Dressage: Because Gibberish is Cool

"make a circle at x"

Let me make something very clear: I have been riding for close to 10 years now- sure, I have seen dressage letters in the ring or out at a show, but I did not spend any time at all actually looking at them. I was the perfect hunter snob... why would I care?

So, naturally, when Debi asked me to make a circle at x, I had absolutely no clue where that was (and I decided not to wear my glasses to the lesson- they always steam up!), which meant I was wandering around the ring squinting like an idiot trying to see if I could spot the x before she realized I had no clue what I was doing. Unfortunately, the x is not one of the nice big letters that I might have been able to see- it was a small smudge underneath another letter (okay, seriously? How is anyone supposed to be able to see that, especially when trotting around the ring?)

From USDF:



















This led to a discussion about the letters- which are arranged in no apparent order...in my mind. Might as well try memorizing jibberish! There are a few theories that speculate as to why the letters are the way they are now. The most common belief is that they are arranged based on Imperial German court, where the stable yard was marked to indicate where a rider's horse was to stand to wait for the rider. The letters would then be as follows:

A = Ausgang /Exit
K = Kaiser/King
F = Furst/Prince
P = Pferdknecht/Ostler
V = Vassal
E = Edeling/Ehrengast/Guest of Honour
B = Bannertrager/Standard Bearer
S = Schzkanzler/Chancellor of Exchequer
R = Ritter/Knight
M = Meier/Steward
H = Hofsmarshall/Lord Chancellor

In the 1932 the Olympic committee added: D, L, X, I, G, and C. The only research I could find in regards to these letters suggested that they came from French terms, where:
X = cross or center
G = gauche (left)
D = droit (right)

I found nothing on L, I, and C...


A second theory suggests that the original letters represented the first cities conquered by the Roman empire. However, no one bothers to state what these cities were called. Upon a quick Google search of "early Roman conquests," I discovered that early Romans did not keep a written history, and much of what was written in later years was mixed in with fables and myths (even the name of Rome's founder, Romulus, is fantastical). Furthermore, my research suggests that Rome's first conquests were the Etruscan towns, named Arretium, Casira, Clevsin, Curtun, Perusna, Pupluna, Veii, Tarchna, Vetluna, Volterra, Velzna, and Velch...no correlation there.

There are other theories with German origins, but I found them to be inconclusive and not particularly interesting. It seems to me that it all comes down to tradition, although I would have liked to know for sure why things are the way they are.

Getting in Frame

"Nope, that won't work"

The hardest part about riding with someone new is that you have to rebuild that trust and relationship not just between you and the trainer but between your horse and the trainer. 

And then, of course, there is me set in my ways who was being introduced to things that I had never done before. 

I have always been against 'tools' (spurs, draw reins, side reins, chains, etc.) not because I am against those tools in general, but because I knew I was not an experienced enough rider to be using tools that could easily become shortcuts. More than that, Ruby has a personality such that I know she will freak out when put in a position when she feels 'trapped' (i.e. side reins are a hard pass). 

So, what seems to have worked for us (in our dressage newness without those tools) is to get her moving forward off the leg, keep contact, and encourage her to drop her head and bring her nose in (by 'in' I mean 'tucked in') by using the outside rein. However, she gets tight and will resist on her right side, so going left (counter-clockwise), I have to use my inside rein as well so she doesn't end up bracing. Technically, I think you are 'supposed' to ask using the outside rein only, but for now any positive response to the pressure is good, so we will work out the kinks later.

I have a tendency to lock up on her, so I will check myself by giving on the inside. Unfortunately, I do this by "dropping my hand" which you really should not do -keep those hands up and elbows bent!, but hey, I am focusing on her more than me at the moment. Remember to take and release- the goal is the have the horse carry his/her head this way without yanking or bracing. If your horse resists and throws his/her head up, correct it! That is rude and should not be tolerated: keep your hands still and do not give if your horse tries that. On the other hand, if your horse gets frustrated/upset in the early stages, relax and let him/her know that they have a place to go.

 

The opposite side of head throwing is curling- it is hard to see from this angle, but Ruby is actually giving me too much tuck here. In this case, release and reset your aids.

It is especially important in the early stages not to expect too much. Get a few strides then relax. As both of you get more comfortable, expand the number of steps until you can keep it regularly.

Also keep in mind that (in my experience) these training techniques are not the law: work with your trainer and horse to figure out what your particular horse responds best to. Some trainers will scream and tell you there is only one way- leave and find one that understands that cookie-cutter does not work. If nothing else, Ruby has certainly taught me that!