Dr. Thomas Ritter Clinic

Watt's Way arena in Chapel Hill was the picturesque setting for the Dr. Thomas Ritter classical riding clinic. Dr. Ritter began by asking me about my horse, then asking "What is most difficult to do with this horse?" My answer was that in making changes of bend, transitions, and otherwise knitting together exercises within a test, it is hard to keep Delphi relaxed, rhythmic, and on the aids. Dr. Ritter responded that it is very common in horses to become un-balanced when having to make changes: of bend, in transitions, or any change. To help keep the suppleness while changing the bend, Dr. Ritter had me ride along the rail in walk (say on the right rein), bend Delphi to the left (toward the rail) and bring her shoulder out toward the rail and her haunches in away from the rail (kind of a counter shoulder in), then keeping the shoulders where they are, change the bend (to the right in this example), and bring the haunches back out to the rail to align the horse then ride straight ahead.

Watt's arena:

Another well deserved pat on the forehead:

Dr. Ritter gave us an exercise where you halt on the rail, then execute full pass around a square with a walking turn around the forehand at each corner of the square. From the left rein, halt before C on the short side at the first corner of the (imaginary) square, as though you've drawn a box around C. From the halt on the rail, full pass away from the rail (to the left in this example) on the first line of the square, being sure to keep the hindleg crossing in front (not behind), and causing the haunches to move at the same time and rate as the shoulders so that the horse stays parallel. Halt at the next corner of the square, then make a walking turn on the forehand (away from the rider's right leg) until you are perpendicular to the next line of the square (at this point you'll be facing toward the short side of C). Full pass again (to the left) to the next corner, make another halt and walking turn on the forehand, then full pass again to the rail where you'll now strike off on the opposite rein from when you started.

Riding full pass around the square as Dr. Ritter shows Delphi the whip:

Using weight aids in full pass:

Dr. Ritter also had me practice riding one particular leg within a gait, say the left fore, right fore, left hind, or right hind, at a time. He had me experiment with sitting more on my thighs, then with more weight in my seatbone, then with more weight into a particular stirrup, on each footfall of a particular leg within a particular gait. By practicing what combinations create the best suppleness and connection, you can bring out the best aid for riding each particular horse within each particular gait while being aware of each particular leg and how the rider's leg, seat, and weight aids affect the entire picture.

Riding the right hindleg:

Learning Modalities

Today Delphi and I worked on "accordion horse" where we collect into a shorter, more collected frame then extend into a lengthened frame, and repeat. This helps to make the half halt more obedient (which Delphi needs to improve). The half halt should cause the horse to jump more under herself, without the horse "diving" into the hand or becoming heavy on the forehand. Just the opposite should occur: upon half halting the horse should become lighter and the hindquarter should jump under the horse even more. The aids for this are a firm, upright (think sit back) seat and torso, the rider's legs come back under the rider's seat, and keep absolute stability (don't pull and don't give) with your hands. In canter Karen had me keep my elbows down while raising my hands with an upward stretching (think sit back!) torso until Delphi would get off of her forehand and "sit" in the canter.
When working on medium trot, at one point Delphi got so strong in my hand that she was cruising like a freight train, no longer coming under from behind but becoming heavy in my hand. The remedy, of course, is to half halt, forcing the hindquarters to come under the horse. As a student, sometimes I become so focused on the exercise at hand that I forget to be a thinking rider. To move up, a student must layer each new additional element on top of all existing riding abilities. So I'm on the threshold of becoming both a student learning a new element within a lesson while concurrently remaining a trainer of my horse keeping and implementing the whole of any proficiency I've heretofore gained.

20m x 60m Dressage Court

Counter Canter on a Straight Line

Today Karen taught us a nice exercise for counter canter on a straight line. Begin from collected trot from the short side, for example on the right rein starting from C. Using the corner (between C and M in this example), begin a small amount of counter flexion left (bringing the shoulder in helps to insure the "correct" lead to get started) and ride straight ahead. Weight your left stirrup, counter flex left, and cue for left canter at B. Keeping the counter canter aids, at P make a twenty meter counter canter half circle to V, then ride straight ahead to make another twenty meter counter canter half circle at C. Again, ride straight ahead down the long side and make a transition to collected trot at B.
For the left rein, beginning from C ride straight down the long side, counter flex to the right and weight your right stirrup and at S cue for right canter, make a twenty meter counter canter half circle left from V to P, ride straight ahead down the long side, then another counter canter half circle left at C, then straight ahead and make a down trans to collected trot at S.

