May 2017 USDF Connection

USDF CONNECTION U S D F. O R G

M AY 2 0 1 7

Official Publication of the United States Dressage Federation

THE ELUSIVE 80-PERCENT SCORE

Laura Graves Tells How She Did it

Best New Show-Prep Strategies (p. 14) Judge Marilyn Heath Explains Second Level Collection (p. 18)

USDF Store Spring Catalog See page 9

Lebanon Junction, KY Permit # 559

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THIS IS

My Horse

™

He probably took twice as long as other horses to accomplish each level of training, but it's not just about the sport for me. It's about the journey. I was a little girl when I got Diddy, and he was a baby. We've grown up together.

I'll probably never feel this way about another horse. We're so connected. I ride a lot of other horses, and I can't help but compare how they ride to riding Diddy. He's just amazing!

Verdades Aka “Diddy”

Dutch Warmblood Gelding

Laura Graves

Olympic Bronze Medalist, Team Dressage, Platinum Performance® Client since 2015 Laura Graves is a sponsored endorsee and actual client.

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BREEDERS CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

U S D F

Breeders Championship Series Recognizing quality bloodlines and dressage prospects across the nation.

For information about the series, locations, and dates visit

www.usdf.org

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30

38

IN THIS ISSUE

32

THE ELUSIVE 80 PERCENT

In Rio 2016, US dressage star Laura Graves reached that lofty score for the first time. Here’s how she did it.

By Laura Graves with Jennifer O. Bryant

38

GIVE YOUR HORSE THE RIGHT START

Young-horse experts Michael Bragdell and Willy Arts share their goals for this month’s USDF Sport Horse Prospect Development Forum

By Stacy Durham

4 INSIDE USDF Keeping Dressage History Alive

6 RINGSIDE And Then I Asked Myself, Well, How Did She Get There?

By Bettina Longaker

By Jennifer O. Bryant

14 CLINIC

You’ve Trained Your Horse.

Have You Trained Yourself?

By Andrea Monsarrat Waldo

18 THE JUDGE’S BOX

How Much Collection Is Needed for Second Level?

By Marilyn Heath

26 HISTORICAL CONNECTION

American Dressage Legends:

Maj. Gen. Jonathan R. Burton 30 ALL-BREEDS CONNECTION

Spotlight: American Saddlebred Registry 40 RIDER’S MARKET

Innovation for the Greater Good IN EVERY ISSUE

8 MEMBER CONNECTION 10 HEADS UP 18 SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT 42 SHOP @ X 46 USDF CONNECTION

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES 46 USDF OFFICE

CONTACT DIRECTORY 47 ADVERTISING INDEX

32

ON OUR COVER What does an 80-percent ride (pictured: Laura Graves’ Grand Prix Special with Verdades at the 2016 Olympics) feel like?

Turn to page 32 to find out. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Volume 19, Number 1

USDF CONNECTION

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May 2017

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inside usdf

region1dir@usdf.org

USDF OFFICERS & EXECUTIVE BOARD PRESIDENT

How the USDF preserves our sport’s history and honors its contributors

By Bettina Longaker, USDF Region 1 Director

W

e dressage riders live history every time we sit in the saddle, by striving to train our horses and ourselves. But this training is not reinvented every decade or even every generation; it is knowledge that we carry forward as we remember and learn from those masters who have passed on.

History. Celebrating those Americans—both human and equine—who have made extraordinary contributions to our sport.

The USDF Historical Recognition Committee works to honor and preserve these contributions. I was asked to join the committee after successfully submitting a Roemer Foundation/USDF Hall of Fame nomination for Captain Andrew B. de Szinay in 2004.

“Captain Andy,” as he was known, was one of the driving forces behind the development of Young Rider education and competition, and the FEI North American Young Rider Championships (now the NAJYRC) from the late 1970s until his death in 1988. I realized that, by the time Andy was inducted into the Hall of Fame, many USDF members did not know who he was or what he had done for them. But thanks to the Hall of Fame, he and his contributions to American dressage will be remembered.

The committee’s main task is to review the nominations for the Hall of Fame, the USDF Lifetime Achievement Award, and the USDF Member of Distinction award. You may be surprised to learn that one of the most difficult tasks is securing those nominations.

We need you, the USDF membership, to ferret out those people and horses who fit the categories and who deserve to be saluted and remembered.

During my short tenure as chair of the committee (I had to step down

4 May 2017 • USDF CONNECTION

after my successful election to the Region 1 directorship), we discussed how to recognize other significant people in US dressage—those whose contributions may not quite fit the awards categories’ criteria. With the help of technology, we hope that dressage enthusiasts around the country will share their memories of those people who contributed to the growth of dressage in this country. Many of our trainers, judges, and others are leaving behind volumes of their own writings that must be saved before those writings end up in a file cabinet or forgotten in a landfill.

I left the Historical Recognition Committee chair’s position with a sense of pride. In 2016, the USDF bestowed awards in all categories. Janne Rumbough set the bar very high as the inaugural Member of Distinction. Past USDF president Dr. Samuel Barish received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions. The famous lopeared black mare Rocher, who danced her way into dressage history with rider George Williams and owners Charles and Joann Smith, was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Also inducted was the Danish-born Lilian Wittmack Roye, who held the very first dressage competition in the US, started the first US dressage organization (the International Equestrian Organization in Pennsylvania), and hosted the first FEI-sanctioned dressage competition in the US. History. It is up to us to keep it alive and thriving. Will you do your part? s

421 Park Forest Way, Wellington, FL 33414 (937) 603-9134 • Fax: (740) 362-5539 president@usdf.org VICE PRESIDENT

LISA GORRETTA

18120 Snyder Road, Chagrin Falls, OH 44023 (216) 406-5475 • vicepresident@usdf.org SECRETARY

MARGARET FREEMAN 200 Aurora Lane, Tryon, NC 28782 (828) 859-6723 • secretary@usdf.org TREASURER

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REGIONAL DIRECTORS REGION 1 DC, DE, MD, NC, NJ, PA, VA

BETTINA G. LONGAKER

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KEN LEVY

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SUSAN BENDER

1024 Grand Prix Drive, Beech Island, SC 29842 (803) 295-2525 • region3dir@usdf.org REGION 4 IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD

ANNE SUSHKO

1942 Clifford Street, Dubuque, IA 52002 (563) 580-0510 • region4dir@usdf.org REGION 5 AZ, CO, E. MT, NM, UT, W. TX, WY

HEATHER PETERSEN

22750 County Road 37, Elbert, CO 80106 (303) 648-3164 • region5dir@usdf.org REGION 6 AK, ID, W. MT, OR, WA

CAROLYNN BUNCH

18430 111th Place SE, Snohomish, WA 98290 (360) 577-6201 • region6dir@usdf.org REGION 7 CA, HI, NV

CAROL TICE

31895 Nicolas Road, Temecula, CA 92591 (714) 514-5606 • region7dir@usdf.org REGION 8 CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VT

DEBRA REINHARDT

160 Woods Way Drive, Southbury, CT 06488 (203) 264-2148 • region8dir@usdf.org REGION 9 AR, LA, MS, OK, TX

SHERRY GUESS

18216 S. 397th East Avenue, Porter, OK 74454 (918) 640-1204 • region9dir@usdf.org

AT-LARGE DIRECTORS ACTIVITIES COUNCIL

SUE MANDAS

9508 Bridlewood Trail, Dayton, OH 45458 (937) 272-9068 •ald-activities@usdf.org ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL

KEVIN BRADBURY

PO Box 248, Dexter, MI 48130 (734) 426-2111 • ald-administrative@usdf.org TECHNICAL COUNCIL

CAROLYN VANDENBERG

112 Eden Ranch Dr., Canyon Lake, TX 78133 (210) 215-2423 • ald-technical@usdf.org

COURTESY OF BETTINA LONGAKER

Keeping Dressage History Alive

GEORGE WILLIAMS

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jbryant@usdf.org

And Then I Asked Myself, Well, How Did She Get There?

Finding the learning opportunities in everything dressage

T

here are two common denominators among diehard dressage enthusiasts.

The first, of course, is the love of horses. The second, I believe, is the love of learning. Real dressage enthusiasts are hooked on the education—the endless quest for improvement and better harmony with their horses. Those for whom the allure has more to do with awards, ribbons, or the so-called equestrian lifestyle typically don’t last.

Because I consider myself a cardcarrying real dressage enthusiast, I am always on the lookout for kernels of useful information in any dressage opportunity. A good example is this month’s cover story.

After Team USA dressage’s historic bronze-medal win at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, the news headlines were rightfully filled with stories of how our anchor rider, Laura Graves on her Verdades, not only secured the bronze under tremendous pressure but also achieved her own personal best Grand Prix Special score to date, breaking the 80-percent barrier she’d previously been unable to crack outside the freestyle. Exuberant, she talked afterward about the thrill of finally earning what she called “the elusive 80 percent.”

Because my dressage brain is set on perma-learn, I found myself thinking: How did Laura do it? Was that day in Rio just a lucky one for her and “Diddy,” or did she change something—training, preparation, horse management, test-riding—in the leadup to Rio that made the difference?

(Translation: Did she do something that we dressage enthusiasts could take home and apply to our own riding, training, and showing?)

So I asked Laura that question, and she was gracious enough to deconstruct her pre-Olympics strategy

6 May 2017 • USDF CONNECTION

for our collective benefit.

It turns out that Laura’s 80-plus-percent GP Special score in Rio was not a matter of luck, but rather the result of some pretty hard-core score analysis, strategic training and riding decisions, and a few other factors. Yes, there’s always a bit of luck involved in getting a horse down center line, but Laura and her coach, Debbie McDonald, left nothing to chance. I am grateful to Laura for sharing her learnings, and I hope you find them as insightful as I did. I’ve already begun incorporating some of her strategies into my own training.

On a related note, with this being USDF Connection’s annual show issue, we’re also bringing you an exclusive book excerpt that may help prep your biggest asset—your brain—for show season. Author Andrea Monsarrat Waldo delivers a host of outsidethe-box sport-psychology strategies in her new book, Brain Training for Riders. Her advice, which begins on page 14, may shake up your own show-prep methods for the better.

