March 24, 2022 - Adequan Global Dressage Festival Show Grounds
"IT IS NOT HOW FAR WE GO, IS HOW WE GET THERE"
Olympic Dressage Gold Medalist was invited to give a Masterclass this year at Global. It was a great evening with 5 horse/rider combinations of different levels. Here is a photo report of what happened and what she said.
The evening started with Ken Braddick from Dressage-news.com giving Jessica a recognition for belonging to the 90% club.
She was presented a browband, a picture and a plaque
Meg McGuire and Lily Forado covering the event
Grateful Jessica
Prepare for changes: lift her neck, make her take more weight behind.
It's a hot mare, slow down by doing trot-walk transitions. Sit slower, let her look. Keep her neck longer not lower
Allow mistakes to happen, keep the horses happy, make them enjoy the journey
First to go
Talk to your horse
Celebrate the horses' successes!
Real control is when you can control the hindlegs, not the neck
Trot - walk transitions to slow down
Neck longer not lower for her
Do enough walk breaks
The tent was busy, not at full capacity. Sad that some were more on a social event than listening (and letting others around listen)
Good food was served and plenty of drinks
Second to go
The bleachers were not at full capacity. Some people never found out about the event, which is a pity, considering the caliber of the professional invited.
Louisa looked very well put together
For self-carriage: don't use curb, horse needs to lift neck and forehand. Lift but don't hold
Go forward in shoulder-fore, come back in haunches-in
When he swings, ask for more tempo
If you want uphill changes, you have to sit for that
Warm up is very important.
Develop real control by using the hindlegs correctly
Lily Forado and Ken Braddick covering the masterclass for their own websites
Use walk breaks to let horse recover
Third to go
Reward with voice too, the horse needs to know when it's good
Think you are a truck driver, give with the outside rein to allow horse to flex to the inside. That is not in the books but it works
Slow down doesn't mean less active
Compare horses to intelligent kids = make things understandable
They don't want to do mistakes, they need clear explanations
Give it a try to get honest expression
Take your time
Be playful and consistent
Reward the little effort
Forward in shoulder-in, back in haunches-in AND give the rein
It rained really hard in the afternoon, but the weather Gods were good for the Masterclass
Make it cheekier
Smile - Relax - Breath
Only when you sit, the horse can sit
Fourth to go
In big competitions, horses need to be confident
After a break be sure horse starts working from behind. If back is stiff, use rising trot
Important to be straight but not stiff in changes so the hip can move with the change
Use corners to bring horse back. Activate before giving a half-halt
Dressage is to make horses beautiful and make them healthy
Transitions between and within gaits
Positive attitude from the rider influences the horse
Horses need to move in balance and stay in it. Always work for it
Last to go
Slow down by sitting slower
Ask for self carriage
Forward and back, give
Train pieces of the pirouette, control the shoulder, listen to inside hindleg.
Ride a star on the ground, in and out
For pirouette preparation: walk, shoulder-in and out
Meg McGuire and Sue Weakley
It's not how much, it's how good
Ali having fun
Good job!
Teach piaffe first. From the ground. Start early, when horse is 4, but be playful. take your time. Same with changes
THANK YOU, JESSICA!
And the mandatory picture with the Olympic Gold medalist taken by Lily Forado.
