BD National Convention

TRAINING TO TEST RIDING

IN ASSOCIATION WITH HARRISON CLARK RICKERBYS

We were delighted to assemble British team medallist Ferdi Eilberg alongside FEI 5* Judges, Stephen Clarke, Clive Halsall and Peter Storr at Cotswold Club Equestrian on 2122 November 2020. With restrictions on spectator events, the training forum was held behind closed doors; however, in an innovative new move, it was broadcast on a pay per view basis via Horse & Country for viewers to watch from the comfort of home.

Starring a selection of combinations from Novice to Grand Prix, Saturday covered training practices to develop the horse whilst Sunday’s focus was presentation and test riding. Joanna Bowns summarises some of the key themes from this inspiring weekend.

DAY ONE

From the Saddle, with Stephen Clarke and Ferdi Eilberg Clarke and Ferdi Eilberg

Elementary horse: Trojaner 9 (gelding, 5yo, Tomahawk x Fürstenball, owner: Vanessa Knight). Impression: Attractive horse. Ground covering walk. Trot shows elastic, Rider: Roberto regular cadence. Connection is secure. Scalisi (right) Much ability to cover ground. Novice horse: Phoebe sits very well Laurentia (mare, 4yo, Laurentia (mare, 4yo, and thinks in an uphill Blue Hors Zack x way. Canter has clear Painted Black, owner: Painted Black, owner: rhythm, it could Debbie Stibbe). have more balance. Impression: Beautiful, Beautiful, They create a quality horse. A lot of quality horse. A lot of lovely picture.

natural reaction and a good engine. Willing and polite, uphill and active, good balance and going forward for herself. Connection and contact could be more consistent.

Messages:

• The dressage horse must learn to use its energy in connection with a supple body. • Suppleness of the back in trot often improves after a period of canter. • Serpentines promote suppleness and use of the body. • The eager horse must relax onto the aids and allow the rider to infl uence the pace. • Work on a circle helps contain and balance the horse. • For bigger strides, ask the young horse little by little – think of pushing a lever rather than fl icking a switch.

Rider: Phoebe Peters (above right) Elementary horse: Trojaner 9 (gelding, 5yo, Tomahawk x Fürstenball, owner:

Vanessa Knight).

Impression: Attractive horse. Ground covering walk. Trot shows elastic, regular cadence. Connection is secure. Much ability to cover ground. Phoebe sits very well and thinks in an uphill way. Canter has clear rhythm, it could have more balance. They create a lovely picture.

Messages:

• Have collection and adjustment in mind now so it doesn’t come as a surprise later. • A big horse with big paces will take longer to develop collection. • Frequent transitions, including within the pace, quicken the horse. • The horse must always know he needs to take his energy under the body. • You sometimes have to ‘disturb’ the horse a little so that he wakes up to considering doing something diff erently put him a little out of his comfort zone. • Demand more for a short period of time – indicate to him what the future holds.

Rider: Elice Willet (top) Medium horse: Gerento (gelding, 9yo, Sorento x Don Primaire, owner: rider). Impression: Horse is fl uent and correct. A pleasing partnership. Stephen and Ferdi would like to see Elice raise her expectation and make more of the horse’s ability. Dramatic improvement as the session progressed.

Messages:

• Horse must be supple enough to deal with the energy. • Keep him round in the neck through movements and transitions. • Activate to the canter and develop it. • Disturb the horse a little – develop his incentive to go forwards. • Periodically go rising to allow the back to swing in the medium trot.

Rider: Roberto Scalisi (right)

Advanced Medium horse:

Billy Elliot (gelding, 11yo, Soliman de Hus x Grand Cru, owner: Debbie Stibbe). Impression: Walk is clear and easy to develop for collection and extension. Trot is regular and balanced, could have more energy and elasticity. Horse has correct reactions and creates a nice picture but is a little underpowered. A lot of ability for fl ying changes. oncluded the session looking impressive.