Best of luck this show season, and I hope you find some good takeaways in this issue that keep your own dressage learning moving forward, whether inside or outside the competition arena. Let me know what resonates with you: jbryant@usdf.org.

Jennifer O. Bryant, Editor @JenniferOBryant

USDF CONNECTION The Official Publication of the United States Dressage Federation EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Stephan Hienzsch 859/271-7887 • stephh1enz@usdf.org

——— Editorial——— EDITOR

Jennifer O. Bryant 610/344-0116 • jbryant@usdf.org CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Hilary M. Clayton, BVMS, PhD, MRCVS EDITORIAL ADVISORS

Melissa Creswick (CA) Margaret Freeman (NC) Lisa Gorretta (OH) Anne Gribbons (FL) Terry Wilson (CA)

TECHNICAL ADVISORS

Janine Malone Lisa Gorretta • Elisabeth Williams

——— Production ——— SENIOR PUBLICATIONS COORDINATOR

Emily Koenig 859/271-7883 • ekoenig@usdf.org

SENIOR CREATIVE COORDINATOR

Karl Lawrence 859/271-7881 • klawrence@usdf.org

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member connection We Must Be Doing Something Right Lately Just wanted to write USDF CONNECTION a quick thank-you for making USDF Connection a “reader worthy” publication. I enjoy reading it, and I used the February issue (the 2016 yearbook) as inspiration for a post that received a lot of views on my website, AHorseforElinor.com.

The March issue was really good too, and I’m now toying with the idea of posting a little something about GMO involvement, which I think could increase in my area (“Club Connection: GMO Learning at the USDF Convention”). Then again, we always want to make things better.

Thank you for the work in putting together an inspiring and beautiful USDF publication!

Elinor Yee Folsom, CA W W W. U S D F. O R G

MARCH 2017

Official Publication of the United States Dressage Federation

The Craigslist Dressage Horse (p. 26) Meet the USDF’s Oldest Gold Medalist (p. 30) Goal-Setting Strategies for Riders (p. 44)

Joanne Dadd and Pik Andromeda

Lebanon Junction, KY Permit # 559

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I thoroughly enjoyed your comments in the March issue (“Ringside: The Oasis”). Thank goodness for our horses, who can quickly take us into another world and mood as we enter the barn.

Your “state of his hay supply,” “alternative facts,” and “defunding the treat budget” parodies were priceless!

At this time in our nation’s events, we can all be more thankful than ever for

our horses to take us away for many hours of joy.

Also, I will miss Valegro and Charlotte Dujardin terribly. The FEI World Cup Dressage Final will not be the same without them, and like you, he brought me to tears just because of who he is (“Ringside: The Secretariat Effect,” February).

I so look forward to your column every month, and it is the first thing I read when I receive USDF Connection.

You are an outstanding writer and always seem to convey my thoughts and feelings exactly. Thank you so much, and I cannot wait to hear your comments on the World Cup, even without Valegro.

JoAnne Ciazinski Danville, CA

Clarification

A

fter our March story about the USDF’s oldest gold medalist, 73-year-old Rita Dunn (“It’s Never Too Late”), appeared, a couple of USDF members pointed out that another 73-year-old, Deryn Stewart of Oklahoma, also earned her USDF gold medal in 2016.

Technically Dunn has Stewart beat (by only about six weeks!), but we salute both of these remarkable ladies and their dedication to dressage. You are an inspiration!

editorial@usdf.org

JoAnne, thank you for your kind words. Our World Cup Dressage Final coverage will be published in next month’s issue. Until then, check out our daily event reports from Omaha at usdfdressage.blogspot.com.

I just finished reading the March issue and wanted to compliment you on a lovely issue. Great articles from the adult-amateur viewpoint; plus I really appreciate your consistent formatting.

As the editor/publisher of the Centaur newsletter for the Rocky Mountain Dressage Society (CO), I can truly appreciate the personal effort I see in the professionalism and care of the publication.

Beverly Swanson Rocky Mountain Dressage Society Communications Chair centaurpublisher@gmail.com

Correction

O

ur profile of the 2016 USDF/Dover Saddlery Adult Amateur Medal national champion (“Amateur Hour: Top Guns,” April) misstated the national awards for the program in 2017.

For 2017 the USDF/Dover national champion and reserve champion will receive gift certificates from USDF.

! e t a D e h t e Sav

2017 Adequan®/USDF Annual Convention November 29-December 2 • Lexington, KY

8 May 2017 • USDF CONNECTION

Gear up for show season at the

USDF Store

order online at

www.usdf.org/store

HEADS UP

Your Dressage World This Month

GOVERNANCE

US Equestrian Forms New Dressage Sport Committee

A

s part of its ongoing restructuring, equestrian sports’ national governing body, US Equestrian (formerly the US Equestrian Federation), Lexington, KY, has folded its Dressage Committee and High Performance Dressage Committee into one new group, called the Dressage Sport Committee.

The 13-member Dressage Sport Committee, whose creation US Equestrian announced March 4, is one of the organization’s eight new FEI sport committees, reflective of the eight international equestrian disciplines. Five members were appointed by US Equestrian: Janet Foy, Lisa Wilcox, Elisabeth Williams, Betsy Juliano, and Gardy Bloemers.

Five were appointed by the USDF: Lisa Gorretta (the current USDF vice president), Gary Rockwell, Lilo Fore, Kathy Connelly, and Heather Petersen (current USDF Region 5 director). The remaining three members are elected athlete representatives: Christopher

Hickey, Katherine Bateson-Chandler, and Pierre St. Jacques. Gorretta and Connelly are the committee co-chairs. Charlotte Bredahl-Baker, Allison Brock, Robert Dover, Debbie McDonald, Christine Traurig, and current USDF president George Williams are nonvoting advisors.

The USDF is the US Equestrian recognized affiliate association for the sport of dressage.

According to US Equestrian’s press release, the Dressage Sport Committee

“will be responsible for the sport’s development, organization, rules, licensing changes, and handling any issues that may arise….[T]he new committee structure and appointed members will serve to oversee programs, selection processes and procedures, the competition calendar, rule changes, and [US national-level] dressage tests.”

“We are excited about what these changes will bring, as we view this as a positive development which will strengthen and encourage a close working relationship between US Equestrian and USDF,” said George Williams. “On a basic level, the committee will create greater efficiencies and help to eliminate the duplication of efforts. On another level, it recognizes the expertise of the affiliate, especially in areas such as education, where USDF has traditionally been strong. I believe it’s a win-win situation, allowing each organization to concentrate on what we do best.”

FINANCIAL AID

ive dressage instructors have each received a $1,000 grant to attend the USDF Instructor Certification Program, The Dressage Foundation announced March 10.

Grant recipients Rhiannon Dudley-Lucas, Tiffin, IA; Stephanie Field-Staner, Potosi, WI; Jane Fucinaro, Lincoln, NE; Tom Murray, Canby, OR; and Heather Wilson-Roller, Morley, IA, may use the funds toward any part of the certification program.

The Dressage Foundation, Lincoln, NE (dressagefoundation.org), administers the grants through its Continuing Education for Dressage Instructors Fund, established by Maryal and Charles Barnett. Grants are awarded twice a year, and the next deadline for applications is July 1.

Also available from TDF are five $1,000 grants to USDF group-member organizations (GMOs) that are organizing instructor-education events, either the USDF Instructor Certification Program or general educational events for area dressage instructors. A GMO must apply at least 90 days prior to the event.

10 May 2017 • USDF CONNECTION

RECIPIENT: Dressage instructor Stephanie Field-Staner (WI)

COURTESY OF THE DRESSAGE FOUNDATION

F

5 Dressage Instructors Receive Continuing-Education Grants

BEHIND THE SCENES

ORGANIZATIONS

Beth Beukema, Intercollegiate Dressage Association

JOAN DAVIS/FLATLANDSFOTO.COM; LISA SHADE/GIRL SCOUTS WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA

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ob title: President, Intercollegiate Dressage Association (teamdressage.com). Former director of equine studies, Johnson & Wales University, Providence, RI (retired in May 2016 after 33 years) (bethbeukema.com).

What I do: Basically, I get all the IDA regions working together. I’m also a US Equestrian “R” dressage judge, and I am a former eventing judge and technical delegate.

How I got started: When I was a kid, I lived in Virginia for a little bit, and the girl across the street had a horse. Then I moved back to the New England area, continued riding, and started in dressage and eventing when I was in high school.

INSPIRING STUDENTS: Beukema I switched to straight dressage after I got married and had a kid.

When I was at Johnson & Wales, our dressage team competed regionally in the New England area. Virginia had another region, and Ohio had another little group.

In 2001, we all went down to an East Coast regional championships, as we called it, and we formulated the bylaws and the rules for the IDA. I was the founding president.

Best thing about my job: The IDA national championships are so much fun each year—to see all the student athletes, watch them compete, and see them shine.

Worst thing about my job: The time crunch, especially when I was working full time.

My horses: I have two Westfalen mares: Finesse, age 7, doing First and Second Levels; and Doristan, who I hope will do the Five-Year-Old Young Horse test this year.

Tip: Be open to joining a team, and be open to the learning environment that a team offers.

T

Equine Nonprofits Invited to Apply for Grants

he USA Equestrian Trust annually awards need-based grants to IRS-registered equine nonprofit organizations, to help fund “initiatives that are productive across several nationallevel discipline and/or breed boundaries.” Past recipients have included ENCOURAGING YOUTH RIDERS: the California Dressage Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania Society and the American Association of Equine received a 2016 grant to support equestrian activities at its Camp Practitioners Foundation.

Skymeadow, outside Pittsburgh The 2017 grantapplication deadline is May 1. Apply online at trusthorses.org. E-mail grants@ trusthorses.org with any questions.

THE NEAR SIDE

—Katherine Walcott USDF CONNECTION

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May 2017

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HEADS UP MEET THE INSTRUCTOR

USDF BULLETINS

Sydni Nusink, Woodland Hills, UT

What you need to know this month Register for the 2017 USDF Dressage Sport Horse Youth/Young Adult Breeders Seminar THIS TWO-DAY COURSE is an introduction for youth and young adults ages 14-27 to the various roles and functions within the management of a sport-horse breeding farm. The 2017 seminar will be held July 1-2 at DG Bar Ranch, Hanford, CA. Lessons specific to mare and stallion management, as well as handling and training young horses, will be presented. See the USDF website for registration and waiver forms.

