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any clinicians and instructors speak about having good “basics”. Often it may be a mystery or challenge to figure out what each trainer or judge means. What are the dressage basics? We asked, judge and trainer, Jana Wagner this question and she helped clarify for us here.

     The simplest approach to that answer is the Training Scale used in Europe for many, many years and now is also part of the certification program and judges program in the United States. It is interesting to know that the soon published handbook for FEI Judges is based on this training scale. 
    

     The six steps of the training scale is a pyramid. You need the step below to build up to the next step. Often these steps are interwoven; you can not just use these steps isolated. The six steps are 1. Rhythm & relaxation 2. Suppleness 3.Contact 4. Straightness 5. Impulsion and 6. Collection. In this article we will concentrate on the first 3 steps. Rhythm is in simple words the speed of the horse. Fast or slow. So it is important as we start a young horse, retraining old one, or coming from a different discipline that we keep steady equal rhythm. In practice, even if you change direction, ride straight lines, curves and circles, the horse keeps the same tempo. For the horse to move in the same tempo, there needs to be relaxation. For example, many of us have

experienced riding a nervous horse where we continuously speed up and slow down again. The relaxation and rhythm are tightly connected.

     The definition of suppleness is the absence of resistance in the muscles and the body of the horse. By allowing the horse first to find his rhythm, then guiding him on curves lines (serpentines, circles) to stretch and contract his body. For example, riding a horse on a circle to the right, in order for him to keep his same rhythm he has to lengthen his left side and contract his right side. Doing this in both directions makes the horse become more and more limber. So suppleness is achieved by doing gymnastic exercises. In doing these suppling exercises, you can never lose the steadiness of the rhythm of the horse. That is why instructors or clinicians say “back to the basics“ because when riding a 20 meter circle and the horse slows down, will not enable you to continue on your training scale.

     Contact may be the most difficult step to understand and the most difficult ingredient. The amount of contact desired is sometimes a personal preference. It can vary from some instructors want the horse to pull on the reins and others want the light feeling of holding a bird in their hand. No matter how much contact means, there needs to be a constant elastic connection between your hands and the horse’s mouth. If you imagine a straight dressage whip and you balance it in the middle of your hands, the one end is the hind quarters and the other is the poll, if you are pushing the end of the whip (hind qtrs.) with your hand, the whip will move straight forward away from your push. But if you hold the end of the whip, like you would be holding reins then the push from behind, you will create a bow or a bridge with the whip. This is what we are trying to achieve. The round outline of the horse created by pushing from behind into receiving hands, so that ultimately we can channel the energy we create. As we create that bridge, we allow and create room for the hind legs to step under.

     When you hear instructors speak about basics, they are talking about looking at the rider and horse combination and checking on steady foot fall which equals steady rhythm. They look at the muscling of the horse in the neck and the loin area, and that these muscles are vibrating and loose every time the horse takes a step. And they are looking that the horse is accepting that steady connection with the rider’s hands on straight lines, circles, turns, and transitions from gait to gait. If you have that, you have your basics. It sounds easy but Jana Wagner says if it was that easy she would no longer have a job. It takes time, practice and feel to put it all together. 
    

Jana Wagner is a USDF certified instructor through 4th level, a “L” Judge graduate “with distinction”, a USDF Bronze and Silver medalist

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Other articles published in Topline Ink Equestrian Journal by Jana Wagner:

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