* Dressage For All Disciplines
* Early Foal Training–How and Why

Dressage for All Disciplines

As horsemen become more educated through exposure to popular clinicians, information on the internet, and horse programs on cable television, they are becoming more aware of disciplines other than those with which they have been familiar. One discipline that seems to inspire universal curiosity is dressage. I frequently have people tell me that a certain trainer uses “dressage moves” in the training of Western horses, or that they would like to branch out and try competing in dressage. Those comments have made me realize that many riders don’t really understand what dressage is all about, but they have figured out that it might be something they can use. They are absolutely right, and I would like to try to explain more about what dressage really is and how it can help you and your horse.

Until the 1912 Olympics, dressage was not a competitive sport. Yet it has been practiced, studied, and written about since at least 400 BC. Dressage was the means by which horses were trained for battle. Empires and the lives of individual soldiers depended upon it. It had to work. It was practical. All of the movements we see now in the show ring originated as ways to avoid being run through by a sword or impaled by a spear. A standing horse needed time to get going again, while a horse in Piaffe, a trot in place, could immediately move forward, likely saving the life of his rider. Agility, calmness, the ability to work off the hindquarters, and trust in his rider was mandatory for war horses.

During the Renaissance dressage became an art form, supported by kings and practiced by noblemen. It remained the tool for training war horses until the cavalry was mechanized in the early 1950’s, but the art was honed and preserved in royal riding schools all over the world, especially in Europe. There are those who believe that dressage competition has not been in the best interest of preserving the art, but that is material for another article.

My own journey as a rider began in 4-H. I later showed Western horses in breed shows, and after that discovered jumping. During that time I learned a technique for this, and a trick for that, but never felt I had a whole, logical picture of how to train a horse. I wasn’t sure how all the pieces fit together. I longed to reach that feeling of being one with my horse, both physically and mentally. Then one fateful day I made a trip to Lincoln, Nebraska to meet Lowell Boomer, who had founded the United States Dressage Federation. By the end of that weekend I knew I had found what I’d been looking for. Lowell, who is now in his 90’s, had been taught by the renowned cavalry officers from Fort Riley during the 1930’s. He had studied dressage as a tool for training jumpers, and frequently bested his top rival, August Busch Sr. Over the next twenty years I made many trips to Lincoln. I called them my pilgrimages to Mecca.

Working with Lowell I learned how the seat of the rider is critical. The slightest stiffness or imbalance is transferred to the horse and directly affects him, but the seat can also be used to help and influence the horse. I was worked on the long line to develop a balanced, symmetric, and stable seat. After thirty years I still work on it daily. I began to learn more about the biomechanics of the horse, what he needs to do with his body to become a better athlete and to reduce the wear and tear on it so he stays sound. I learned how to step-by-step develop the strength and flexibility of the horse. I learned that these things also make the horse more graceful and beautiful, and willing to work happily with his rider. I began to see how the building blocks must be laid in a specific order to prepare the horse mentally and physically for more advanced work. The parts all began to fit.

As I progressed in my training I became a better Western rider, a better jumper rider, and my horses were starting to reach their potential. The more I learned about dressage the more it fascinated me, until I started forgetting to jump. Jumping was fun, but connecting with my horse in an almost spiritual way was even more of a thrill. I was hooked!

Dressage is not just about showing. That can be fun and you will get some useful feedback from the judge, but competing in a dressage show does not necessarily mean you are practicing dressage. There is much more to dressage than that. It is not about movements. The movements are tools to develop the strength, suppleness, and balance of the horse, but if they are not done correctly they are only tricks. Dressage is about making the most of the horse you have and developing your relationship with him. Fine horsemen in any discipline understand the mind of the horse, and how he uses his body. Dressage takes it several steps further into a deeper understanding of the biomechanics of both horse and rider, and a very systematic way of gradually developing the horse’s body. Because he is not asked to do work for which he is not yet prepared, he will not burn out and break down. My first dressage horse was sound and being ridden until his death this year at the age of 35.

What can dressage training, in the time-tested sense of the word, do for you? It can help you understand what it takes to make your horse the best athlete and partner he can be, no matter what his breed or what his job. It can help to keep him sound and performing for many more years than you might expect. It can refine the communication between you and your horse to the point of almost reading each other’s minds. Whatever you do with your horse, consider looking into dressage as a tool help make him the best he can be!
 

Early Foal Training – How and Why

Have you ever had to deal with a horse who wouldn’t load in the trailer, who wouldn’t let you touch his ears, was bad for the farrier, or just plain didn’t trust people? In all probability that horse wasn’t properly and sufficiently handled as a foal. There is no need for any horse to have problems of that sort, and it is much harder to train those things later in life. One of the great benefits of raising your own foal is that you have the opportunity to help him start out in life the right way. It is said that human children’s personalities are formed by the time they are three years old. I believe that by the time a foal is ready to wean his attitude toward the world and people is formed to a great degree, so it is important to get it right from the beginning.

