But as for me, I think that the first times you’re riding a young horse, you have to be a simple passenger, to focus on the movement and not to disturb in any manner. Only after can you start correcting the balance.
CC : First of all, it depends what idea you have when you think of balance. I would say that you have to look for the best balance your horse is able to give you at the specific time of the training you’re in.
- The rules are changing, the artistic elements are being removed ; how can we influence this changes ?
KB : Fondamentaly, changes are not bad. Several sub- comities exist and they are very active. It is there that new tests are designed, that new rules are questionned (like the whips…). These changes are democratic and everyone can be heard.
CC : Yes. For example, I submitted a few ideas directly to the FEI. I am still awaiting an answer. And also, what can be better, one can act through his own national federation.
GH : Or ideas like this one : we could make t-shirts with a « no-rollkur » logo on the back and, while going to assist to a show, turn the back away from the arena when such riders would enter the ring !
- What are we to look for in a five year old horse that we’d like to bring up to an olympic career ?
KB : First of all : an olympic horse is never born ; we try, but it never works. We can nevertheless spot some qualities like a horse naturally desiring to go forward and a good balance. And then, give him time, plenty of time. We’ll never insist enough.
GH : A medium size, solid legs, good activity of the hind quarters and nice gaits.
- Should we bring more muscles on the neckline (for example, using side-reins on the lunge-line) to help the horse to work more round or if it is safer to just let time do its work and more muscles will come with more step by step increased collection ? Can drawing reins be used in a smart manner ? Side reins ?
GH : You don’t know me if you’re asking ! You have to give each muscle a chance to work freely. Side-reins create a constant tension and it is not good. The more open the horse is, the more freely his topline is working. You should never force a horse to do something, so no drawing reins either that multiply the strenght of your hands. If you need them, it means that you are a bad rider.
KB : Yes, we should never use drawing reins. Expect as a leach for your dog!
CC : Yes, I agree. A rider with a good education can do everything with his two hands and legs.
GH : Let’s ban the drawing reins !
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The afternoon started with a grey horse painted by the Dr. Heuschmann : were drawn the vertebraes of the neck and the hind legs articulations. The rider had to switch from a work in hyperflexion to a more open frame ; Heuschmann was commentating the modifications in the line of the vertabraes and in the quality of the gaits. It was all the more interesting at the passage : in an hyperflexed position, the horse would have a defective suspension phase, due to the lack of atcivity in the hindquarters. The hyperflexed trot was turning in a show trot, also defective.
The rider commented her experience of rollkur : « My horse would become hard in my hands, I couldn’t sit. It was really black and white. I have now glimpses of how it should be, especially in the passage. »
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Then the Colonel and Balkenhol gave another series of lessons, as much interesting as the day before. We can once again quote a success from Carde, this time with a three years old that never seemed to experience any kind of flexions : after some resistances, the horse understood how he had to yield and the public could see this type of exercice, rather odd this side of the ocean. Balkenhol also admitted never to have seen something like that. Carde concluded : « You see how hard it was to get that from the ground, so imagine the difficulty to try to solve this problem from your saddle ! ».
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The two women who initiated this symposium were delighted by these two days : Margaret Boyce is hoping it could start « changing who is on the podium » and Jen Vanover is thrilled to know that the precious teaching of these three masters is safe and recorded, for a DVD will be released soon with the footage of this week end.
Even if it was not the first time that the two German were talking together publicly, Heuschmann was very excited by the presence of Christian Carde, who brings with him a « more philosophical dimension », and who is « more theorical » in his critics of today’s dressage. He really feels to be on the same line in his fight for changing dressage competition. The Colonel Carde also appreciated the importance of this franco-german gathering, giving a really genuine international flavor to the rehabilitation of classical principles. The three men bring with them some actions plans toward the FEI and a lot of hope for the decades that are awaiting competitive dressage.
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Summary of category " "Compte-rendus"
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