2017 USDF Sport Horse Seminar Registration Open LED BY US EQUESTRIAN “S” AND DSHB “R” JUDGES Kristi Wysocki and Susan Mandas, the 2017 USDF Sport Horse Seminar will be held August 5-6 at Iron Spring Farm, Coatesville, PA. Geared toward anyone who wants to learn which qualities to look for in a dressage sport horse, the seminar is also a prerequisite for becoming a US Equestrian-licensed dressage sport-horse breeding (DSHB) judge. Registration forms and waivers are available on the USDF website.

Submit Annual Change of Region Requests for Regional Championships PLANNING TO COMPETE IN THE 2017 Great American Insurance Group/ USDF Regional Dressage Championships? USDF presumes that qualified horse/rider combinations will compete in the region in which the rider resides (as determined by the address associated with the rider’s membership information on file as of July 1).

To compete in a different region, submit a Change of Region form and the applicable fee. Find the link on the Great American/USDF Regional Championship Competitors page of the USDF website.

Is Your Horse Declared for All-Breeds Awards?

TO BE ELIGIBLE TO EARN USDF All-Breeds awards, a horse must be “declared” with USDF for the appropriate participating registry. Simply submit a copy of your horse’s breed- or performance-registry papers and a completed All-Breeds Awards Declaration form (on the USDF website under Awards / Forms and Documents) to USDF no later than August 1 to be eligible to earn awards for the 2017 competition year.

Award Equivalency Change for the FEI Grand Prix 16-25 Test EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2016, for USDF rider and year-end awards purposes, the FEI Grand Prix 16-25 Test is equivalent to Intermediate II. See the USDF Member Guide for more information.

12 May 2017 • USDF CONNECTION

IMPULSION IMAGES

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ydni Nusink is a USDF-certified instructor at Training and First Levels who operates Prestige Dressage (facebook.com/prestigedressageutah). She is also vice president of the Utah Dressage Society.

How I got started in dressage: I got started in dressage after doing both vaulting and eventing. While I enjoyed the other disciplines, my passion was in dressage.

I wanted to become certified because: As someone who values her TEAM NUSINK: education and With her son, Sawyer, has proven and her American competent Warmblood gelding, to a minimal Titanic standard, I think it’s important to set yourself apart. Anyone can say they are a trainer; I wanted to prove it.

What surprised me most about the certification process: How much I learned and grew as a professional.

I thought I would simply be demonstrating what I knew, but it was so educational. My students and horses have greatly benefited from my completing this program.

Training tip: Do this program!

If you want to become a dressage professional, or even if you already are one, invest in yourself. The program isn’t easy, but it is worth it. You will push yourself and grow so much more than you expect.

Contact me: callmehorsey@yahoo. com or (801) 380-2260.

—Jamie Humphries

Your Dressage World This Month

USDF Sport Horse Seminar Iron Spring Farm • Coatesville, PA August 5-6, 2017 with Kristi Wysocki and Susan Mandas Comprised of both classroom lectures and hands-on evaluations, the seminar will provide valuable insight into four major areas: • Ideal Movement and Conformation • Breeding Stock Selection Considerations • Show Ring Strategies • Competition Rules and Judging Guidelines

For more information visit

www.usdf.org

USDF Sport Horse Education something for everyone

clinic

editorial@usdf.org

It’s show season! Conquer your “lizard brain” with these surprisingly effective sport-psychology strategies.

By Andrea Monsarrat Waldo

I

n her new book Brain Training for Riders, professional counselor, psychotherapist, and riding instructor Andrea Monsarrat Waldo helps readers get past the survivalfocused “lizard brain” to overcome fear and improve their performance in the saddle. In this exclusive excerpt, Waldo shares some of her show-preparation strategies.

YOUR MOST VALUABLE AID: New book helps riders to be master of the space between their ears

From Brain Training for Riders: Unlock Your Riding Potential with StressLess Techniques for Conquering Fear, Improving Performance, and Finding Focused Calm. Copyright ©2016 by Andrea Monsarrat Waldo. Used by permission of the publisher, Trafalgar Square Books, HorseandRiderBooks.com.

Luck Favors the Prepared Before you go to a show, know the drill. Make sure you are familiar with the rules and etiquette of your chosen discipline. Read the Rule Book. (Yes, it’s tedious. Read it anyway.) If possible, go to some shows as a spectator or groom to get a feel for the rhythm of the typical show day.

Being a spectator allows you to become familiar with the atmosphere without the stress of your own competition nerves. It also gives you the opportunity to observe successful riders and watch how they handle challenges, such as bad weather or an uncooperative horse. I especially like watching riders in the warm-up area, as this is usually the place where people either step successfully into Performance Self or escalate tension in themselves and their horses. When I see a rider who is completely in her Performance Self, I try to identify what she is doing to stay there in the midst of all the distractions around her.

Another benefit of watching is noticing that even the best riders aren’t perfect all the time. I’ve seen every rider I admire make mistakes: they have refusals at jumps, they go off course in their dressage tests, their horses have meltdowns, they fall off. While I’m not hoping someone will make a mistake, when they do have a bobble, it reminds me that they’re human too. As a result, when my turn comes, I can be less selfconscious about my own errors and stay better focused on the next task at hand.

Get Your Stuff Together Riding is an equipment-heavy sport, to

14 May 2017 • USDF CONNECTION

Organization Is in the Eye of the One Who Has to Find Her Stuff Organization is a very individual concept. One person’s jumble is another person’s system. I won’t tell you how you should arrange your stuff; however, I strongly recommend that you have a system. Systems, like routines, are excellent stress relievers, because they reduce the need to think. When I need my gloves, I don’t have to think about where I put them; I just reach into the front pocket of my garment bag, because that’s where they always are. My system frees up mental space for more important things, and it’s one less thing to stress about as I’m preparing to ride.

How do you know whether you have an effective system for your stuff?

If you look at your arrangement and you feel calm, it’s a good system. If you feel stressed or anxious when you look at it, you need to make some changes. My personal rule of thumb is that if I can’t put my hands on something I need within 10 seconds, I need to adjust my system. In my house and in my office, I can handle a fair amount of chaos, but at a horse show, I need to start with everything in place, or I feel frazzled.

A note to parents and coaches: it is extremely tempting to impose a particular system on your child or student because it makes sense to you.

However, it will only work if it makes sense to them. If they throw everything into their trunk in one big jumble, but they can find what they need when they need it, leave it alone. Walk away if you have to, but don’t meddle with their stuff just because it’s driving you crazy. If they can’t find what they need, are chronically late, or are constantly asking you to go back for something they forgot, then you can intervene. Even then, however, don’t just impose a system upon them; help them develop one that both of you can be comfortable with.

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put it mildly. Your stuff can be a source of stress or a source of confidence, depending on how you handle it.

The Day Before It’s critical to make the shift from training to performing in the days before a show. At this point, you are as prepared as you can possibly be, and you aren’t going to teach your horse anything new in those last few days.

We aim for constant improvement in our day-to-day training program, but competition is all about showing off your strengths and camouflaging your weak spots. Just as runners taper their workouts in the week before a marathon, plan to use your last week to polish what you’ve got. Do things that you can praise your horse for, so that he goes to the show feeling like the next Olympic candidate. Avoid confrontations or stressful situations with him. Giving him a positive week will leave him fresh and ready to give you his best when you arrive at the competition.

As always, the specifics of those last few days are unique to each individual horse and rider. Your horse may do well with very little work, while someone else’s needs a full week of exercise to keep the edge off at the show. Notice what seems to work for you and your horse, and come up with your own routine for handling the countdown to show day.

Distress Tolerance While coaching at an event recently, I had numerous people ask me for help in coping with their nerves. All of them were struggling with the “inbetween time,” when they had nothing to do and plenty to think about and obsess over. All of them also had fallen for two mistaken beliefs: One, they believed that if they just talked enough about their feelings, the bad feelings would go away. Two, they believed that those bad feelings had to go away in order for them to be okay.

“Distress Tolerance” is a phrase psychologists use for being able to stand it when we feel bad. The military has an even better phrase: “Embrace the suck.” Sometimes you can’t feel better right away, no matter

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what you do, so you need to get used to embracing the suck.

“But this is supposed to be fun,” I heard repeatedly when I suggested this. Well, yes, showing is fun, but not in a pleasurable, go-to-the-beach kind of way. Competition is “fun” in an adrenaline-charged, feel-fulfilledby-meeting-a-challenge kind of way.

Tension, doubt, and uncertainty are all built into the experience. You can fight those emotions, which will make you feel worse, or you can embrace the suck and simply accept them. You don’t have to feel okay to be okay.

Acceptance allows you to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, and it makes you tougher, more resilient, and more flexible mentally.

You’ll still feel whatever you feel—jittery, edgy, anxious—but it will bother you a whole lot less.

Leave the Escape Door Open One last piece of advice before you go out there, and it may shock you: Give yourself permission to quit.

People freak out when I say this; apparently it’s the most controversial idea I’ve come up with so far, because the pushback I get from it is intense.

“If I give myself permission to quit, I’ll do it every time—I’ll go home and bake cookies and eat the whole batch.

I’ll let myself down, I know it.”

I doubt it, actually. People give themselves far too little credit; riders completely underestimate their own toughness. If you leave an escape door open, I guarantee you will almost never need to take it.

Here’s the thing: flight animals hate to be trapped. A horse cast in a stall can kill himself flailing around, trying to escape. Your Lizard Brain is exactly the same way: it panics when it feels trapped. If you give it permission to quit, if it has an out, it doesn’t need to panic. If your Lizard Brain doesn’t need to panic, your Rational Brain can decide whether it’s really a good idea not to ride today or if your Lizard Brain is just stressing out about the competition.

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By offering your Lizard Brain an escape route, you allow it to feel safe, so it calms down, and your Rational Brain can remind it of what it already knows: that you are ready, and you want to do this. If you force it, your Lizard Brain will continue to panic and interfere with what you need to do to get through the challenge. And, on the off chance that your Lizard Brain is right and you aren’t truly prepared, you give it a chance to have its say and consider your options.

