Transition from Eventing to Dressage
Three Day Eventing (“Eventing”), is the "Equestrian Triathlon". Eventing consists of three days of competition, in three different disciplines, with the same horse, and one aggregated score. The first day is Dressage, where the horse and rider perform a set series of movements in a specialized rectangular arena, with the goal for the rider to communicate to the horse when, how and where it shall preform a series of intricate and subtle movements. The horse and rider must demonstrate impeccable balance, rhythm, and form. The horse and rider must in effect dance together and are judged by how well they do so. The second day is Cross Country, where the horse and rider must have speed, endurance, and jumping ability over varied terrain and solid obstacles in an open country field setting. The third day is Show Jumping (also known as Stadium Jumping), a timed jumping test in an enclosed ring, where a course must be navigated through colored fences made up of lightweight rails that are easily knocked down at a high speed.
Eventing is debatably one of the most challenging equestrian sports, as the horse and rider must train in these three completely different riding disciplines, and master each discipline despite their dramatic differences. Eventing can be one of the most dangerous equestrian sports, as the Cross Country event requires the horse to move at very high speeds over solid obstacles. If the horse and/or rider falls, it is on jumps that do not collapse, which has resulted in numerous causalities for both horses and riders.
I started in Eventing at 12 years old. One of my Pony School trainers was an Eventer and quickly immersed me in the sport which I took to immediately. Soon thereafter, I was taken on by a well known French Eventing trainer and my journey into the world of Eventing began. I competed successfully at the upper levels in the U.S, on my Selle Francais, Hipius, who I purchased and imported from France. Five years ago, Hipius was sadly diagnosed with Navicular, a degeneration of the navicular bone in horses hooves, causing me to have to retire him. I stopped Eventing not only because I did not have a horse to compete on, but I also had some serious falls and broken bones, that made me rethink if I still wanted to stay in the sport. I continued to take jumping lessons here and there, but was not committed to looking for my next Eventing horse, and restarting my Eventing career.
Competing with Hipius, in Cross Country
Most Eventers will tell you that dressage is their least favorite day of competition. Honestly, I used to feel the same. Compared to the adrenaline, speed, and excitement of Cross County, and Stadium Jumping, Dressage can seem like a bore. I used to dread my Dressage lessons as they were the most challenging for me. The intricacies and technical nature of Dressage often left me frustrated.
Dressage is also well known and shown as a sport on its own. It is an extraordinarily complex and multifaceted discipline. The sport requires the horse and rider to perform high level movements that are not required in Eventing Dressage. In actuality, solo Dressage is a completely different discipline than Eventing Dressage. Solo Dressage requires movements such as multifaceted Lead Changes, Pirouettes where the horse makes a circle with its front end around a smaller circle made by the hind end, Piaffes where it looks like the horse is trotting in place, and Passages where the horse suspends the leg for a longer period of time in the trot. None of these high level movements are required in Eventing Dressage.
An incredible example of a Dressage performance by Danish Olympic Dressage rider, ANDREAS HELGSTRAND, displaying high level Dressage movements.
Two years ago, through happenstance, I took a lesson with a famous Dressage instructor who had me ride a Dressage high level schooling master horse. Up until then I had only competed and trained in Eventing Dressage. The instructor taught me to do Tempi Flying Changes in which I asked the horse for continuous lead changes at the canter, where it almost looks like the horse is skipping. This one lesson on this one horse had me hooked and was the instantaneous turning point for me from Eventing, to the discipline of solo Dressage. My ultimate goal became to compete in solo Dressage with the aspiration of competing at the Olympic Grand Prix level.
After that lesson, I had a completely different outlook on Dressage. The sport is an art, and even though it might look to the common eye like it is easy, that is far from the case. The goal is for the rider and the horse to look like they are one being in complete harmony. It must appear to the judges that the rider is not asking the horse to preform the very difficult movements that are required at the upper levels. The rider’s cues have to be phenomenally precise, and the horse must have the athletic ability and intelligence to move in ways that do not come naturally. I guess it is the absolute precision necessary to preform these high-level movements that got me addicted to the sport. In Cross County and Stadium Jumping I could make mistakes, and they would be overlooked as long as I completed the course in the necessary time. However, in solo Dressage, even the smallest mistake will not be tolerated by the judges. I have made the decision to focus on becoming a solo Dressage competitor. I have so much to learn, but am excited to go on my journey of trying to master the art of the “dancing horse”.