Working equitation clinic-an application of dressage principles
It's been a while since I last wrote, and some things have been accomplished. I got my first article up and running on my website and look forward to comments. I also attended a wonderful working equitation clinic yesterday in Buellton, CA. It was conducted by Andre Ganc who lives in Brazil. Andre is originally from Portugal and was taught classical dressage there and in France. He came to Brazil to live a few years ago.
Working equitation combines a traditional dressage test with pattern work around various obstacles placed in a the big arena. Obstacles include barrels, poles, a jump, a gate to open and close among other things. It has three phases over a three-day period. One day is devoted to the dressage test; the second day tests horse and rider in a pattern of the obstacles at a medium pace to judge the horse's ease of handling. The third and last day is the speed phase where horse and rider are tested around the same pattern of obstacles against the clock.
What I loved about this clinic is that participants included a broad range of horse-rider pairs beyond the standard warmblood variety. There was an Arab, quarter horse, mixed breed, and PRE. Additionally, a couple of riders participated in western saddles while holding true to classical dressage principles. Clothing was diverse as well with one rider doning a lovely pair of chaps and decorating her horse with a multi-colored saddle blanket.
About 80-90 percent of the work was spent on refining dressage work while the other 10-20% was involved with practicing around the working equitation obstacles. A show was held today, Saturday, as culmination of the previous two days of clinic work.
I was able to talk to Andre for quite some time and found him to be extremely knowledgable and personable. He's coming back to the States in April. I'm going to make it a point to attend his next clinic as well as others he's got scheduled throughout the year in California.
While at this clinic, I also made contact with dressage trainer Allison Mathy. Allison specializes in Lusitanos, a Portuguese breed similar to the the Spanish PRE. Allison has done very well in open shows with Lusitanos and told me that she believes the tide is shifting from a warmblood bias in the dressage ring to a more inclusive and generous acceptance of dressge performers regardless of breed.
Recent Comments
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Hi Carole, you will be feeling positive about the progress that you are making on your website. It can take time but every article added does help to create some momentum.
The dressage arena is something to behold rider and horse working in unison and as one, we can all learn something from that observation. Thank you for sharing.
How is your online exploration going all good I hope.
Best wishes.
Alex
Alex, I really appreciate your response. Not too many people are familiar with the sport of dressage; so it's wonderful for me to hear from someone who is. Working online is a challenge for me. I'm not used to the technical aspects. One thing I'm starting to understand is that I don't want my website to be just another training forum. I am aiming towards bringing in my personal struggle as a widow who's trying to hold on to her dream. There must be others out there in the same boat who are looking for ways to connect. Hopefully, my website can be a place to do that.
Your horse sounds amazing. I am certain there are a lot of women around like you. I meet a few that come into my shop.
I do not know how involved they are on the internet.
Best wishes as you seek to create a website that will help others connect.
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Hi Carol, it sounds like you have been getting a lot accomplished. The clinic sounded like it was an amazing learning experience. I am glad that you will be able to attend another Andre's clinics later this spring.
I am going to have to lookup the Spanish PRE. I am not familiar with that type of horse. I always learn a something new when I read your blogs.
Best wishes.
Hi Sondra, Thank you for commenting. The Spanish horse tends to be a bigger boned, more muscular type. They are incredibly agile and known for their ability to collect. Historically, they were used for mounted combat. More recently they have been used in the bull ring and out in the field to work the bulls. That's what I know about the breed in general. My own horse has one other feature which is a great temperament. He is very forgiving and tolerant; very laid back. Anything else you can add to this, I'd love to hear. Carole