News

20 October 2003

Hi there. My friend Caroline Coleby has chastised me for not updating my news, threatening to make it up if I didn't put fingers to keyboard.

After the high of the world championships it has generally been business as usual around here, with no great insights to share. However last week was pretty extraordinary. I went back to Europe to see Pzazz who has been a little unwell, but is recovering now. I will write later about the global dressage forum that I attended at the Bartels academy in Holland. We were treated to some wonderful things, including Ulla Salzgeber with Wall Street, Arthur Kottas, the judges and the trainers agreeing about the scores at Hickstead, and our own Richard Weiss on 'The Seat'.

It was at the forum that I was lucky enough to meet Dr Theo Van Den Broek, (see www.dressuurstal.nl ) and it elapsed that I was able to purchase the stunning Whisper (Weltstar) . He is every girls dream (although when I was a girl I was so in love with my part Arab Galloway I don't remember dreaming of black stallions), a 7yo stallion, 17hh, black, a licensed and performance tested Hannoverian with the impressive bloodlines of Weltmeyer/Feinerstern/Pik Bube.

His performance record is really impressive, having been second at the Bundeschampionate as a 4 year old under my mentor Suzanne Miesner with scores including 9 for walk (Weltmeyers are not known for walk generally). He is current Dutch champion at ZZ-light, which is I think equal to a low advanced level here, under Hans Pieter Minderhout, who has done most of his training. He won at Verden this year, the M level class for licensed stallions with a 10 for extended trot! He came second to Rubels (twice world champion under Hans Pieter) in all four classes for licensed stallions in Holland with scores over 70%. As he is German he was not eligible for the final in Holland (that is how it works over there), but won the consolation class! He has not started prix St Georges yet.

When I went to try him I expected him to be too big and strong for me. My legs are around eight holes higher on the stirrup leathers than Hans Pieter. But he is stunning to ride. He is alert and attentive and trying to please. The movement is so big and scopey in trot that I thought I would have no chance to sit, but when I sat his back is so soft I was just drawn down onto him. He got a little peeved with me when I asked him to do the changes with the inside aid, as he knows the outside aid as the signal, he showed his displeasure simply by walking. When I did coax him back to canter and used the right aid it was as if he breathed out to say ‘well if that was all you wanted why didn't you ask" and happily did as many three times as I wanted, lovely and expressive and straight.

Hans Pieter was really helpful and generous with his time to give me the opportunity to get to know whisper in the few days I had there. It would be great if we could get him to come to OZ sometime. Wwhat a great test rider for DWTS, twice world champ) he did his apprenticeship with Anky and Sjef, what he told me was similar to what Anky had worked on in the master class she gave at Equitana (that I was privileged to ride in). The work must be consequent. If I ask for forwards I must insist that the response from him is immediate and entire. If he does not come off my stumpy legs immediately I must reinforce it instantly. And go forwards he does, what scope, what fun! Dr van den Broek told me he was called Whisper as he is so light across the ground, and so he is. So now he is forward off the leg into the contact I am to collect him. Half halt, half halt, the hind quarter steps up under me and he offers passage. Super, but I must learn to be more tactful, and not ride like a thug.

In the pirouettes the steps must be forwards and if he feels as if it is too collected, too up and down, I must give rein and go forwards out of it and do the pirouette again. No he mustn't anticipate the turning in the pirouette, forwards, start again and he must wait for me to control every step. Forward, turn, forward (within the pirouette) oh gosh my inside leg has always been so weak, no wonder he stalls when I forget to tell him what to do. His ears are forwards and back, attending to me all the time.

He is breathtaking to ride. It will be a serious challenge to make a partnership with this lovely horse that is so different to Pzazz.

 I have had a longstanding dream to be breeding lovely horses (breeding is an interest you can pursue after your riding career deteriorates). I believe Whisper will be a great asset to breeding in Australia. His solid bloodlines should be so complementary to the finer hotter mares we have here. The modern horses in Europe have been bred with this type of cross, with the studbook at Hanover introducing the wonderful thoroughbred stallions like Laurie's Crusader and Prince Thatch to the established lines. I really think we have some fantastic performance lines in Australia that bring soundness and toughness, athleticness and forward thinking to the substance, movement and elasticity, and capacity to collect of a classic horse like Whisper.

He is booked to come home with Pzazz to be home before Christmas. I am hoping I can offer Whisper at stud in January, but that will depend how he travels. Yes I've decided to bring Pzazz home as I just miss him too much. It was a great thrill for me to be the horse magazine's rider of the month, a real honour.  If you want to see Whisper you can go to Eurodressage (there is a link through the horse magazine) and there is even a little video of Susanne riding him when he was 4.

Another bit of news is that the PSI has Poetin and a jumping world champion for their auction! Have fun.