Leave the escape door open, and you’ll only use it when you really do need it.

Riding Exercise: Practice for Show Situations While it is impossible to recreate the exact energy and intensity of a show when you are at home, here are some exercises to help you practice coping with the competition environment.

1. Who Moved the Furniture?

Teach your horse to expect the un-

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expected. Place some objects around your riding area, such as lawn chairs, cones, or an old backpack, and move them around every couple of days.

Practice keeping your horse’s attention when she says, “Hey! That wasn’t there yesterday!” Once you’ve mastered static objects, move on to noisy or flapping things. Empty grain bags, tarps, and plastic whirligigs are great for this.

2. Busy Warm-up Arena Get together with a few friends and ride as a group in a ring or small paddock—the smaller the area, the better.

Practice staying focused on your ride as you work around each other. Work on claiming your space by keeping your eyes focused on where you are going, rather than trying to guess where the other person is going to go.

3. Crazy Warm-up Rider As above, but have one person designated to be “that rider” in the warmup. That person can talk incessantly to her horse, cut people off, stop abruptly on the rail and talk on her cell phone, or any other frustrating behavior you can think of. Everyone else practices regaining focus after she disrupts their ride.

4. Practice Deleting Mistakes Ride a test, pattern, or course, and say “delete” out loud whenever you make a mistake in the pattern or if your riding isn’t what you’d like it to be.

5. Lose Your Way Ride a pattern as above, and have a friend blow a whistle at some ran-

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dom moment, as if you’d gone off course. Practice pausing, deleting any negative thoughts, taking a breath, identifying your next movement, and resuming your ride. Even if going off course means elimination in your particular discipline, practice resuming the ride anyway—it will improve your pattern-memorization skills.

6. Made You Look!

Ride in an imaginary class, and have people cause various distractions: shout your name, let a dog into the ring, open an umbrella, make catty comments about your riding as you go by. Practice staying in Performance Self and keeping your horse focused on his work. Notice which distractions you are most vulnerable to, and practice these a lot.

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the judge’s box

How Much Collection Is Needed for Second Level?

Second Level, an important step up, calls for collection for the first time.

We explain the requirements of the level.

By Marilyn Heath

W

hen we study the pyramid of training (the training scale), we find that collection is the top, or the last, building block. Why, then, is collection a requirement of Second Level?

Second Level is less demanding than the higher levels, so how is a rider to determine how much collection is needed for the level?

First, riders need to understand that the elements of the pyramid of training (illustration, opposite page) cannot truly be separated. They all are intertwined. From day one in the horse’s training, the rider is working to ensure a clear rhythm and a steady tempo with a mentally relaxed horse that demonstrates an appropriate degree of suppleness, correct contact for the level, energy, straightness, and balance. In other words, the rider does not achieve one layer of the pyramid before progressing to the next.

Collection Defined On the aids, without collection

Collected

Mobilizing the haunches

The piaffe

DEVELOPMENT OF COLLECTION: Illustration depicts the principle of collection.

The diagrammatical lines behind the horses show the increased angularity of the haunches and lowering of the hindquarters.

The first mention of collection in our national dressage tests is at Second Level. According to the 2015 USDF Glossary of Judging Terms, collection is “at trot and canter, a pace with shorter steps and a more uphill balance than in the working pace, with no sacrifice of impulsion. The horse’s frame is shorter, with the neck stretched and arched upward.

The tempo remains nearly the same as in the medium or extended pace.

At walk, a pace with shorter steps and a more uphill balance than in the medium walk, with no sacrifice of activity. The neck oscillates less than in the medium and extended paces and the frame is shorter, with the neck stretched and arched upward. The tempo remains nearly the same as in the medium or extended pace.”

The US Equestrian Rule Book (DR 115) states that the aim of collection Illustration from Riding Logic by Wilhelm Müseler. Published by J.A. Allen and distributed

by Trafalgar Square Books, HorseandRiderBooks.com (out of print). Used by permission.

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editorial@usdf.org

is “to further develop and improve the balance and equilibrium of the horse which has been more or less displaced by the additional weight of the rider; to develop and increase the horse’s ability to lower and engage his quarters for the benefit of the lightness and mobility of his forehand; and to add to the ‘ease and carriage’ of the horse, therefore making him more pleasurable to ride.” (The complete Rule Book is online at usef.org.)

The Rule Book goes on to specify that the best means to obtain these aims are the lateral movements— shoulder-in, travers (haunches-in), renvers (haunches-out)—and halfhalts. That is why shoulder-in and travers are introduced at Second Level.

Here is an example of how lateral movements help to build collection.

A correctly ridden shoulder-in (on three tracks and with an angle of 30 degrees) requires the horse to step under the midline of his body with his inside hind leg, thus making him bend the joints of that leg while carrying the weight. Incorrectly ridden, with more than a 30-degree angle and the haunches escaping to the outside, the purpose of the shoulder-in exercise is not fulfilled. The hind legs cross instead of the inside hind leg stepping under the horse’s midline, the joints of the hind leg do not need to bend, and engagement is not accomplished.

The Rule Book goes on to point out that “collection is improved and effected by engaging the hind legs with the joints bent and supple, forward under the horse’s body by a temporary but often repeated action of the seat and legs of the rider driving the horse forward toward a more or less stationary or restraining hand allowing just enough impulsion to pass through.” In other words, by riding half-halts.

What Collection Is Not The US Equestrian Rule Book emphasizes that “collection is consequently not achieved by shortening of the gait through a resisting action of the

The pyramid of training or “training scale”

hand but instead by using the seat and legs to engage the hind legs further under the horse’s body.” It goes on to qualify that “the hind legs should not be engaged too far forward under the horse, as this would shorten the base of support too much and thereby impede the movement.” However, “a horse with a too long base of support unable or unwilling to engage his hind legs forward under his body will never achieve an acceptable collection characterized by ease and carriage as well as a lively impulsion, originated in the activity of the quarters.”

As you can see, the Rule Book contains far more than a list of rules.

In fact, it should be one of your textbooks for the training of your horse.

The Rule Book outlines the purpose of each of the dressage levels, describes in detail the requirements of the basics (including collection), and defines the criteria of each movement.

The USDF Glossary of Judging Terms (available on USDF’s eTRAK database) is another helpful reference.

The glossary defines the terminology used in dressage judging and establishes a means of common communication among riders, trainers, and judges.

USDF ILLUSTRATION

Second Level Collection It has often been said that the amount of collection needed at Second Level is that which enables the horse to accomplish the movements of the

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level with ease. But how does the rider achieve that collection?

Let’s start by looking at the purpose of Second Level. As stated in the Rule Book and at the top of each test, the purpose is “to confirm that the horse demonstrates correct basics, and having achieved the thrust required in First Level, now accepts more weight on the hindquarters (collection); moves with an uphill tendency, especially in the medium gaits; and is reliably on the bit. A greater degree of straightness, bending, suppleness, throughness, balance and self-carriage is required than at First Level.” Producing this “uphill tendency” requires increased engagement.

The levels and tests in dressage are designed to follow the pyramid of training. At Training Level, the horse should go freely forward with a clear rhythm and a steady tempo (the first requirement of the training scale) while accepting contact with the bit (the third element of the pyramid).

Moving up to First Level, the purpose of the level is “to confirm that the horse demonstrates correct basics, and in addition to the requirements of Training Level, has developed the thrust to achieve improved balance and throughness and to maintain a more consistent contact with the bit.”

First Level requires more consistency of contact and more impulsion (the fourth element of the pyramid).

In order to ride successfully at Second Level, then, there needs to be an increase of engagement, balance, equilibrium, and self-carriage—collec-

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the judge’s box

editorial@usdf.org

tion—over the previous levels to enable the horse to perform the required movements of shoulder-in, travers, simple changes, and medium paces with ease and harmony.

Let the Pyramid of Training Be Your Guide Regardless of the level, each movement in dressage is judged fundamentally on the basics according to the pyramid of training, to evaluate whether the horse is fulfilling the requirements of that level. Does the gait have a clear rhythm? Is it free? Is the horse demonstrating correct and sufficient impulsion for the level? Is there a willing cooperation between horse and rider?

Is the horse reliably on the bit? Is the self-carriage appropriate for the level?

Only then does the judge consider the criteria for each movement, factor in any modifiers, and come up with a score for each movement.

Riders should not present their horses at any level until they are able to fulfill the purpose of the level. If a horse is trained in the basics of the level, he should have no problem completing the movements of the test with ease.

Judges appreciate a happy horse. A horse coerced into doing movements above his ability is not a happy horse and, therefore, lacks harmony. s Marilyn Heath, of Naples, FL, is a US Equestrian “S” dressage judge. She is a member of the USDF L program faculty, the USDF L Program Committee, and the USDF Judges Committee. In 2013 she received the USDF Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to USDF judge-education programs.

Podcast Alert

PODCAST

22 May 2017 • USDF CONNECTION

Listen to Marilyn Heath explain how much collection is needed to ride Second Level on podcast 154 at usdf.podbean.com.

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historical connection

editorial@usdf.org

American Dressage Legends: Maj. Gen. Jonathan R. Burton

One of the US Army’s cavalry greats who reshaped civilian equestrian sport

SUPREME (DRESSAGE) COURT JUSTICE: Burton on the job judging in 2007, the year he was inducted into the Roemer Foundation/ USDF Hall of Fame

26 May 2017 • USDF CONNECTION

FLYING HIGH: Aboard the appropriately named Air Mail in Aachen, Germany in 1949

squad in Seoul, Korea. He held FEI and US Equestrian judges’ licenses, and many dressage competitors and judges had his 1985 book, How to Ride a Winning Dressage Test, on their bookshelves. It was followed by the 1990 volume The Judge’s Guide to Step

by Step Improvement. Burton was also an FEI chief steward and a US Equestrian technical delegate.

A strong supporter of dressage and equestrian sport for youth, Burton is one of the founders of the FEI North American Young Riders Championships (now the NAJYRC), at which he also served as FEI chief steward for many years. He served as the inaugural chair of the USDF Advanced Young Rider Council for ten years, from 1988 to 1998. And he is an emeritus board member (and former chair) of The Dressage Foundation.