Self Carriage

In working toward self carriage, the rider must remember to give the rein often, allowing the horse to carry herself for a few or several steps. The rider can take the rein firmly, even very firmly, but then must give with an allowing hand; never "hang" on the rein, particularly the inside rein. This giving of the rein not only works toward self carriage in the horse, it also has a calming effect on Delphi in that there is no resistance in the bridle for her to "fight" or fidget against, thus allowing her to be lighter in the hand, freer in the neck and shoulder, and working toward sitting in the hindquarter.
Yesterday, a very windy day, we were taking our lesson at the same time Teri was schooling a young jumper over fences and in the flying changes. Every time the youngster would get a bit fractious and a gust of wind would blow up her tail, Delphi felt the need to bolt. By riding with the hands raised to give the rein and sitting tall and upright (think "sit back") in the saddle, I was in an excellent position to control the forward momentum caused by the spook and bring Delphi immediately back to the exercise.

Woot! Woot!

Delphi and I are the 2009 recipients of the generous Houston Dressage Society Bushager Memorial Grant! Over the next several months I will work with my trainer Karen Brown in an intensely focused dressage immersion program, funded by this grant. I am so excited about the possibilities this award is bringing for Delphi and me! Our application essay is here.

My biggest champion and the best EVER groom, test caller, and trailer pilot Chris standing next to me as I receive the Bushager Memorial Grant at the HDS awards banquet:
This night one year ago he was sleeping next to me in a pink vinyl chair at the hospital. We've come a long way!
(See a related article in the HDS newsletter "Collective Remarks" page 13.)

Simplicity in Visual Aids

Volker's simple yet effective visual aids included my legal pad and ball point pen:
He "autographed" his notes with a hoofprint (must mean he's part horse).

Volker Brommann's lecture Saturday evening January 31 was basic, easy to follow, yet full of important pearls valuable to the training level youngster through to the grand prix campaigner.
Among other things, Volker covered the training scale:
Rhythm and Regularity (Takt)
Looseness/Relaxation (Losgelassenheit)
Contact (Anlehnung)
Impulsion (Schwung)
Straightness (Geraderichtung)
Collection (Versammlung)
Volker spent the most time covering the first three elements: rhythm, looseness/relaxation, and contact. These three together are considered the Familiarization Phase, and remain important throughout the horse's career. When the horse moves with rhythm and regularity, this metronome-like quality of the muscluature causes the looseness or relaxation of the horse, thus dis-allowing tension that could build from jerky or non-regular muscle movements. Only then can the horse reach toward the contact of the allowing hand of the rider.
Concerning "behind the vertical" Volker had this to say: according to the rule book it is never okay to ride the horse behind the vertical; however Volker stressed how important it is to never ride the horse behind the bridle. There are moments when the horse does come behind the vertical but it is still correct as long as the horse is reaching forward into the contact from a swinging back in self-carriage.
In working toward collection the horse must be asked to sit. However the horse should never be pushed beyond what its muscluature can endure. The horse should be developed in such a way as to allow the muscles of the horse to comfortably carry the horse on sitting quarters, with elavation of the entire horse rather than the false absolute elevation of the head and neck only, where the back drops and hollows and the quarters trail out behind (much as a dog does when scratching the dirt). Even within all three gaits, the horse should be allowed to stretch down and forward often to relieve muscle fatigue while gaining the necessary muscle that allows the horse to sit in true collection.
Concerning extended gaits, Volker answered that balance, harmony, and (again) regularity is more important than the oft seen "flicking" of the front feet but with the horse's hindlegs trailing behind (like the above dirt-scratching dog). Regularity with balance is even more important than overstride in the extended gaits.
Volker emphasized the responsibility judges have in rewarding and reinforcing the classical art of dressage (which is a many-years-long process that should progress slowly over time) versus rewarding and reinforcing the forced training of too young horses whose musculoskeletal system is not yet able to perform the demanding upper levels. As Volker pointed out, the rule book states that irregularity within a gait should at best be given a 5. Yet too often we've seen judges give 9's for gaits that, while impressive and impulsive in young horses, are still irregular. It is a major and ongoing debate (as is riding deep) that points to the responsibility of brave judges to reward correct and traditional training.
If we can manage to ride in such a way that we refrain from ruining or hurting our horses, and thereby allow us as riders to restore to them the balance, freedom and beauty that nature has already gifted them with in their riderless form, we will have done well by our horses.

(This article also published in the HDS newsletter "Collective Remarks" page 24.)