Messages:

• Simple changes indicate the reaction for the fl ying change. nergy must fl ow through the body without restrictions. • Travers (as pictured) occupies the canter and helps with suppleness. nhance the lateral neck fl e ion in canter half pass as a gymnastic exercise. • Ride medium to collected canter with a series of half halts to keep the horse on the hind leg. In the fl ying change insist he stays under behind. • Straightness comes from suppleness. • Keep suppleness alive in the neck, gently feeding the engagement into cadence. • If the horse falls onto the shoulder in the extension, vibrate the hand and keep the head up. • Make small interferences to point the horse into better balance.

Rider: Lucinda Elliot (right) PSG horse: Hawtins Bellegra (mare, 9yo, Belissimo M x Weltmeyer, owner: Judith Davis). Impression: Powerful horse. Trot is well engaged with a super hind leg. Clear, regular, full of impulsion. Balance sometimes goes a little into rider’s hand but good enthusiasm. Lucinda sits well and is able to infl uence the horse well. Messages:: • Work a little on passage. It helps elasticity and submission and aids the transition to higher levels. he horse must off er energy from the hind leg to a polite contact. • Prepare for the future – increase adjustability so that everything is on tap. • Keep the horse round and pliable (as pictured) when collecting the canter. at the horse to give confi dence. • Suppleness allows a big-framed horse to come smaller. • Approach canter pirouettes in shoulder-fore to help the shoulder into the turn. • In the trot extension stay in touch with the contact to maintain softness.

Rider: Caitlin Burgess (left) Inter I horse: Chocotof (gelding, 13yo, Lord Leatherdale x Negro, owner: rider). Impression: Elastic impression in the trot. Horse shows straight fl uent uphill se uence changes. uiet yet eff ective riding. onsistent harmonious partnership that would benefi t from further developing the collection. Stephen commented on super reactions from horse and rider during the session.

Messages:

• If you have to look after your horse’s walk rhythm, only walk when you can pay it your full attention. • Vary the trot half pass – collect and energise then open the stride and repeat. Keep it alive. • Create energy and transform it back into cadence. • When training canter pirouettes, don’t worry about the place or size. Imagine a metronome. Think 1-2-3, 1-2-3 and the moment the horse slows, energise. • Increase collection before coming into the pirouette, create activity, and then you have control.

Rider: Dan Greenwood (below) Grand Prix horse: Chevaler-O (gelding, 13yo, Lord Leatherdale x Negro, owner: Juliet Leighton). Impression: Impressive techni ue and ability. More energy and suppleness now re uired. assage very nice easy and natural. Horse has real highlights and as the session progressed demonstrated high uality work.

Messages:

It’s healthy to let piaff e travel forward a little. • Transitions are where it happens. If reaction and engagement is good, the horse is set up. • Horses need to be fully committed to give maximum expression. • Teach him to have higher expectations of himself. ood techni ue of collection enables you to ride for greater expression. • Don’t support the horse too much. Be the defi brillator not the life support machine defi brillator not the life support machine • Keep the hind legs swinging forward in • Keep the hind legs swinging forward in passage to keep it alive. This stops them passage to keep it alive. This stops them drying up into piaff e. • The horse should feel some urgency – going for some urgency – going for himself ready to off er more. If he doesn’t off er remind him then sit still. remind him then sit still. • Ingredients for a pirouette: collection that pirouette: collection that waits, energy, bend. Bend waits, energy, bend. Bend releases the balance.

DAY TWO

From the Judges Box, with Clive Halsall and Peter Storr

Combinations rode a test at their respective level in front of Peter and Clive who afterwards engaged in fascinating discussions on marks given. Viewers watching live could put their skills to the test with the Spectator Judging App, submitting their scores in real time.

NOVICE 37A

Rider: Imogen Jones Horse: Kastello (gelding, 5yo, Blue Hors Zack x Krack C, owner: rider). Score: P Storr (C) 73.50%, C Halsall (B) 70.90%, Spectator App 70.18% Messages: udges marks will always diff er as they see diff erent things depending on where they’re positioned. The judge can allow a little progression in the transition to halt. Obedience and immobility are more important than squareness. A horse must show acceptance of the contact, throughness, balance and ease of movement for a high mark. Collectives must refl ect what’s gone on in the body of the test.