The Roemer Foundation/USDF Hall of Fame inducted Burton in 2007. With Burton’s multi-discipline contributions, the USDF was far from the only equestrian organization to honor him. The United States Eventing Association inducted him into its Hall of Fame, and he was named a US Podcast Alert

PODCAST

One who played an instrumental role in getting dressage launched in the US—in getting lots of things launched, actually—was Maj. Gen. Jonathan “Jack” Burton.

Burton, who got his early equestrian education by galloping race-

horses as a boy, joined the cavalry division of the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) while at the Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science (now Michigan State University). After graduation in 1942 and commissioning as a second lieutenant, he was posted at Fort Riley, KS, and the US Cavalry School.

There he studied weapons administration, riding, shoeing, veterinary procedures, conditioning, mounted drills, maneuvers, tracking, and stable management, among others.

During World War II, Burton was stationed on the Mexican border with the cavalry, then sent to the Pacific Theater, this time without horses. After the war, he was assigned to the constabulary in the American zone of Germany, where he rode at the stables of the father of the future noted German dressage trainer Conrad Schumacher.

A neighbor and frequent visitor to the Schumacher farm was the legendary German trainer and rider Josef Neckermann, who provided Burton with more exposure to classical dressage.

Back in the US, Burton taught advanced horsemanship at Fort Riley. He rode on the US Army Olympic eventing teams in 1948 and 1956. All the while, he ascended the Army ranks, serving at the Pentagon in between tours in Vietnam. He would eventually be promoted to major general, the rank at which he retired, and sent to command the Third Armored Division in Frankfurt, Germany.

It is for his contributions to the civilian equestrian world, however, that Burton is most remembered. From 1975 to 1985, he served as executive vice president of the United States Equestrian Team. In 1988, he was chef d’équipe of the US Olympic dressage

Check out podcast 152 for more on Maj. Gen. Jonathan Burton at usdf.podbean.com.

USDF ARCHIVE

G

o through the list of early Roemer Foundation/USDF Hall of Fame inductees (online at usdf.org) and you’ll see a large number of names preceded by military titles.

That’s because international equestrian competition was a military officer’s sport until the cavalry was mechanized in the 1950s; not until 1956 were civilians permitted to participate in the Olympic equestrian events.

And when they did, they relied on the guidance of the experienced Army officers to show them the way.

Pony Clubs National Legend.

Now in his late nineties, Burton is reported to be in failing health. USDF Connection salutes this living American dressage legend by letting Burton do the talking. Besides his books, Burton wrote a column for Dressage & CT magazine in the late 1980s entitled, fittingly, “As I See It.” He discussed the controversies surrounding Olympic dressage judging from 1932 to 1976 and also shared insights about judging. Read on for his thoughts on using the full scale of marks in judging.

As I See It: Using the Full Deck

JENNIFER BRYANT

By Jonathan R. Burton Published in Dressage & CT, June 1990

I once was judging dressage finals and was intrigued by the scores given by one of the judges. If the movement was good, the rider got a six. If it was ordinary, the score was five. If the movement was bad in any way, the score was four. No other scores were used.

Unfortunately, there are judges who follow this system. They are a bit insecure in what they are doing and tend to be cautious. I think the very essence of judging is to use the full range of scores available: zero to ten.

From Dressage & CT, June 1990. Reprinted by permission of the estate of Ivan I. Bezugloff Jr.

I admit I haven’t given too many tens or seen too many other judges with an excessive number of tens, However, they should be used. You can usually see one on a final movement where everything goes well; the horse is straight, is balanced, makes a relaxed transition to a square halt, and stands there immobile, exuding confidence and exuberance and deserving a ten.

The same can be said of using nines.

You watch all day, and the walks are constrained, irregular, pacing, jigging, inaccurate, and with heads too high; then you see a long, low, regular, striding walk with a 16" overstride, and you can easily give a nine. This score should also be reflected in the General Impressions under regularity of the gaits.

Now for the other end of the spectrum. The horse is supposed to take the canter in the corner at the training level. The rider kicks, pulls, and drives.

The horse trots faster and doesn’t take the canter until the start of the circle, which is the next movement. The point of the movement was to take the canter; the horse didn’t do it at all. He omitted the required movement. Zero.

The horse should come to a halt at X. He never really halts but fidgets around, head not still, merely pausing.

The horse didn’t really halt. One. The horse is irregular at the walk,

“Paint at Sea” by Amy Severino

2017 USDF Arts Contest The

HONORED: During his 2007 Roemer Foundation/USDF Hall of Fame induction ceremony, with then USDF Historical Recognition Committee chair Anne Moss (left) and then USDF president Sam Barish (right)

showing more pacing than regular walk The horse jigs at X, crossing the centerline. There is no overstep to speak of. The head is not in a free walk frame. Two. The horse is attempting an extended trot. He starts late, after a shallow corner, and is a bit irregular in the transition, then breaks to the canter at X. Three.

I’m sure the scores would be more indicative of merit if judges used all the scores in their deck. Appropriate remarks and comments will help riders correct the difficulties. More experienced judges have a greater tendency to use all the points available than less experienced judges do. It is interesting to note that in Europe, one usually becomes a judge after retiring from competition; you don’t have the problem of current competitors judging current competitors, as we do on this continent. This obvious conflict of interest is most pronounced when competitors are judged by their peers in selection trials. s

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Offering a total of over $180,000 in prize money, the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Regional Dressage Championships provide a showcase for achievement and feature qualified riders competing in open, adult amateur, and junior/young rider divisions for regional honors.

These championships also serve as the qualifiers for the 2017 US Dressage Finals presented

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Regional Dressage Championships

2017 Dates and Locations REGION 1

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October 5-8, 2017 Wellington, FL

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October 5-8, 2017 Katy, TX

Regional Championships are qualifying competitions for the US Dressage Finals See the calendar at www.usdf.org for the most current dates, locations, and competition contact information.

Title Sponsor of the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Regional Championships Great American is one of the world’s leading providers of equine mortality insurance and related coverages in addition to offering a full line of property and casualty products for the equestrian community through its equine farm center. To learn more about Great American Insurance, visit www.greatamericaninsurancegroup.com.

Presenting Sponsor of the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Regional Championships The patented SmartPak supplement feeding system gives horse owners peace of mind with its premeasured dosages for each horse. To learn more about SmartPak or to shop their products, visit www.smartpak.com.

Supporting Sponsor of the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Regional Championships Since 1996 the team at Platinum Performance has been focused on researching the role of nutrition in equine health and developing formulas to help improve the health and performance of the horse. To learn more about Platinum Performance visit www.platinumperformance.com.

Contributing Sponsor of the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Regional Championships Merial is a world-leading, innovation-driven animal health company, providing a comprehensive range of products to enhance the health, well-being and performance of a wide range of animals. To learn more about Merial, visit us.merial.com.

all-breeds connection

This traditional American breed is being rediscovered for dressage

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he foundation of the American Saddlebred began around 1700, when Galloway and Hobby horses were crossed with Thoroughbreds to produce a riding horse with upright head carriage and smooth gaits.

The versatile Saddlebred is forward-going, intelligent, and powerfully muscled, enabling him to excel

BIG APPLE: The FEI-level American Saddlebred gelding New York City Slicker, owned and ridden by Jody G. Swimmer, Louisville, KY

in a multitude of disciplines. It was the breed of choice as a field hunter, jumper, and carriage horse until the 1960s, when Thoroughbreds and warmbloods took the spotlight and the Saddlebred became better known for its ability in the saddle-seat show ring. Today there is a renewed interest Podcast Alert

PODCAST

Check out podcast 154 for an interview with Jody Swimmer at usdf.podbean.com.

in the Saddlebred horse’s light and responsive way of going. Dressage riders have discovered the breed’s natural uphill build and ability to collect. Amateurs enjoy Saddlebreds’ willing natures—not to mention their affordable prices as compared to many warmbloods—and Saddlebreds have become popular in dressage and Western dressage alike.

American Saddlebreds you might know: New York City Slicker (pictured) (I’m a New Yorker – Callaway’s Dash of Class) is currently competing at Intermediate I with his owner/rider, Jody G. Swimmer.

He was the American Saddlebred Registry’s 2016 USDF All-Breeds I-I Open champion, and he has received year-end and high-point awards from Saddlebred breed registries.

The gelding Harry Callahan has shown in dressage through Grand Prix and with dressage pro Chrissa Hoffmann has been ranked in the top third in USDF’s national year-end standings at Prix St. Georges.

The American Saddlebred Registry: The American Saddle Horse Breeder’s Association was formed in Louisville, KY, in 1891, making the American Saddlebred Registry (its current name) the oldest breed registry in the US. The ASR ensures the accuracy of the records maintained for all pedigreed American Saddlebred horses. To be eligible for registration, a foal must be sired by a registered stallion and out of a registered mare.

The Half American Saddlebred Registry of America, founded in 1971 and now administered by the ASR, reflects many breed crossings with American Saddlebred mares and stallions.

The American Saddlebred Horse Association is the membership and

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promotional organization for the American Saddlebred.

All-Breeds awards offered: Champion and reserve, open performance divisions; champion only, dressage sport-horse breeding divisions.

How to participate: Horses must be registered with the American Saddlebred Registry or the Half Saddlebred Registry of America. Owners and riders must be members of the American Saddlebred Horse Association.

Learn more: Saddlebred.com or (859) 259-2742. s

For the Breeds, by the Breeds

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ach month, “All-Breeds Connection” spotlights a USDF All-Breeds awards program participating organization and the breed it represents. Information and photos that appear in this column are furnished by the breed registries. USDF does not endorse or promote any breed or registry over another.

The All-Breeds program is designed to recognize the accomplishments of specific breeds in dressage. All participating organizations offer “open” yearend awards from Training Level through Grand Prix, and some offer awards in additional categories, such as adult amateur, junior/young rider, and dressage sport-horse breeding. Registry representatives are usually on hand to help bestow awards at the banquet held during each year’s USDF convention.

All-Breeds award eligibility requirements include memberships and horse registrations with both USDF and the participating organization. For details and a list of current participating organizations, visit usdf.org. For more information about All-Breeds awards program participation, send e-mail to allbreeds@usdf.org.

