ESDCTA Was there - The 2023 Adequan / USDF FEI Level Training Conference

By, Heidi Lemack

The FEI Level Trainers Conference has been held for, I believe, 20 years at Mary Anne McPhail’s High Meadow Farm in Loxahatchee, Florida. The Trainers conference is designed as a continuing education program for trainers to help with technique and methodology and is interactive with the audience. We were all invited to write questions down for the panelists to answer during short breaks. COVID made the conference impossible to put on for the past 3 years, so everyone was hungry to attend again. This year it was held January 16 & 17, and there were 300 pre-registered auditors, and I know of quite a few people who registered at the conference itself.

The presenters, David Hunt, Henk Van Bergen, Linda Zang, and Lilo Fore are all members of the FEI Judge Supervisory Panel. It is their responsibility to check via video replay that the judges at FEI dressage competitions do not miss an error, and then subsequently correct the score if an error is found. But that is for another article. The 8 riders and horses worked privately with the panel on Sunday, and then they worked with a selected trainer over the 2 days of the conference.

Linda Zang and Lilo Fore answered the questions that the audience wrote on cards, while Henk and David taught the riders. The presenters all showcased their great passion for the horse and for the sport of dressage.

The riders were all very accomplished and brave to ride in front of all of us. The panel commented on the high quality of the riders’ seats, hands, and positions. The horses were equally impressive, with many being part of the Markel/USEF Dressage Emerging Young Horse Program. All the horses were between 7 and 14 years old. Here is the list of riders and horses:

• Lehua Custer from Wellington: USDF Bronze, Silver, and Gold medalist; graduate of the L program and a USDF Certified Instructor. She rode FJ

• Ramzes, a 12-year-old KWPN gelding by Juventus owned by Wendy Sasser.

• Kimberly Herslow from New Jersey: USDF Bronze, Silver, and Gold medalist. Has represented the United States in two Nations Cup teams and member of the 2015 Pan American Games Gold medal team. She rode Feymar OLD, 7-yearold Oldenburg mare by Furstenberg.

• Chris Hickey from Wellington: USDF Bronze, Silver, and Gold medalist; Certified Instructor; member of the 2007 Pan American team winning team and individual Gold medals. He rode Valentine, 11-year-old Swedish warmblood gelding owned by Cecelia Stewart.

• Jan Lamontagne from Loxahatchee Groves: USDF Bronze and Silver medalist, has participated in the Markel USEF Young Horse Emerging program. She rode Kentucky, 7-year-old Dutch warmblood gelding by Lord Leatherdale.

• Anna Merritt from Ocala: USDF Bronze, Silver, and Gold medalist. Rode Fox Creek’s Censational, 9-year-old German Riding Pony stallion by Caramel, owned by Orona.

• Endel Ots from Wellington: USDF Bronze, Silver, and Gold medalist, Diamond Achievement recipient. Rode King’s Pleasure, 8-year-old KWPN approved stallion by Dark Place, owned by Heidi Humphries.

• Krisitin Stein from Wellington: USDF Bronze and Silver medalist. She rode Elbrasco L, 14-year-old KWPN gelding by Ampere, owned by Sally Alksnis.

• Cindi Wiley from Palm Beach Gardens: USDF Bronze, Silver, and Gold medalist, USEF “S” Judge and USDF Certified Instructor. She rode her own Amado XXXV, 14-year-old PRE stallion.

The first day of the conference focused solely on the basics for each and every horse and rider combination. Very simple straight lines, very simple and correct transitions, and a focus on balance, tempo, rhythm, and position over the line of travel. Henk discussed the way he “directs” a riding lesson, to help us trainers in the audience know how to formulate a plan for the rider in front of us. That was very helpful! (so trainers, I’ll let you know his secret…he watches and picks 5 things that need fixing, starts fixing the one he thinks is most important for the rider and horse, and moves on from that.)

After a full day of teaching on Monday, Dressage4Kids presented a Training4Teaching Program at a local hotel. Lendon Gray led a round table discussion with the panel, and we learned how they started on their horse journeys, the pitfalls they encountered, and the help they received. Everyone needs help at one time or another!

