Special Feature
jog/trot defined as ‘a steady, slow two-beat trot with engagement from the rear, with a lesser need to cover ground than at the trot.’ All paces must be ‘true,’ so a horse that jogs in front and walks behind would be penalised. It is also worth bearing in mind that a western dressage horse is not ridden with a draped rein as used in a pleasure class; a light contact is expected in a snaffle or curb. As long as western paces are shown, any breed of horse can do western dressage – it does not favour stock breeds as some of the show classes do. The USEF currently offers six set western dressage tests, including two ‘basic’ walk-jog tests, with clear directives on the test sheets as to what the judge is looking for. Ridden in a 20x40m arena marked with letters, a typical primary level test would include 20m circles at the jog and lope, free walk across the diagonal, transitions between walk, jog and lope at a specified arena letter and a halt on the centre line at the start and finish. Scoring is via the conventional dressage system with marks from 0-10 given for each movement shown on a score sheet, with the score expressed as a percentage of the total marks available.
UK WESTERN DRESSAGE In the UK, western dressage has been pioneered by Solihull Western Riding Club in the West Midlands, which has held competitions with an expanding schedule and growing following for the past four years. It is also an honorary affiliate of the WDAA. Steve Scott explains, ‘We started in 2009 by resurrecting the old Arena Test A, which used to be a very popular class at Western Equestrian Society (WES) performance shows in the early days but fell into disuse owing to the time taken to run as membership increased and entries grew proportionally. ‘It was eventually abandoned by WES and replaced by the original Preliminary Pleasure
CASE STUDY
Katrina Pedlar from Leamington Spa was Solihull Western Riding Club’s Western Dressage hi-point champion last year. She explains that when Toby, her 19 year-old Irish Draught gelding became part of the family three years ago she realised that he could benefit from a different way of going to reduce his tension and get some spark back, so she tried western. ‘After a couple WES clinics I realised we really needed to up our game in suppleness, collection and flexibility.’ Katrina says. ‘I'm not very competitive or disciplined and I far prefer to be out and about hacking along lanes, fields and open spaces, but enthused and supported by some fellow cowgirls I wanted to improve. ‘Dressage isn't completely foreign to me and it is meant to be the basis of any good riding so I got quite excited when I
noticed that Solihull Riding Club was holding western dressage events. This gave me something to work towards over the winter months and the patterns have given me an understanding of western gaits, improved my horsemanship and the effectiveness of my western schooling. It has also benefited my accuracy, transitions and overall control.
‘Although I still have a lot more to learn, western dressage has given me the
confidence to go on and take the plunge by competing at our first WES show this summer. My main aim is to have fun with my horse but I'm hopeful that we now won’t feel too intimidated when taking part in other western disciplines. Toby and I recently both discovered how much we enjoy reining too, so who knows what we will be getting up to next!’
If you can do a western class, and if you can walk,
jog and in some cases lope, you can do Western Dressage
pattern [also no longer used] which we adopted as our second test. After WES re- approved the popular Versatility class, we took away the obstacles and used the Versatility pattern for our third test. Since then we have added a walk-jog test and a couple of more advanced ones, as well as obtaining the approval and consent of the USEF and WDAA to utilise their current Basic and Primary Tests at Solihull.’ Solihull Western Riding Club acts as the
WDAA’s conduit in the UK. As it would not be viable to hold a western dressage show on its own at such a prestigious venue as Solihull Riding Club, classes are usually held at the
end of the club’s own unaffiliated competitions. Western judges who have a knowledge of dressage, or vice versa, officiate.
‘At our March show we had our largest ever number of entries, but there is still a misconception that western dressage is difficult. If you can do a western class, and if you can walk, jog and in some cases lope, you can do Western Dressage,’ Steve explains. ‘We attract entries from all standards of rider, all ages and on all breeds of horse. And remember that dressage is the foundation of all riding, so it will actually help to improve your scores in other western disciplines by enhancing the horse’s response to your cues and increasing the accuracy of your riding.’ This spring Solihull also hosted a clinic with Margo Hepner-Hart, aimed as an introduction to the sport. An unavoidable clash with the WES Moreton Morrell clinic dented numbers but Steve says that those who did attend saw a dramatic improvement in their horses’ way of going.
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May/June 2012
HOWARD SCHATZBERG
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