PART 3 ~ Modern Dressage and Competition Morals.
Written by Pip Easton (14 April, 2010).

To compete or not to compete, this is the question…

Do competition riders look down upon those who don't with disdain and does competing measure the skill of the horseman? Is skill measured by winning a ribbon and does a home trained Grand Prix dressage movement compare equally with a competitive one?

Interestingly enough the breed of riders who compete at a high level all seem to possess similar skills. They're motivated, driven, committed, dedicated and focused. Like any sportsperson who achieves top level results, these people seem to perform like machines! So does this mean they are a better horseman or does it reflect directly on their ability to chase their dreams?

Another question is, do non-competitive riders look upon those who do compete with disgust at the level of which they feed their own egos at the expense of the horse? And does riding and winning a high level dressage test prove your skills as a horseman?

On another note, does the horse have a desire to compete and has anyone actually stopped to ask him that question!?! Of course this raises all sorts of other questions in regard to whether horses actually want to do anything other than graze twenty out of twenty four hours a day and realistically the answer would probably be no.

But horses and dogs possess an incredible loyalty which allows humans to train them in all varieties of disciplines. They also possess amazing talents which capture the imaginations of many. So in this modern world we have powerful, modern sport horses with the best of high tech modern equipment which helps shape them into the competitive machines we see today. The question remains, must one compete to mark the measure of success?

Some will say yes and some will say no so I'm going to go out on a limb and call instead, upon the love of every horseman out there ~ whether competitive or not… Everyone loves horses right? But love can be a curious emotion…

Love can be defined in many different ways and on a variety of levels. To love an ice cream or to love chocolate is different to loving a sunset or being in love with one's car. People say they love their horse and yet you see the way some horses are treated and wonder whether the person actually knows the meaning of the word! One only needs to meander across the field at any horse competition in the world to see that love and riding horses do not necessarily go together.

I witnessed a very interesting phenomenon just recently with a young horse of mine. Having owned him since eleven months of age, I used to fantasise about our ridden relationship when he was just a baby and wonder whether I'd have to 'get about him' to turn him into the dressage horse I believed he could be. My girlfriend came over and we decided to work with the young horse on my arena at home to see if we could make him braver as he is a very yellow chicken and quick on his feet to shy. So, it was a few months ago, I sat and watched with some kind of awe at how soft and putty-like my (now) five year old boy was becoming before my very eyes, merely from gentle and incredibly-quiet and simple hand gestures, and from my girlfriend's extremely calm body language.

She was asking my boy to walk over two poles and past two forty four gallon drums lying down. Previous to this he was terrified of being closer than two metres to the drums. The request was all performed in walk from the ground with a lead and a stick which never touched him and more time spent in halt, I thought, than actual motion. He trusted the silent communication so much that his whole body relaxed (but remained energetic), he surveyed his surroundings (but remained attentive) and he gained courage from the simplest of tasks.

My observation was two fold… One, how deeply (on a soul level) the horse relaxed and how with each drop of his head and chewing of his lips he became more and more with my friend… To this day, three months after this experience, he still goes to that 'happy place' and deeply relaxes when I do the same kind of work before starting our ride in the saddle.

My second (and personal) observation was this… After witnessing the beauty of working naturally with a horse on the ground, why would I actually even want to climb on board this wonderful animal and MAKE HIM DO things in the name of dressage? I struggled with this question for weeks, trying to analyse what it was I was actually after. High level dressage has always been the ultimate goal for me, but we all know it takes a lot of work to attain; so my internal argument was ripping me apart from what I essentially thought I wanted (to ride the dressage dream) and essentially what my horse wanted.

By sitting quietly that day watching the trust build between human and horse, it became quite apparent that my boy had fallen head over hooves with my girlfriend and wouldn't leave her side. When she let him go free and came and sat beside me on the grass beside the arena, he followed her, stayed with her, played with her hat, smooched her cheek and pretty much gave her all the love he could. None for me ~ all for her. AMAZING! He didn't even so much as look at me! Quite a moment suspended in time and I wrestled with my own ego's desire to ride Grand Prix… For what?! A ribbon?

But something deep-seated took root that day ~ a deeper level of understanding on my behalf as to how a horse learns, from his place of needs and desires. I learnt how to respect my horse and how to preserve the relationship to then train the movements required to reach a high level of dance together.

The friendship I have with this little horse matches my soul. He is fun, cheeky, playful, athletic, well coordinated and a happy little guy. We click and I love him and it's not the same kind of love you think of when talking about a material item, or something you simply own. It's a deep love and respect for the 'person' that he is. He is intelligent, smart, sensitive and sweet… He'll bite at my feet to start a cheeky game in the paddock because his personality oozes fun from the game of it all and his desire to enjoy life and merely being alive.

So, deliberating over my morals took some weeks but something else was sown that day. Maturity ~ a physical, emotional and spiritual maturity seemed to come about soon after his day of love with my girlfriend. He was definitely more confident in himself. His eye was different, he seemed older, more worldly and all of a sudden his physical-self seemed to develop more into a well balanced and muscled dressage horse. At only five he still previously looked youngish with a baby face, but his appearance noticeably changed (and everyone commented on it).

I then discovered something else. A 'quiet' in our riding which is getting louder every ride. A quiet respect of working together and coming as one in the movements and transitions. It seems he's not only realised my dream of riding the high level work, he's a happy participant in the journey and trying really hard to improve and to please me. He wants to be with me and is the first in line at the fence. He walks into the grooming area proud to be saddled up. He is comfortable in his own skin now and trusts me. He's getting softer and stronger every day and staying calm and relaxed in the work. It's an incredible feeling and I feel justified in continuing our classical dressage training because he so easily responds, almost like he wants this too.

This is the love. This is the joy. This is what I've been searching for again my entire adult riding life and it takes a special horse and a special relationship to stay in the zone. Remembering back to childhood, it's easy to have this kind of love when you're a kid riding your horse along the beach all day in silence with no one else but air and sand and water around you. Deep thoughts of love for the animal whose back is carrying you all those hours are simply automatic, as are the tears which pour from fourteen year old eyes with the thought of a broken heart if anything were to ever happen to her best friend in the whole world. Young girls and their horses know about the true love that exists between human and horse. And as adults I think we can easily lose sight (and feeling) of it.

So when you hear someone say that they love their horse, wonder at the level in which they reside and in turn, question yourself… Because I know this ~ one day when my boy and I are riding our Grand Prix dressage test I'll be checking our hearts for the love of it all. And when we experience the moments where we're effortlessly dancing around the arena together, both enjoying every step and my boy with me every stride, I'll know that our respect for each other is not only reciprocal, it's a true and beautiful thing. Mark the measure of your own success and ride because you love him ~ not for the ribbon.

Dressage article series: What is Dressage ~ Part 1 « Part 2 « Part 3

Return to Pip Easton Dressage Articles