54/ OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 THE RIDER On the Basics; The Western Style Dressage Manual
The purpose of this riding manual On the Basics: The Western Style Dressage Manual was sim- ple. It was to develop writ- ten text to help riders understand their horses and themselves.
How many times have you wondered why you do something a certain way? How will the horse react to my aids? What will the outcome be? What parts of my body affect my horses’ way of going? The purpose of On the Basics is to demystify all of that.
almost 40 years ago, it was his “words of wisdom” that put me where I am today. After that incident, I vowed that if I were ever to become an instructor, I would tell my students “why” they were applying their aids “how” to make yourself and your horse better. It was in fact my need for knowledge that started the whole ball rolling.
When I first started taking dressage lessons back in 1973, I was one of those riders; a rider who wanted to know how my horse ticked, and why I did things a certain way. Even though I was quite young, I had that “need for knowl- edge” attitude. When I asked the riding instructor at the time “why” I had to do something a certain way, he looked at me and said, “If you don’t like your riding lessons, leave”. I did. But, looking back on the parting of ways from that riding instructor
It has been a lifetime quest to become the best instructor that I could be. My students have been the mirrors of my teaching. Their results have been outstanding over the years. The horses that I have trained have been very suc- cessful, and to the highest levels. I’ve been teaching dressage principles to Western riders for over 30 years. I founded the West- ern Style Dressage Associ- ation of Canada in late December of 2011 to pro- mote this new style of rid- ing. Chapters are forming all over Canada now because of its popularity. Should dressage be treated as the be-all and end all of riding? I don’t
think so. I’ve competed and trained in Halter to Horseman- ship, Combined Training to Grand Prix Dres- sage. I’ve worked with rid- ers from all dis- ciplines. It’s not my intention of converting every rider into a dres- sage rider. I’m into the art of assisting you and your horse to become better at whatever disci- pline you have interest in learning.
As a rider interested in Western Style Dressage, your goals may be to attain a certain level of training, or understand your horse, or to gain confidence. Each person has different per- sonal goals.
how smart you are. Smart, as in educated about the way of the horse and your- self. Good riding has no barrier between disciplines. Western Style Dressage is just that; to help you become a better Western style rider.
We need to under- stand our horses, and what are their reactions to what we are asking them to do, and how your position will affect the horses’ way of going. It’s never about how strong you are; it’s
On the Basics was written to take the mystery out of correct dressage principles and to help you become a better rider. The manual contains over 170 pages, with detailed infor- mation and photos.
On the Basics: The Western Style Dressage Manual will be released on November 1st and will be available at: www.elainewarddressage.c om
Expand Your Joint
Knowledge You run your hands down your horses’ legs before and after every ride looking for lumps bumps and swellings.
Learn more about what is going on in your horses’ joints with Equine Guelph’s online tool designed to take horse peo- ple on an interactive jour- ney from a healthy joint to an inflamed, arthritic joint. Sponsored by Pfizer Ani- mal Health, “Journey through the Joints” offers user-friendly activities on the anatomy of a joint. View the 360 degree tour of an actual horses’ joint! Take the tour at:
www.equineguelph.ca/edu- cation/journey_thru_joints. php
20 + YEARS SPECIALIZING IN CUSTOM HORSE STALLS AND BARN IMPROVEMENTS
10x10 and 12x12 stalls in stock WM. LANGILLE WELDING
(519) 446-2221 • Fax (519) 446-3308 Email:
bill@langillewelding.com •
www.langillewelding.com
“We think it’s really important to teach horse people about the basics on joints,” says Dr. Cathy Rae, manager of equine technical services for Pfiz- er Animal Health. “It is critical to have a basic knowledge of joints to bet- ter understand the causes and care of lameness.” Fol- low up your tour with Lameness Lab:
www.equineguelph.ca/Too ls/
lameness_lab.php
Story by: Jackie Bellamy
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