On Tuesday, the second day of the conference, more work was directed on riding the FEI movements, but the presenters kept the focus on the basics throughout each ride. Henk and David both were adamant that the quality of the trot, which should be an “easy” natural trot, not an artificial trot, and of the canter should not be taken away by the exercise. Some examples included the half pass, which should just be trot sideways, so think about the trot. And, for the canter pirouette, if there is no clear canter rhythm, then it is not a canter pirouette. Let the pirouette collect the canter. They spoke about how there are 3 reasons exercises can go wrong:

1) Horse does not understand the aids

2) Horse is missing physical qualities, strength, and suppleness to do the exercise

3) Horse does not want to or does not like doing it

Thus, there are 3 different approaches to fix the problem. A rider needs to ask “Why do I have a problem here?” so they can know how to help the horse and fix it. David was very particular about a movement having a beginning, a middle, and an end. “The way we finish the exercise is how successful it is.” With one rider he spoke about the leg yield. “Better to have a good beginning and go straight (rather than finishing the leg yield to the rail) than have a good beginning and insufficient end.” He used the leg yield quite a bit with all the riders since the “leg yield checks obedience to the aids, while shoulder in, travers, and renvers are all gymnastic.”

Both Henk and David were very strict about riders not just letting the horses run after finishing a movement. They wanted speed control and the horse to stay on the rider’s seat. That took a lot of focus of the riders!

After the end of the day on Tuesday, Helgstrand had their open house at their newly renovated farm, showcasing 12 sales horses, each one more beautiful than the last. They had their horses perform in front of more than 800 people, and there was food and wine a plenty for the crowd.

On Wednesday, I was able to watch my far-away trainer, Luis Denizard, work horses and teach lessons all day. I had the most horse-intensive, amazing time in Florida, and I even got to catch up with some ESDCTA folks who was also attending the conference. I am beyond grateful to ESDCTA for granting me the Dom Perignon Educational grant. Without their funding, I could never have attended. I have brought so much home to my horses and students. I am much more mindful than I was before. ESDCTA has many different grants to help you fund your educational needs.

Look up the grant offerings here. ( https://www.esdcta.org/home/grants/)

Below is a post that Jodi Jones Lees created and shared on Facebook. It sums up the two days perfectly!

These are SOME of the big thoughts that Jodi Lee Jones (and I concur) came away with from the 2023 USDF Trainer’s Symposium with David Hunt and Henk van Bergen:

You must create a MENTAL partnership with your horse — your horse must ACCEPT and trust the balance and connection that the rider establishes.

We want to be able to influence the balance of the horse — a combination of tempo and position defines the balance.

Only a horse in balance can be trained. It is the riders job to define the tempo and the contact which develops the position, which develops the balance.

Balance is the balance that the RIDER chooses.

Before we can influence the position of the horse, the horse must be accepting of the bit and the aids.

Practice GOOD and CORRECT transitions — quality trumps quantity.

Dressage is the systematic development of the natural abilities of the horse.

The rider must be the leader in the partnership — influence the quality and do not be a passenger.

The back legs follow the front legs and the front legs follow the mouth.

The easiest way to ruin your horse is to be afraid that you are going to ruin your horse.

Lilo’s 3 R’s: relaxation, response, respect

The rider’s perception of a canter pirouette is much more difficult and complicated than the reality — a pirouette is a small canter circle and the canter must be maintained!

Ride the horse, not the movement.

Acceptance brings relaxation. Relaxation does not bring acceptance.

Progress happens on the edge — it is a fine line between good and wrong and you must work to help the horse find the correct answer without being afraid to ask.

It is not only where you want the horse to go but more importantly HOW you want him to go.

This is a basic summary of some of the concepts that were presented throughout the Symposium. Truth be told, this is just a drop in the bucket of the collective knowledge shared over the 2 days by the presenters, riders, and horses. Huge thank you Jodi Jones Lees for allowing me to share this with the ESDCTA membership!

Attention Judges

The time has come to RSVP for this year’s Edgar Hotz Memorial Judge’s Round Table to be held on Sunday, February 12th at 10 am in the library at the USET Headquarters in Gladstone, NJ.

We offer this opportunity every year in memory of Edgar Hotz who so generously gave of his time and expertise to the sport of dressage and the judging community in this area.

The program is open to all licensed dressage and eventing judges, “L” graduates, “L” candidates, and USEA judges in training.

There is no charge for attending the program. We ask only that everyone contribute to the pot luck lunch.

We will once again be USDF CE approved so attendance will count toward “L” graduate’s USDF CE obligation.

We will be introducing the new USEF dressage tests this year. If anyone has anything else in particular that they would like to have included in the discussion, please let me know.

Please email Jake Stapel (jastapel14@embarqmail.com) to RSVP and let me know what you intend to bring, keeping in mind that main course dishes that can be served in a crock pot as well as salads are especially appreciated.

Come early for coffee, tea, and a light breakfast. We will be starting promptly at 10 am.

Any questions or concerns about weather, my cell number is 201‐874‐2386

I look forward to hearing from everyone!

Jake Stapel