KEIRA WICKLIFFE BERGER

Spotlight: American Saddlebred Registry

editorial@usdf.org

The Elusive

80

Percent In Rio 2016, US dressage star Laura Graves reached that lofty score for the first time.

Here’s how she did it.

BY LAURA GRAVES WITH JENNIFER O. BRYANT PHOTOGRAPHS BY SHANNON BRINKMAN

POWER PLAY: Laura Graves and Verdades on their way to team bronze at the 2016 Olympics

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o get on a medal podium these days, a dressage horse and rider generally must score close to 80 percent or even higher in the Grand Prix tests (and higher still in the freestyle). After knocking on the door since they burst onto the scene at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, Laura Graves and her Verdades finally broke the barrier with their score of 80.64 percent in the Grand Prix Special at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, which clinched the bronze medal for the USA. It was Graves’ first 80-percent Grand Prix score outside of a freestyle.

Afterward, Graves exulted: “The elusive 80 percent! We’ve captured it! It exists!” USDF Connection was eager to learn how she did it—and what kinds of takeaways we could apply to our own training and showing. Here’s what she had to say. Some of her advice may surprise you.

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n 80-percent ride is a very confident feeling. I’m not known for being the most openly confident rider and trainer; but at the end of that ride, I halted and saluted and I said to myself, “If that’s not 80 percent, I don’t know what is!” That Grand Prix Special test in Rio was the first time in my life that feeling of confidence had come over me at the end of the ride.

That ride was the kind of feeling you get in your daily training, but that’s so difficult to maintain during a test. It really was like I could ride 100 percent and not worry about losing the power. I could go all out and not worry about making a mistake because of that power. I felt safe in that place. When you don’t feel safe in the power that you’re creating, it looks hectic and unbalanced and you make mistakes. I always want to ride for the 10, but there’s a difference when that maximum is not forced; rather, it’s just the result of confidence in the training.

The top tests in Rio—the British riders, a lot of the German riders, our team—showed relaxation along with that power. I feel that the relaxation in previous years has really been overlooked. It was refreshing in Rio to see the judges so highly reward that.

From 70-Something to 80: The Process One of the biggest developments in our training was working with David Stickland. David is a British physicist who co-founded a company called Global Dressage Analytics.

GDA conducts statistical score analysis that helps to determine a competitor’s strengths and weaknesses, and identify elements of the test where the marks could be improved. He breaks down the rides on a numbers level, not as a trainer.

Before I went to Rio, we were training in Europe. David said, “Listen, you have an 80-percent horse. Your horse has no weakness. But here are the spots where you fluctuate.

Sometimes you get an 8—you’re very capable of that—but sometimes you get a 6.5, and that holds you back. So this is a place where, if you focus, you can maintain that 8.” That was monumental for us in our training. I’m very guilty of being a trainer and not necessarily a “test rider.” That made a big difference to me.

One of the areas David identified was the extended walk.

You cannot make this horse have a bad walk, so why am I accepting a 6.5 in the extended walk? My trainer, Debbie McDonald, and I had to ask ourselves: “Diddy” has a great extended walk, but how can I achieve that directly out of the passage, as it happens in the test? My horse has a great walk, but it’s not being reflected in the scores he’s being given, so let’s change that.

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Although my horse has a great walk, if it takes me half the diagonal to show the judges that, the score can’t be as high. So instead of just thinking, I’m going to let him have the buckle and catch his breath, now I say, OK, I’m going to make a transition to passage, then make a transition from passage to extended walk. It was no more “passage; have a break.” It was passage; extended walk. Just paying attention to it in the everyday training paid off.

Another thing I learned from David is that what you think is your biggest weakness may not be your ticket to the higher score. For example, my horse is very animated in the piaffe, and he can lift his hind legs so high that it prevents him from sitting. Even though he is very diagonal and can be very “on the spot,” he doesn’t always take a lot of weight on his haunches, so his score can fluctuate between a 7 and the 8.5 we got in Rio. In training, we’ve seen him sit in the piaffe. There’s nothing physically holding him back from that. But sometimes, in the excitement of the show arena, he doesn’t sit. So maybe that’s something we shouldn’t waste our time trying to address because we can’t make it happen in the training.

But the passage-extended walk transition was something that we could simulate in our training. We said, look, when he goes from passage to extended walk, it takes him six strides to really stretch his neck. Let’s do it again. By really being able to home in on those specific things, I’m not going around and around the arena in passage, stressing his legs out. I’m doing a short passage; walk. It’s very focused.

It’s a very small amount of time, and it really paid off.

Changing the Plan As horses develop, you have to be ready to make changes in your program. Another area for improvement that David had identified was our extended trot. But my pre-test routine at shows was holding that back.

Diddy is so hot, and in the past he could be explosive. So our routine had always been: I go into the arena at a walk.

When the judge rings the bell, we stay close to A, we pick up the canter, and we go in. But by only walking, I wasn’t able to feel the trot that he was going to give me after the first halt and salute.

Last summer, before the Olympic Games, we went to a show in Roosendaal, the Netherlands. The sole purpose of that show was so we could play with something else before we went in. Deb wasn’t able to be there, but we made a plan: I would trot and canter around the outside of the arena before we went in, to let him blow off some steam.

We both got confident going around the judges’ boxes and the flowers, and our work was really reflected when we

went to the final mandatory outing before Rio, the CDI in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. By the time we got to Rotterdam—this might sound silly, but my horse trots around the outside! He canters around the outside! He never used to do that.

The experience was a breakthrough for us: Not only do I have a good feeling about the movements in general, but now I can go in, halt, salute, track left, extended trot—I own it. I know he’s going to come up in his shoulders, and he’s not so hot that I can’t put my leg on. That’s the issue I was running into with only walking before the bell.

Test Management and Time Management As compared to the lower levels, there are more opportunities at Grand Prix to get higher scores because there are many more coefficient movements. For example, I’m currently showing a horse at Third Level, and those tests only have two or so opportunities to multiply the score by 2. But in the Grand Prix, every piaffe, the one-time changes, the pirouettes, the half-passes, the zigzags—you have all these things that are multiplied by 2.

But those movements aren’t just about quality; they have to be accurate. So if you ride the most impressive zigzag but you have a counting mistake, there goes your coefficient.

Yes, you want to go for brilliance, but you must always, always maintain accuracy.

I also structure my training sessions so that I don’t waste time or stress my horses’ legs. I go in with a plan. If the horse feels this way or that way in the warm-up we address it, and if we get to my plan, that’s great. If it backfires, I have a plan for that, too. It’s not, “Let’s do five shoulder-ins. OK, let’s do five haunches-in. OK, now let’s go the other direction. Now we’re symmetrical. OK, now let’s do collected canter three times. Let’s canter three times on the other lead.” What do they call it? Not “practice makes perfect” but “perfect practice makes perfect.” By really being focused in short amounts of time, I feel we make bigger improvements, and it also saves the legs of my horses.

The Third Level horse I mentioned is a good example of how productive a short, focused session can be. Today I was only on him for about 20 minutes. Before I got on, he’d already been to turnout, and he felt good when I got on. I don’t need to waste his time and energy by trotting him around for fifteen minutes. I did some of the test movements—shoulder-in, half-circles, half-passes—as part of my warm-up. We get right to it, it feels good, it looks good.

We walk, we take a break, we check on our collected canter, our little pirouettes. Our schooling pirouettes looked good,

WORKING FOR THE RIDER: In the Olympic Grand Prix Special, Graves said, she felt “safe” in her horse’s power

so I said, Let’s challenge, and we rode little bits of the Prix St. Georges: the half-diagonal, half-pirouette, flying change.

The one to the right was not as good, so we spent a bit of time at X schooling the half-pirouette, did another flying change, and he had a walk. And then maybe we played with the tempis. And it was super today, so he gets to be done.

We have a little stretch, and then we go out on the trail.

Getting Comfortable with Uncomfortable I tell my students to get comfortable in a place of uncomfortable. Pushing your horse for the bigger trot or the bigger flying changes can feel awkward, or even a little out of control. But sometimes you have to get comfortable with that less-than-perfect feeling when you’re pushing that boundary of making the next step. [ USDF CONNECTION

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REASSURING PRESENCE: Graves’ coach, Debbie McDonald, gives Verdades a pat before they go in the ring at the Rio Games

As dressage riders, we’re so careful to be safe. We ask ourselves: “Does it feel good?” Sometimes you have to get over the fact that it does not, in the place where the horse is building. But that’s why it’s so important to always have eyes on the ground. Even if you don’t have access to a local trainer, there are so many innovations these days. You can submit videos or use other technology to access training.

When I say “eyes on the ground,” I should clarify and say it’s important to stay in the same training concept. Working with trainers who believe in all different systems is not so helpful.

Working with one trainer and that person’s mentors, or students who are trained in the same capacity, is very important.

The Importance of the Basics (or What Would Deb Do?) The biggest mistake I see when I give clinics is people getting greedy for the “tricks.” They have complaints about all these “tricks,” and I say, well, sure you do, because you can’t even ride a straight quarter line. You have to really pay attention to the basics and know that you have all of your tools working so that you can call on them when you need them. You have to take the time.

Here’s an example. The other day, the Third Level horse I’ve been mentioning apparently forgot how to do a left-to-

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right flying change. The first thing I say to myself when I encounter a training issue is, what would Deb do? That is my religion. You know how people have those What Would Jesus Do? bracelets? I have a What Would Deb Do? bracelet.

What Deb would do is to say, “Make it simple.” So I started by taking the flying change back to the basics: canter left lead; walk; canter right lead. I asked myself: Is the horse quick off my left leg to pick up the right-lead canter? Sure enough, he was a stride and a half late to my canter aids—so there’s the mistake in my flying change.

We schooled the walk-canter transition a few times: walk/right lead, walk/left lead, back and forth, simple changes. Then we picked up the canter again, I asked for the change, and it was fine.

I can get worked up and emotional about a problem. But as a trainer, I have to identify the problem in the training, and not just think about how bad it’s feeling.