ELEMENTARY 59

Rider: Darren Hicks Horse: Woodcroft Django Mon Ami (gelding, 6yo, Dante Weltino x Really Diamond, owner: Samantha Britton).

Score: P Storr (C) 72.81%, C Halsall (B) 71.70%, Spectator App 71.46%

Messages: To access the back, it’s OK to ride the horse lower in the poll, just make sure he doesn’t become short in the neck. Staying up in the back is where the development lies. Stretching and changing the outline helps develop suppleness and access to the hind legs.

MEDIUM 75

Rider: Kathleen Keller Horse: Flanell (stallion, 9yo, Fidertanz x De Niro, owner: Helga Stotmeister). Score: P Storr (C) 77.02%, C Halsall (B) 78.70%, Spectator App, 74.98% Messages: Simple changes show the throughness in transitions and clarity of walk. It helps to be working at a higher level at home. If riding a test without fl ying changes stop training them a few days before. There was a disparity between the Spectator App score and those of the judges, which comes down to the confi dence to give higher marks. Marks are deducted for mistakes but quality must be rewarded.

ADVANCED MEDIUM 98

Rider: Sarah Cheetham Horse: Stoibers Black Pearl (mare, 10yo, Stoiber SN x Sir Donnerhall, owner: rider, Sandra Grede and Fabian Rammenzweig). Score: P Storr (C) 71.05%, C Halsall (B) 69.47%, Spectator App 63.56% Messages: Think shoulder-fore on the centre line to improve straightness. Ride accurately to save giving marks away. Contact and bend in the half pass improves suppleness. Keep the poll up if horse has tendency to go too deep. Maintain impulsion in extended paces – don’t allow the power to fade. Ensure horse is equal in both reins otherwise it will catch up with you in the lateral work.

PRIX ST GEORGES

Rider: Darren Hicks Horse: Hemisphere (gelding, 12yo, Hofrat x Daylight, owner: Vanessa Chinn). Score: P Storr (C) 73.16%, C Halsall (B) 71.00%, Spectator App 72.89% Messages: You don’t have to have the biggest mover to earn marks. It’s about accuracy and riding movements well. If a horse is ticking along scoring 7s and 7.5s, they all add up. It’s better than trying for spectacular and pushing the horse out of rhythm and balance. To position half passes, think of riding travers across the diagonal.

INTERMEDIATE I

Rider: Katie Bailey (above right) Horse: Hillgrounds Wolkenhall (gelding, 9yo, Wolkenderry, owner: rider). Score: P Storr (C) 78.16%, C Halsall (B) 74.40%, Spectator App 74.16% Messages: The transition out of the halt and rein back is important, it is directly to trot. The judge is looking for suppleness, relaxation and purpose in the extended walk. In the HIBP extended walk movement, the degree of di culty is in the ability to swiftly collect for the canter transition so ride your extended walk to nearly P before collecting. A rider completely in control of the pirouette can place each step. This earns a high mark.

GRAND PRIX

Rider: Kathleen Keller (top left) Horse: Hampton Court (gelding, 12yo, Hofrat x Walt Disney, owner: Gunter Boeckmann). Score: P Storr (C) 70.40%, C Halsall (B) 73.00%, Spectator App 72.28% Messages: Allow it to not be perfect in order to keep the horse’s confi dence. hen there’s a mistake, the judge will consider all aspects of the movement. Passage must be adjustable in order to make a good transition to piaff e. assage can sway if there’s insu cient push from behind.

There’s still time to purchase a digital pass and watch all sessions plus insights and overview from the studio team of Jenny Rudall and Bobby Hayler. Brought to you through Horse & Country, watch via desktop or the mobile app from the convenience of home up until 19 February 2021! Visit britishdressage.co.uk

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