At our farm we rarely miss being present at the birth of the foals, so they come into the world seeing the presence of humans as perfectly natural. There are some proponents of imprinting who insist that the foal must be handled intensely and exposed to many things before it is even allowed to get up and nurse. I am not convinced that is critical, as the health of the foal, the opportunity for the mare to bond with it, and the intake of colostrum as soon as possible are all equally important. When the foal is first born, we let the mare sniff him and lick him, but during that time before it is ready to stand we systematically handle all his body parts. And I mean all! Think about all the things a foal will have to have touched and handled during his lifetime. Bits and wormer and dental tools will have to go into his mouth. His ears will have to be tucked into a bridle and trimmed with clippers. The sheath will have to be cleaned, and a mare will probably have to have ultrasounds and other breeding procedures performed at some time. The feet have to be picked up and pounded on. There will be a girth around him one day. The foal can be prepared for all that starting while he is still wet.

During that first handling we accustom the foal to having every orifice handled. I know it sounds pretty weird, but it pays off. None of my male horses have to be sedated to clean sheaths and check for beans. The fillies grow up not minding the vet work that goes with breeding. We can doctor eyes easily if we need to. Another thing we do at birth is tap on the bottom of the feet repeatedly. When it is time to hammer in horseshoe nails a few years down the road, they remember and aren’t afraid. We take our arms and hug the foal around the girth area. By doing this at birth, the tightening of the girth later on isn’t a scary event. It is also a good idea spray water on the foals to get them used to the sound and feel of fly spray, and run the clippers near them so the sound is familiar. I have done that sometimes at birth, but it can be done later as well.

The initial handling at birth is only the beginning. During the next few days we repeat all of the handling. From the time the foal is standing fairly steadily, we teach him to be restrained by putting one arm around his chest and the other around his rump. The foal will struggle – you just hold on until he quits struggling, then you let go. The more this is repeated the better, and you’d better start while they are very fresh, because they become stronger every day. Not only is it practical to be able to restrain the foal for vet work or haltering, but if he is convinced at this age that humans are stronger than he is, he’ll think that the rest of his life. There is just a small window of opportunity to teach that one!!

One thing that new foals tend to do is kick out every time they are touched on the rump. Most people will whack them for it, and by about the third day they don’t do it any more. The owner thinks he’s a great trainer! The truth is that kicking out is a reflex that is left over from the birthing process. The foal kicks to help himself into the world. By the third day the reflex is going away, and he will stop kicking whether he’s been punished for it or not. But don’t tell the owner that – it’s a good feeling to think your training is already a success!

By about the third day we have the foal wearing a halter for a few minutes several times a day. After he is accustomed to the feel of it on his head, we will attach a lead rope and begin to teach the baby to give to pressure. We do this in a large stall, with mom there for comfort. The trick is not to pull. You put some pressure on the lead rope and wait. The foal may just stand there, he may pull back. Just stand your ground. Eventually he will most likely step forward, or even just lean forward a little. Make sure that the pressure is relieved when he does. Pretend you are a fence post and you can’t pull, you are just there. If the foal holds out for too long and doesn’t give, I will often have someone give him a little encouragement from behind. After he has accidentally found out what it takes to make the pressure go away, he’ll begin to do it on purpose. If you have no one to help, stand to the side of the foal when you put the pressure on the lead rope. It will put him just a little off balance and he’ll step toward you, releasing the pressure. Continuing in this vein, the foal will learn to lead, and to tie. If he learns to give to pressure at a very young age, you will never have trouble with him pulling back when he’s tied.

All foals go through a period when they try to bite. They are just exploring, but obviously it isn’t behavior that is acceptable. The best remedy for that is to grab the upper lip of the foal when he tries to bite, and hang on. He’ll pull away, but hang on for a few seconds. Before long he’ll decide that biting isn’t a good idea, and he won’t be head shy from someone slapping at him.

Our foals are handled a lot the first month. I encourage my students and staff to handle them as well, to get them comfortable with many different people. It doesn’t take much convincing to get people to play with a cute little foal! We handle them in the stall when they are brought in to eat twice a day, and by leading them in morning and evening they have a lot of practice leading and having the halter put on and taken off. They are handled out in the pasture as well. Our foals are never hard to catch or halter. In fact, they are hard to get rid of. They all want to be the center of attention!

By the time our foals are weaned, they have been bathed, hauled, clipped, and had their feet trimmed every six weeks. They have been wormed regularly and had vaccines. Much of that is taught by using mom for a good example. Give mom a bath while baby stands beside her and accidentally gets wet. Mom is fine with it, and pretty soon baby is too. Mom walks into the trailer, so after being helped in a few times, the baby thinks it’s normal to walk in with her. Mom isn’t afraid of clippers, so baby gets used to the sound and feel. Good broodmares do much more than produce foals, they teach them a lot.

Breeding your own foal is a wonderful opportunity to ensure that you will have a horse who trusts people, is well adjusted, and comfortable with all the things horses have to do in domestic life. The bond you form with a foal you have raised is deeper that any you will ever have with a horse you bought as an adult. The second best thing is to buy a foal from a breeder who handles the babies this way. Either way, your horse is so well trained by the time he’s old enough to ride that the rest is easy!