Be Fair to the Horse My students sometimes feel—maybe because of who I am or the success that I’ve had—that they have to push so hard and expect so much from their horses. I always remind them: You have to be fair to your horse. You have to be smart in your training.

It’s important for riders to separate their mistakes from their horses’—to say, if I made a mistake and then you made a mistake, you don’t have to do it again. Sometimes you have to say, OK, I needed more bend in that movement. If I’d asked, you would have given it to me—but I didn’t ask. It isn’t always fair to have the horse do it again.

The Anchors

PODCAST

I‘ll be honest: I almost retired twice last year because of the stress. My relationship with this horse—sometimes it’s just not what you think it’s going to be. I thought I wanted a team horse, and he was so wild, and I thought, Oh! I’d better sell him because this is not what I wanted.

At those low points, I would talk to Deb and say, this is not getting any better. I’m not sure this is what I should be doing. If my scores are not improving, what am I doing? At one really rough show in Florida, there was a tornado warning, and we were inside. Diddy hated the covered arena, and he was just not himself. I was like, that’s it, I’m retiring.

Deb said, “You have to get over this. If you want to talk, I’m here. If not, that’s cool. Just let me know when you’re coming for a lesson.” I love that she appreciates that, because as riders we’re so emotional. Sometimes being forced or even asked to talk about something can make you more volatile USDF-Connection-May2017-Part3of3-20170216OL.pdf 1 3/15/17

or emotional. I’m so lucky that I have someone who sticks by me and is so understanding of that in a way that’s not overbearing. Deb has been there and done all of that under extreme pressure. She’s very understanding of different personalities. She’s a trainer’s trainer.

It’s taken a village for me to get to this point in my career. I know it’s not easy to make this happen. I’m just a regular person struggling to make ends meet. I’m very, very grateful to my sponsors and friends and family and owners who have stepped in and supported me.

To further my own education, I left my entire business and horses behind, and people were unbelievably supportive because they see what I bring back to their horses. It is expensive, it’s a lot of time away from my partner and things like that, but everybody has supported it, and it’s important to put yourself in a healthy situation where you’re able to not stress out about those other things. I’m fortunate that so many people allowed that to happen for me. s Podcast Alert

Our Olympic special edition episode 136 features Laura Graves at usdf.podbean.com.

3:38:46 PM

© 2017 Schleese Saddlery Service Ltd.

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KINDERGARTEN TEACHER: Willy Arts lunges a young horse at a USDF Sport Horse Prospect Development Forum

Give Your Horse the Right Start Young-horse experts Michael Bragdell and Willy Arts share their goals for this month’s USDF Sport Horse Prospect Development Forum

he fifth annual USDF Sport Horse Prospect Development Forum comes to a new location—Isabella Farms in Cypress, TX—May 13-14.

Established to bridge the training gap between the USDF Sport Horse In-Hand Program and the US Equestrian Young Horse Program, the forum focuses on the correct starting and initial training of the three-year-old dressage prospect.

The well-known sport-horse expert Willy Arts, head trainer at DG Bar Ranch in Hanford, CA, has conducted the past two forums and returns for 2017. He’s joined this year by a new co-presenter: Michael Bragdell, head trainer at Hilltop Farm, Colora, MD, who like Arts has years of experience training and showing young horses both in hand and under saddle.

For this exclusive event preview, USDF Connection asked Arts and Bragdell to share their backgrounds, training philosophies, and goals for the 2017 forum. Read on to learn more about these respected experts, and then head to usdf.org to learn more and to register to audit the program.

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USDF Connection: Tell us about your background.

Michael Bragdell: I’m originally from Sweden, where I rode jumpers and young horses. I had very little experience with dressage. I had recently graduated from engineering school, completed my military service, and wanted to travel to the USA before going back to school. I ended up at Hilltop Farm as a working student in 1995, even though it was primarily a dressage stable. I took a second degree here in the US, and at Hilltop I worked my way up to assistant barn manager, handling stallions for breeding, and have pretty much done every job on the farm. I have started many young horses that have gone on to successful careers, and I have presented many horses in hand in both dressage sporthorse breeding competition and at breed-registry inspections. I am a USDF bronze, silver, and gold medalist and a USDF-certified instructor through Fourth Level.

Willy Arts: I was born in Holland and grew up on a farm where horses and breeding horses were part of our lives. I attended the Dutch Equestrian School in Deurne. After four

USDF ARCHIVE

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BY STACY DURHAM

years working at a breeding farm and stallion station, I moved to California in 1984 and started working for the DeGroot family. Together we developed DG Bar Ranch, a breeding, training, and sales barn. I am now co-owner of DG Bar, and we raise about eight foals each year. Over the years I have shown many horses, both homebred and imported, in FEI Young Horse competition. One, the homebred KWPN mare Valeska DG, competed at the 2008 World Championships for Young Dressage Horses in Verden, Germany.

I have also served on the board of directors of the KWPNNA (North American branch, Royal Dutch Warmblood Studbook) and have organized many breed inspections.

For the past six years, I have been manager and trainer for the 70-day stallion-performance test for the Friesian Horse Association of North America.

How did you become involved with the USDF Sport Horse Prospect Development Forum?

MB: Back in 2005, former Hilltop Farm head trainer Scott Hassler organized the first young-horse training symposium at Hilltop, and I was involved with the starting process of the horses. The sport-horse judge and USDF Sport Horse Committee chair Kristi Wysocki approached me about becoming a part of the USDF program. I was delighted to be asked and to have the opportunity to share my experiences.

WA: Kristi Wysocki contacted me to ask if DG Bar Ranch would be interested in hosting the 2014 forum, which was conducted by Scott Hassler and Ingo Pape. At that event I presented the lungeing of a young horse, and later I became part of the team.

Podcast Alert

PODCAST

COURTESY OF HILLTOP FARM

What do you feel is the strongest asset you bring to the forum as an instructor?

MB: I hope my experiences and my approach to training the young horse will provide others with more tools to use in their training.

WA: I have been involved in breeding and developing young horses all my life. I have a wide range of experience with different breeds and quality of horses, and I have learned how important the foundation and the way a young horse is started are for the development of the horse.

Listen to Michael Bragdell talk about the forum and Kristi Wysocki talk about all types of Sport Horse education available on episode 155 at usdf.podbean.com.

ACCOMPLISHED: Bragdell

Have the two of you worked together in the past?

WA: I have known Michael for many years from Dressage at Devon (PA) and the Markel/USEF Young and Developing Horse Dressage National Championships. We worked together at the 2016 USDF Sport Horse Prospect Development Forum at Pineland Farm in Maine. It is a honor to continue to work with Michael. He comes highly recommended and has a lot of experience in breeding, training, and competing young horses.

How do you select the demonstration riders and horses?

WA: I look for riders who have an independent seat, no fear, and are riding horses in the age group of three and four years old. I like to select a variety of horses, to be able to discuss different qualities and shortcomings.

What are your goals for this year’s forum?

MB: I think this program is a great way to bridge the gap between the unstarted young horse and its first year or two under saddle. I hope to pass along my knowledge to the riders who want to bring the young horses along.

WA: I like to show and bring across how important the first years of training and the foundation in the development of a horse are. Many horses don’t reach their full potential because of a wrong start. s Stacy Durham is a USDF senior education coordinator and the Sport Horse Prospect Development Forum staff liaison.

Contact her at sdurham@usdf.org. eTRAK Extra

Watch Scott Hassler explain his plan in the video “Planning for the Warm Up” from the 2014 Sport Horse Prospect Development Fourm. At bit.ly/ScottHassler USDF CONNECTION

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rider’s market

Innovation for the Greater Good

New products do your horse, your wallet, and the planet a favor

Saddles for the Sweet Spot Believing that a good-fitting saddle does not have to be exorbitantly priced, Dressage Extensions has engineered and produced the new Tempi saddle line. Each of the three Tempi

horses. It’s accented with black patent piping, cantle back, and stirrupleather keeper trim.

The Tempi H has backward-angled tree points for freedom of shoulder movement. It has a narrow twist; a deep, supportive seat; and a midsized exterior thigh block. The Tempi H features specially treated soft grain cowhide, wool-flocked panels with thin high-density foam, and a higher pommel head styled to fit a broad range of horses. The saddle is built on a strong and light carbon polymer tree that comes with a lifetime guarantee.

Learn more: DressageExtensions. com.

editorial@usdf.org

A Cool, Award-Winning Show Jacket The Irish manufacturer Horseware won the 2016 Equestrian Clothing award at the British Equestrian Trade Association’s BETA International trade show for its new Alessandro Albanese (AA) Platinum Motion Lite Competition Jacket.

Better Than Bare Hands

models costs only $1,895, which includes a ten-day trial period and free return shipping.

The Tempi I, which is designed to fit a wide variety of horse builds, features the Comfort-Fit billeting system for maximum freedom of movement.

Made of specially treated soft grain cowhide, the saddle has a deep, wide seat with a narrow twist; an exterior thigh block; wool-flocked panels with thin high-density foam; and a beechwood laminate spring tree with a lifetime guarantee.

The Tempi II (pictured) has a single-flap design and a deep, supportive seat with a narrow twist. It’s made of specially treated soft grain buffalo and cowhide, and has an interior thigh support. Like the Tempi I, the Tempi II features wool-flocked panels with thin high-density foam on a beechwood laminate spring tree. The Tempi II’s open pommel head accommodates large-shouldered and high-withered

Bathe, groom, and shed your horse with the stay-put HandsOn Gloves, whose scrubbing nodules on fingers and palms work both wet and dry.

HandsOn Gloves are made from hypoallergenic, biofriendly components.

They’re superior at massaging and stimulating horses’ circulation, and the company claims they’re the best shedder on the market; yet they’re gentle enough to use on sensitive areas. You can use them on your pets, too.

HandsOn Gloves come in five sizes (including junior for kids) and in two colors: black and green.

Learn more: HandsOnGloves.com.

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Machine-washable and made from a lightweight and breathable unlined mesh, the Motion Lite jacket allows air to flow through the material as you ride, making it the ultimate warm-weather competition coat, with stretch for optimum movement.

Its elegant design and cut are taken directly from Horseware’s classic Italian AA jackets, and it features a hidden zip and interchangeable buttons. The Motion Lite comes in three colors—black, navy, and aviation blue—and in five ladies’ sizes, from XXS to L. Learn more: Horseware.com.