The Global Dressage Forum

I was lucky enough to attend the global dressage forum held at the academy of Joep and Tineke Bartels in Holland. This annual event is the vision brings together the riders, trainers and judges of the world, to be stimulated, learn, and debate the hot topics, in a setting that promotes camaraderie. There is no competition, no flying national flags, and there is plenty of good food and wine, as well as food for
thought.

After an introduction by David hunt and Joep Bartels proceedings began with Richard Davidson interviewing Ulla Salzgeber about that positive swab. While it was easy to empathise how hard the incident had been for Ulla, I think most of us did agree that the rider did have to take the responsibility, no matter who's fault it was. Ulla talked of the mental toughness it took to ride at Hickstead under such a scandal.

Ulla told how she had started vaulting as a child, then followed her siblings jumping, until a broken rein led to her "getting fear". In 1977 she rode at the European young rider champs, and was in the German 'b team ' for so long she despaired of ever making 'it' so she retired from competition to become a trainer. She saw rusty when she was looking for a horse for a young rider. He was unsuitable for the young girl, but Ulla liked him immediately. And the rest is history.

What a treat it was to then watch Ulla ride Wallstreet as if she was warming up for a big Grand Prix test, with a mike to explain to us what she was doing and why. At first was 20 minutes walk. Ulla talked of the main philosophy of her riding. Firstly that the position of the rider must be right, secondly 'that the horse stays lucky' (and happy in his work, which is varied with work in the forest and the fields, which can avoid a fight with the horse. And thirdly that 'the horse loves the work and I love the work, the relationship is good'. She said the work must gymnastify the horse and include every position, deep and high, and up, and left and right. She warned against warming up by riding the test, as the horse will become automatical. Do not train the exercizes in the warm up. Wallstreet is a 13 yo who had 2 years out with an injury. He was in a snaffle, no whip, and no one could have been impressed as he trotted
around initially. Rising trot, long neck, forward and down and then some little half halts, with a light hand. He must take the rein down and forwards. And repeat, and repeat. Do not pull him together.

Ask for canter where it is in the test (on the long side), to prepare him. Bend in the corners, flex him, ride forward and back. Play with the neck, round and deep and forward and long. Give the rein, take it back. Half halt. Do it with your seat. Half halt with your position. Half halt with the outside rein. Little changes that you can ride with every horse, from 5yo. Then walk, relax.

Then start to work on the collection. A little leg-yield without bend. Forward and back within this. Give rein. Then little transitions to trot. Push the hindquarter more under in the transitions. 'Now he is ready' she says and moves up a gear to half pass. The horse is suddenly transformed. A cadence and expression has been created that is
astonishing. The whole audience is now spellbound that all these little normal things have had such a magical effect. In the half pass control the forward, not just the sideways. Don't pull the inside rein. To prepare the counterchange of hand half pass, volte and proceed in shoulder in. Emphasise the new bend. Just one each way is
enough. Then piaffe. Don't think piaffe. Trot and think "more under". Don't be loose in the hand. He must react to the leg. He must be quick in the warm-up, as he will be slower in the ring. Good. Rest. Relax.

Go to e. Canter. Collect. Forward. Pirouette canter. Flex in the corner. Half pirouette. Half pass, change. Circle. Flex, bend. Don't do the zigzag. Same thing the other way then half pass to medium canter and simple change. Then perfect the pirouette. Rounder, slower, more active. Always control the tempo, faster, slower. Higher, deeper. If he goes against you make him deeper with a rounder neck to get control. If he gets loose in the rein ride forwards out, repeat. Then a line of 4-5 three tempi changes. "He knows the twos and ones" she says, and walks. "Now the bandages would come off, and my coat go on".

Now the medium and extended canter 'to get the tension out of the horse, as a competition horse knows what comes next after the bandages come off". He must be in front of the leg. Medium trot one long side, extend on the diagonal. But no! He took it, so halt. Repeat the diagonal but only lengthen from x. "he must wait" she explains. But he doesn't. So halt again after x. "and now we would go in". Ulla says. Just like that. But she reminds us that "to get the big trot in the ring you must
lengthen the frame", by "giving him a place with the rein to trot".

The comments from the audience included Hinnemann applauding the emphasis on keeping control, and the rhythm, and the ability to find the frame of a 5yo horse at any time. David hunt liked the focus on control and absence of "panic about the frame" (read short neck).

The work was inspirational. Soft. Through. Not forced, simply the classical technique applied expertly, with beautiful timing. It is obvious that the results are achieved with such tact as a result of Ulla's fantastic ability to influence the horse through subtle aids, a result of her perfect position. To use Richard Weiss's terminology she
is grounded, there is plenty of upthrust; she moves all of one piece, using her deep postural muscles in a dynamic way to bounce he horse off the ground. It was inspirational. Back to the drawing board for me.

You can see that this demonstration was packed with useful information. For me it was the highlight of the forum, and I don't apologise that the rest of the forum report will have to wait for another article.

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