Re: Going bitless...dressage bashing

["Tamara Jane Habberley" <tamarahabberley@lineone.net>]

Thanks Kat

that was most eliquantly put ( and probably better spelt!) than I could ever
aspire to.

Here in the Uk with a  ride calender desimated by f&MD Iv starting to do
ridden classes and some training for dressage competitions towards the end
of this year.
Its not easy ( and probably not natural for me any way) but Im finding side
benifits when hacking out - horse just bounces enthusiastically now rather
than tearing of when his feet hit grass.

FWI my humble opinion is that I doubt any horse would natuarally lug a ten
stone plus weight 100 miles in a day, or perform grandprix movements for a
half hour at a strech in the wild, but with the right physique, mental
attitude ,training, discipline and fittness they can do either and enjoy it.

Tamara

----- Original Message -----
From: <guest@endurance.net>
To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Monday, July 23, 2001 8:48 PM
Subject: RC: Going bitless...dressage bashing


> K S SWIGART   katswig@earthlink.net
>
>
> Linda Merims said:
> > , but I always thought is was funny how the stated
> > goal of dressage was to have the horse move forward "naturally"
> > and all it took was 8 years of schooling before a horse was
> > ready to move forward "naturally" in Grand Prix.
>
> Dressage has no such stated goal.  There is nothing "natural"
> whatsoever about dressage (or about riding any horse or
> subjecting it to the control of humans).
>
> The opening lines of the AHSA rules for dressage state:
>
> "1. The object of Dressage is the harmonious development of the
> physique and ability of the horse. As a result it makes the
> horse calm, supple, loose and flexible but also confident,
> attentive and keen thus achieving perfect understanding with his
> rider.
> 2. These qualities are revealed by:
> a) The freedom and regularity of the paces;
> b) The harmony, lightness and ease of the movements;
> c) The lightness of the forehand and the engagement of the
> hindquarters, originating in a lively impulsion;
> d) The acceptance of the bridle with submissiveness throughout
> and without any tenseness or resistance."
>
> The purpose of dressage it to generate willing obedience under
> saddle in the horse while asking for more and more physically
> demanding maneuvers.
>
> It takes eight years of schooling to get a horse to Grand Prix,
> not so it can move forward "naturally" but so that it can
> perform extremely physically demanding maneuvers with
> elasticity, impulsion, and perfect obedience.  Where anybody
> could have gotten the idea that Grand Prix dressage maneuvers
> such as the Piaffe and Passage, Tempi changes, and Canter
> Pirouettes on demand are "natural" is beyond me.
>
> I make no comment whatsoever about whether current dressage
> riders, current dressage training techniques, or the many
> training aids (including the assortment of bits, bridles and
> attachments) are any good for achieving the stated goals of
> dressage, I just merely wished to point out that moving forward
> naturally is not, nor has it ever been, one of the stated
> goals.
>
> The stated goals of dressage are, in essence, exactly the
> opposite: to do the totally unnatural thing of submitting to the
> direction of humans while being asked to carry those humans on
> their backs while performing physically demanding and
> complicated maneuvers with perfect precision.
>
> kat
> Orange County, Calif.
>
> p.s. There is nothing "natural" about endurance riding either.
> Horses, by nature, walk around and graze, sleep (occasionally),
> have sex, and run away from anything that remotely frightens
> them.  Anything else that we ask of them is "unnatural."
>
>
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