occasionally sacrificed to a practical result: sometimes more impulsion and sometimes more lightness, until they can be combined in all circumstances. Quiet repeti- tion of an exercise practiced without unnecessary force will eventually bring lightness as the horse understands the question, ceases to resist, relaxes himself and even- tually regains the lightness he possessed in his previous level of achievement. As proven by Nestier and his bit, the more appropri-
ately the legs are used in combination with weight ef- fects, the less the hand is needed. The horse’s roundness and balance as achieved by Nestier guaranteed control, safety, soundness and longevity; the horse moved in an ideal harmonious way. This understanding of the use of the legs to collect the horse at any speed is missing in dressage and, for that matter, in other equestrian sports today. It is the main reason we see horses neither truly collected nor calm, who cannot halt properly and stay immobile and instead fidget at X in all too brief “halts” in which nobody has even the time to salute with dignity. Dressage horses must demonstrate proper self-
carriage and goodwill. Reading classic dressage books written by those who spent a lifetime training horses is indispensable to any rider wishing to acquire as much
knowledge as possible. Attempting serious dressage, which is always difficult, without reading—and re-read- ing—Steinbrecht, Oliveira, La Guérinière, Decarpentry and L’Hotte (all available in English translation) is like trying to get into the famed Massachusetts Institute of Technology without first learning high school algebra.
R
In part two in the next issue, I’ll discuss training the horse and using the correct aids to achieve true lightness no mat- ter what the exercise. I'll also present the biomechanics that are favorable to lightness.
JP Giacomini’s career spans 50 years, during which he has trained close to 20 Grand Prix horses and worked on thousands of remedial horses of every imaginable breed, both in Europe and in the U.S. He studied under of Nuno Oliveira and later at the National Portuguese Stud of Alter Real. He has produced international winners in all three disciplines and invented a unique training method called “Endotapping.” JP also focuses on training the Iberian Sport Horses he breeds at his and his wife Shelley’s Baroque Farms USA in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. JP can be reached at
jpgiacomini@gmail.com.
2001 Section D Welsh Cob Stallion, 14.3-1/2 hands
Sire: Canterbrook Llwynog Du Dam: Hastening Mirage
Diamond Hit x (Hohenstein/Rubenstein) 2006 Black Hanoverian Stallion 16 Hands
2008 USDF Horse of the Year (DSHB 2 year old colt)
Now winning at 3rd & 4th Level Watch for his PSG debut in 2016
Approved in North America:
Welsh Pony & Cob Society of America, RPSI, Weser Ems, American Sport Pony Registry
2014 USDF Dressage Finals Grand Prix Freestyle Champion
253.230.9764 |
eqequestrian@cs.com |
www.eqequestrian.com
Warmbloods Today 59
Susan J. Stickle Photography
EQ2
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