More Dressage Training Tips from Charlotte Dujardin: For the Rider

Photo by Sara Fogan

On March 8, 2014 and March 9, 2014, I audited a dressage symposium at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank, California. Charlotte Dujardin, the British individual gold medalist in dressage at the 2012 Olympic Games and 2016 Olympic Games and reigning world champion in the sport, was the featured clinician. She and her former trainer, International Grand Prix champion Judy Harvey, shared their expertise with six accomplished equestrians and their equally impressive horses to work through specific training issues. Following are more tips and training insights about what to look for in a young horse/competitive dressage prospect that Ms. Dujardin shared during these clinics, which you might find helpful too. 

·         There is a saying that practice makes perfect, but the truth is that perfect practice makes perfect performance. Bad habits form very easily, so it is important to do and teach your horse to do the movement right in the first place. Moral of the story: “Nine times out of 10, riders who do bad transitions at home will do bad transitions in a competition. Always practice doing good transitions,” Ms. Dujardin cautioned. “Do good transitions as if your life depended on it.” 

·         The Olympic champion emphasized the importance of using clear and natural aids when teaching transitions. “Lose the whip! The horse must know to go off the leg,” she said. “Soften your hands. You’ve got to let go and then press to get the other gears.”

·         A common error/reaction when asking for a bigger stride or an up transition is to inadvertently shut down this process. “When you ask a horse to go [forward], let him go!” the Olympian encouraged. Whether you are doing up or down transitions, the horse must always be waiting for the rider’s instructions what to do next.

·         If you hold the reins too tightly you are likely to make your horse tight and nervous, Ms. Dujardin said. “You should be able to relax your hands and the horse should be able to continue the movement without you holding her in,” You hold the horse with your seat and legs, not the reins, she said. Riders must also be careful not to shorten the neck too much when rounding the horse, she added. “He needs his neck for balance.”

·         Keep your horse interested in his training by including hacks (trail rides) and a day completely off in a pasture. “It is very important for the horse to have time off/switch-off periods.” For example, the Grand Prix horses that Charlotte Dujardin trains typically go on 20-minute trail rides before spending 15 to 20 minutes warming up, followed by a schooling session. While older horses work for 40-45 minutes schooling session, the training repertoire for younger horses is considerably shorter: they work for a maximum of 30 minutes with plenty of walk breaks, she said. 

·         No matter what level you are training, always reward your horse for doing good work during his training. The reward for good collection work is a long rein so he can stretch his neck. “Be sure to reward the horse when he does something right or you will get a sour/unwilling horse,” she warned.

·         If your horse is spooky, don’t make an issue about what is setting him off, Ms. Dujardin advised. Instead, “Ignore it and use leg-yielding into the object rather than away. If you beat the horse up for spooking at something, you give him more reason to avoid it.” Continue to practice riding a line toward the object that is acceptable to the horse so he can get used to what scared him before until it is no longer an issue. “Over time, you build a bond with the horse and give him confidence to deal with whatever until eventually he will walk through fire for you. You know you have a real connection with your horse when you feel him relax under you when he was scared of something.”

·         The horse needs to be in front of your leg to maintain suspension in the gait. “Rhythm and balance makes good movement,” she said.

·         “Don’t punish a good horse by making him practice one movement over and over.”

·         Think of the walk as a movement. It has a double co-efficient, after all! “It is equally important to work on the walk as any other gait. It is not a chance to goof off,” Ms. Dujardin said.

I will share more of her horse-training and riding suggestions in future blogs.

Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.

© 2016

Priceless Information: Charlotte Dujardin on Choosing a Performance Horse

Olympic champion Charlotte Dujardin riding at the Dressage Symposium,

Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank, California, March 8, 2014.

Photo by Sara R. Fogan

 

 

Just over one year ago, my father took me to watch a dressage symposium at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank, California. Charlotte Dujardin, winner of the individual and British team gold medals in dressage at the 2012 Olympic Games, worked with her former trainer, Judy Harvey, to provide hands-on instruction for a handful of riders at the clinic. The participants weren’t the only ones to benefit from Ms. Dujardin’s experience selecting and training a young, prospective equine partner. As a student auditing the clinic from the stands, I know that the audience also learned a lot about this topic, as well.

Here are some highlights from her presentation.

·         Pay attention to the horse’s temperament, willingness and changeability. Is he or she willing to please? “A champion horse has three long [dressage] tests to do in three days. A champion horse must be fit and willing to fight through” to the end of the test, she said.

·         Believe it or not, you do not necessarily want a horse that has a big movement right from the start, the Olympian conceded. “They don’t last as long, and it’s actually very hard to keep those horses sound.”

 

·         For example, Ms. Dujardin said she never does a sitting trot on a young horse because his back simply is not yet strong enough when he is moving to support a rider like that. She also provides a lot of walk “breaks” on a long rein during the twenty-minute training session to allow the horse to clear its head and relax. You want to keep everything easy and clear for the horse, she said. “A loose, swinging tail is a good indicator of what the back muscle is doing.”

 

·         Speaking of the big movement—which so characterizes the extension you see in a high-level dressage horse such as her mount, Valegro—the trot is the last thing she focuses on when checking out a new horse. “You want a good walk and a good canter. Don’t worry so much about the trot, because it can be changed somewhat as the horse develops more suspension in this gait through its gymnastic education,” she said. (I can definitely vouch for that fact: when I started riding my horse, Avalon’s Galahad, his trot was often rushed and his extension was meh. However, through regular walk-trot-canter transitions on the lunge line, stretching and consistent work over cavalletti as part of his training regimen, his extension is much improved and the stride more refined and regular.) “To increase the strength in the hind legs, trot as fast as you can to get [that] push and suspension,” she said. And, of course, be sure to repeat the same exercise in both directions.

·         “You are there to teach/train the horse, not micromanage him. You want your legs and rein aids to be clear,” Ms. Dujardin reminded her students in the clinic. In other words: Flopping arms and legs (excessive kicking) would not do. “Look up, sit up and keep your hands still. Look where you are going. Think about your legs going up to the hands.” The more you kick, the more the horse becomes numb to your leg, she warned.

 

·          She also admonished riders about using the dressage whip to encourage forward movement. The horse needs to know how to move off a soft leg, she said. “If you have a lazy horse, take your legs off. For a hot horse put your legs on,” the Olympian suggested. “The horse has to walk on his own. The rider shouldn’t have to do anything.” And, of course, “When you ask a horse to go, let him go.”

  

 

Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.

© 2015