A Natural Fly Spray That Works New and improved: SmartPak’s own brand of fly spray, OutSmart, is back.

Some “natural” fly repellents don’t work all that well. SmartPak claims that OutSmart is effective against house flies, stable flies, mosquitoes, and ticks—even though it’s nontoxic

and free of permethrin, pyrethroids, pyrethrins, and DEET. The secret sauce is TyraTech’s Nature’s Technology, a patentpending combination of plant-based ingredients that makes OutSmart safe and effective for horses, riders, and the environment. Plus, no weird chemical smell: OutSmart has a fresh, botanical scent.

Learn more: SmartPak.com.

New Saddle Might Be Your Destiny Author and former international eventing competitor Maj. Jeremy Beale designs his own line of tack and equipment, Laser Equestrian. His latest offering, the Destiny dressage saddle, came about after Beale noticed that many modern-type dressage horses with long, prominent withers are hard to fit, with some saddles producing uncomfortable pommel pressure when the horse flexes laterally.

The Destiny’s panels are shaped to fit around the scapula for maximum freedom of movement. The stitch line at the top of the panels in the pommel area has been raised to prevent any contact of the inside of the tree with the sides of the horse’s withers. At the back of the saddle, the panels are exceptionally wide and flared to promote maximum weight distribution, but are short behind the cantle so

as not to extend past the eighteenth rib. The flaps are split, which allows them to “float” and not interfere with the shoulder muscles. The Destiny features Laser’s Double Wishbone billet system and a specially designed beechwood spring tree that flexes to conform to the horse’s back longitudinally, and even allows some torque to accommodate the lateral twist in the horse’s back as he moves.

Learn more: LaserEquestrian.com.

A Revolutionary Bell-Boot Design Horse owners have a love-hate relationship with bell boots. Either the fasteners rip off, rendering the boot useless; or we contort ourselves trying to put on and remove the pull-on style. Or the boots rub horses’ heels and pasterns.

ThinLine’s GatorBootz are a different sort of bell boot entirely. The one-piece polymer design offers unmatched durability and protection, and the no-rub collar keeps the horse comfortable. The patented latch system is easily opened by humans but not by horses, and the buckles are as durable as the boots themselves.

GatorBootz are lightweight, won’t retain moisture, and are easy to clean by simply hosing off.

Learn more: ThinLineGlobal.com.

“Rider’s Market” contains notices of new products judged to be of potential interest to USDF members.

Information and images are supplied by manufacturers. Inclusion of an item does not constitute an endorsement or a product review.

• European monocrown style eliminates bulk and provides comfort.

• Soft, padded extra wide caveson.

• Hand crafted from U.S.A’s Wickett & Craig™ Finest English Bridle Leather.

Partners in Performance 1-(800)-541-3708 www.DressageExtensions.com

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Your one-stop shop for products and services for the sport of dressage.

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The 2017 USDF Online Stallion Guide is now LIVE! This annual online stallion guide is released by the United States Dressage Federation for the dressage community.

The guide is available both through the USDF website and the USDF app.

Featured article this year is, “The Hottest Bloodlines in Rio” which looks at what sport-horse pedigrees were represented in the 2016 Olympics.

2017 USDF Online Stallion Guide

We continue our look at breeding statistics from USDF’s major championships, adding Great American/USDF Regional Championshps.

Once again we have the “Index of Progeny for Advertised Stallions,” which includes progeny that have ranked 1-100 in Adequan®/USDF Year-End Awards. It also includes horses that have placed in US Dressage Finals, Great American/USDF Regional Championships, and Great American/USDF Breeders Championships from 2009-2016.

This guide contains interactive links to give you all the information you need to make a favorable breeding decision. Whether interested in breeding, or looking for a breeder with offspring already on the ground, this is a great way to learn more about dressage breeders throughout North America.

The Hottest Bloodlines in Rio

Trending Stallions in the Sport Horse Arena: USDFBC Statistics

Pursit of Excellence: Regional Championship Statistics

Finals by the Numbers: US Dressage Finals Statistics

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trainers This Spot Could be Working for You!

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We’re SPRING CLEANING at the USDF Online Store Shop new items added to our clearance sale.

order online at

www.usdf.org/store

USDF CALENDAR To make sure we provide our members with the most up-todate deadlines and events, the USDF Calendar has moved online.

Visit www.usdf.org/calendar for • • • • • •

USEF licensed/USDF recognized competitions Breeders’ Championships Regional Championships USDF sponsored events USDF University accredited programs All the important deadlines and dates you might need

46 May 2017 • USDF CONNECTION

W W W. U S D F. O R G

MARCH 2010

Official Publication of the United States Dressage Federation

ARENA FOOTING AND CONSTRUCTION

NEW TRAINING SERIES: What Other Disciplines Can Teach Dressage Riders Basics of Freestyle Creation

PAID

For specific staff contacts visit the USDF Web site.

USDF CONNECTION USDF

NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. Postage

Accounting......................................................................(859) 271-7891....................................... accounting@usdf.org Address and E-mail Updates............................................(859) 971-2277............................................changes@usdf.org Adult Education Programs ..............................................(859) 271-7882......................................... education@usdf.org Adult Team Competitions.................................................(859) 971-7360...................... adultteamcompetition@usdf.org All-Breeds Awards ...........................................................(859) 271-7895...........................................allbreeds@usdf.org Applications Submitted at Competitions...........................(859) 271-7880...........................................affidavits@usdf.org Breeders & Materiale Championships Series......................(859) 271-7894........................................ sporthorse@usdf.org Demographics and Statistics............................................(859) 271-7083................................................. stats@usdf.org Donations........................................................................(859) 971-7826..............................................donate@usdf.org Dover Medal Program......................................................(859) 971-7361...................................... dovermedal@usdf.org eTRAK..............................................................................(859) 271-7882.................................................etrak@usdf.org Group Membership..........................................................(859) 971-7048................................................. gmo@usdf.org Hall of Fame and Lifetime Achievement Awards...............(859) 271-7882........................................ halloffame@usdf.org Horse Performance Certificates.........................................(859) 971-7361.............................horseperformance@usdf.org Horse Registration............................................................(859) 271-7880...............................horseregistration@usdf.org Horse/Rider Score Reports. .............................................(859) 271-7894..............................................reports@usdf.org Human Resources/Career Opportunities............................(859) 271-7885..................................................... hr@usdf.org Instructor Certification.....................................................(859) 271-7877........................instructorcertification@usdf.org Insurance Certificates for Competitions............................(859) 271-7886........................................... compins@usdf.org Junior/Young Rider Clinics................................................(859) 971-7360...........................................jryrclinics@usdf.org L Education and Continuing Education.............................(859) 971-7039.......................................... lprogram@usdf.org Mailing Lists.....................................................................(859) 971-7038.........................................mailinglist@usdf.org NAJYRC Criteria and Procedures.......................................(859) 971-7360............................................... najyrc@usdf.org National Education Initiative............................................(859) 271-7882......................................... education@usdf.org Nominations – Delegates, Regional Directors....................(859) 271-7897..................................... nominations@usdf.org Participating and Business Memberships...........................(859) 271-7871..................................... membership@usdf.org Podcasts..........................................................................(859) 971-7039............................................ podcast@usdf.org Prize List Questions..........................................................(859) 271-7886.............................................prizelist@usdf.org Regional Championships Program....................................(859) 271-7896........................................regchamps@usdf.org Rider Awards...................................................................(859) 971-7361...................................... riderawards@usdf.org Score Corrections.............................................................(859) 271-7895................................scorecorrections@usdf.org Secretary/Manager Services .............................................(859) 271-7895.....................................competitions@usdf.org Show Results...................................................................(859) 271-7895...............................................results@usdf.org Sponsorship Opportunities...............................................(859) 271-7887...................................... sponsorship@usdf.org Sport Horse Education.....................................................(859) 271-7894........................................ sporthorse@usdf.org Store Merchandise...........................................................(859) 971-7828..................................... merchandise@usdf.org University Accreditation and Credit Check.........................(859) 271-7876.......................................... university@usdf.org Year-end Awards..............................................................(859) 971-7361............................................. awards@usdf.org Young Rider Graduate Program........................................(859) 271-7876................................................youth@usdf.org Youth Outreach Clinics.....................................................(859) 271-7876................................................youth@usdf.org Youth Programs...............................................................(859) 271-7876................................................youth@usdf.org Youth Team Competitions................................................(859) 971-7360................................................youth@usdf.org

Make the connection

Lebanon Junction, KY Permit # 559

USDF OFFICE CONTACT DIRECTORY Phone: (859) 971-2277, Fax: (859) 971-7722, E-mail: usdressage@usdf.org

Connection wants YOU to be a contributor.

Here’s how.

air Your Views USDF Connection welcomes letters to the editor. Please send your digital submission by e-mail to jbryant@usdf. org. Please include your hometown, state, and daytime telephone number.

We’ll publish letters as space allows; all submissions are subject to editing. Unsigned letters will not be considered, although writers may request that their names be withheld. All letters become the property of USDF.

ask a Question Do you have a dressage- or USDFrelated question? Send it to “FAQ” and you may get an expert response in a future issue of USDF Connection.

Send your question, along with your full name, hometown, state, and daytime telephone number to editorial@usdf.org. Include “FAQ” in the subject line of your message.

Share Your Story... …or your views on a topic pertaining to dressage or USDF in “The Tail End,” USDF Connection’s member-written “back page.” Share your dressage discoveries, “aha” moments, challenges, and oberservations. Short “guest editorial” essays are also considered. All “Tail End” columns are the opinions of the writers and not necessarily those of the editors or USDF. Submissions accepted by e-mail only. Send submissions, along with your full name, hometown, state and daytime telephone number to jbryant@usdf.org, subject line should read “The Tail End.” Please be prepared to supply a clear color digital photograph of yourself if your piece is accepted. Simultaneous submissions will not be accepted.

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w w w. u s d f.o r g

Advice, Guidance, & Insight

TAILORED TO THE DRESSAGE COMMUNITY

USDF CONNECTION

•

May 2017

47

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