Global Dressage Forum

Source :  FEI

The second Global Dressage Forum took place on October 21-22 at the
Academy of the Bartels Family in the South of Holland. There were many
highlights, including a most exciting evaluation of Jerez Dressage
competition. The World Breeding Federation of Sport Horses developed a
programme, including presentations of the world’s finest young horses by
the studbooks of Hannover, KWPN and Oldenburg. For many representatives,
coming from 30 countries, the presentation of the educational program of
the German Federation “from pony rider to Grand Prix”, was really
impressive and gave food for thought to countries planning their own
activities to promote the sport in the future.

After Joep Bartels and David Hunt, the newly elected President of the
International Trainers Club, opened the Forum, the USA based trainer
Robert Dover started with a clinic in which he explained his thoughts
about the discussion on riding deep or riding high. “The frame of the
horse has to be adjustable”, Robert told, which means that a rider
should be able to change the position of the head at any time, always
starting from behind, riding the horse with legs and seat forward. It
must be possible for the rider at all time to immediately adapt the
position of the head to the anatomy of the horse, his age, the stage of
training and the specific situation. In the second clinic, by Ernst
Hoyos, a former rider of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, a lot of
working from the ground was shown. Ernst was assisted by Lisa Wilcox,
who recently was very successful with the American team in Jerez.

The first evening was reserved for the evaluation of Jerez 2002, with 6
tests were presented on a big screen with the points per movement and
per judge produced at the moment that a movement was exercised. Then, a
trainers’ panel asked questions and made remarks, which were answered by
the Jerez judges in an open manner. There were lively discussions
between the trainers, chaired by David Hunt and the judges, chaired by
Mariette Withages.

On Tuesday morning October 22 the World Breeding Federation presented a
very interesting explanation on the breeding of top dressage horses.
German veterinarian Dr. Ludwig Christmann made a presentation about the
possible backgrounds of back and leg injuries of young horses. Very
impressing were the demonstrations by the world’s best young horses,
including several world champions. Hannover presented Wyoming and
Dreseman, KWPN Rousseau and Broere Jazz, and Oldenburg the champions Don
Davidoff and Rubels.

Last part of the Global Dressage Forum was the presentation of the
systematic approach of the German Federation, which educates riders from
pony level to Grand Prix. It is certainly no coincidence that over 50 %
of the German team riders come from the young riders teams, including
such famous names as Nicole Uphoff, Isabel Werth and Ulla Salzgeber.
National pony trainer Cornelia Endres and junior trainer Hans Heinrich
Meyer zu Strohen introduced several of their pupils to the Forum and
showed how the system works in practice. Johan Hinnemann, as always a
darling of the crowd, demonstrated the last difficult part of bringing a
young rider to Grand Prix level with his pupil Marlies van Baalen.
Warendorf’s Christoph Hess was the overall presentator of this item and
gave explanation about the backgrounds and details of this highly
educational item.

Based on a questionnaire, filled in by most of the participants, the
decision has already been made by the International Dressage Trainers
Club and the Academy, that the third Global Dressage Forum will take
place in September/October 2003.