Equestrian Goods

What parts of dressage training would be useful to use in training and working the saddle seat show horse? For example the steps to collection, learning to wear the bit, etc. What would be useful to use to make a nice well trained saddle seat show horse (upper levels) and what would not be smart to use? How would you go about find out how to do them?

A good saddle seat horse is flexible and has a steady gait whether he is moving at the walk trot or canter. We started Saddle seat horses on the longe line with a circingle, draw reins and upper check to get them balanced.. nose/face almost vertical to ground, head up high for good balance at speed and then we worked them over calavetti poles - which were just poles spaced out on the ground so his length of stride at the trot stayed steady and even.

Remember, when they are moving out if their head and neck are not up and carried well they are immediately out of balance. You can do this on your own if you have great hands.

When ever you work them though they need to be absolutely steady at the gait. . going neither faster nor slower but absolutely moving forward in the same steady gait. If you let them put their nose out too much they will string out and also lose balance and a lot of their style.

I do not know what breed you are working but it is important to post correctly on the diagonal and also not ‘bounce’ down on the back of the saddle as it will damage their kidneys at the worst and make their backs sore at the least.

There is a lot to training any breed for saddle seat, but some breeds come over easier - American Saddlebreds and Arabians are two that do it well. Morgans are wonderful. Some thoroughbreds if they are not too low headed.

To learn how to train a Saddle seat horse you could try checking out some dressage books and books directed at saddle seat specifically. The best bet though is to find a stable with a good trainer and volunteer to clean stalls etc to get lessons if you cannot afford them or to watch him train. You can learn a lot by watching and if trainer will allow questions after then it is too cool.

Hope this gave you some ideas. Good luck!

I am confused about the qualifications for the ROLEX (dressage) the FEI Youth World Cup and The Olympics. What shows must you compete in, how many points must you gain, and how do you progress on? I really just need to know how to get on track to be able to compete at these competetions, like qualifications. Thanks!

contact rolex and ask for qualifications.

I am curious as to what the difference is among 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th level dressage? Are there any more than 4 levels?

Here is a link that tells you which movements are involved in each level (US and Dutch equivalents):

http://www.engelsehoeve.nl/horses/horse_video/dressage%20levels%20translator.htm

This link explains each level (US site):

http://www.petpeoplesplace.com/resources/articles/horses/002-02.htm

Charts and nice organized websites are easier to read than anything I could attempt to explain!

All I know about Dressage is what I've read. I know that it started with training horses for war. I thought Dressage was about training a horse to respond to leg pressure and ultimate control over a horse. A harmony between horse and rider. Am I wrong? If I am right, why wouldn't any horse be good?
I am not thinking about training my horse. I've just seen answers to others that certain breeds like Quarter Horses aren't suited for dressage. In winning ribbons, is it that the judges prefer to judge certain breeds higher.

there's no reason for a certain breed not to do dressage. My sister's cob is very good at it, but high level dressage riders prefere tbs and warmbloods because they tend to be more responsive and also can be easier to get the correct style of movement from them.
As for it's origins a lot of dressage moves were developed due to their use as war horses, but it has become much more about having a horse who is responsive to ride and is athletic. It's not about control, it's about an equal partnership with your horse

I wonder if anyone has had good experiences with particular breeders and/or know of any "school master" horses for sale (or where to best look for such horses besides word of mouth). I am getting more involved in dressage/eventing and would like a horse that "knows it's stuff"–suitable for an beginner-intermediate rider.

If you want a "ready made" horse that is good for three day eventing you need to look in PA, MD, NY, NJ, and around that area.. Dressage you need to look at KY, Tenn. or surrounding states.
If you go to top breeders or top farms with trainers you are going to be looking at around 80k easy for something you can get on and go…
Here's the problem with that when it comes to Dressage or mannor of riding, the horse is trained in how the trainer taught the commands, not in how the rider knows how to give the commands. Everyone has there own fashion, little things they do, conformation, and riding ways and they are set in them. So if you buy a "ready made" horse, I would suggest taking lessons with the trainer of the horse to get the best performance.
OR….
Buy a horse that knows the basics and learn it together… nothing makes for a better perfect match then when you learn what your doing as one. If you ask any rider that is in the top of their game they will tell you they have rode the same horse for years and years and learned together.
Even as a trainer, when I am teaching show jumping, I approach every horse as if I have never done it before in my life either. That way I can learn how he/she does it and handles and can come to a compromise that is golden between us. You get a horse that knows already what to do, they are not going to change for you, they are stuck in their ways.

I recently moved to the Seattle area and I’m trying to find a good place to take some dressage lessons. I have no horse and not a lot of money, so I’m hoping to take a lesson or two a week on a school horse. I’m very classically trained so I hope to find a trainer with the same outlook on riding. Thanks!

Donida is great, but they are more of a 3 day eventer or jumper barn.

- Debbi Martin at Havilah Equestrian Center in Enumclaw. I havent heard much about her, but she seems to have a significant amount of experience. and the facility she is at is VERY nice. My barn used to be there, before it sold.
http://www.martindressage.com/about.htm

- Equi-Librium Equestrian, they seem like a nice facility.very showy.
http://www.equilibriumequestrian.com/

- San Sebastian, havent heard anything bad about them.
http://www.sansebastianec.net/

- Bear Creek, they seem like a nice dressage facility too
http://www.bearcreekdressage.com/contact.htm

I dont much of any dressage barns because I’m a 3 day eventer and i used to ride the hunter/jumper circuit, so if you want to go with an eventing trainer, you could still learn lots from them because they are almost all arounds and need to know tons of dressage. I ride, train, and board my horse in Enumclaw, and event all over WA!!

You might need to go through a deep search to find the perfect barn, it took me 4 months, because there arent too many barns in western WA, well good ones. But just keep looking, maybe pick up so local equestrian magazines too.

good luck!

I do dressage and show jumping and i need a horse, what is the best breed, what is a very calm breed for me?

Warmbloods are excellent at dressage and can be very good jumpers, too. Trakehners are also excellent. Hannovarians, too. Most horses of these breeds are imported, so they might be a little bit more expensive. Of course, there's always the Thoroughbred, but most Thoroughbreds are wound up, so you may want to hold back from buying one until you gain more experience. Maybe try a Thoroughbred cross (like an Appendix Quarter Horse - a cross between a Thoroughbred and a Quarter Horse). Over all, it depends on the horse. I have a WONDERFUL 6 year old pure Quarter Horse, and he is an absolutely fabulous eventer. Jumps like a dream and his dressage is beautiful. At your age, you probably don't need a top notch horse, so get one that you really like and that has some experience and talent. A lot of horses can do low level dressage and jumping. Try Equine.com, Dreamhorse.com, or Horsetopia.com (just a few) websites to help you find a horse for sale in your area. Don't get a green (inexperienced) or young horse, because most of the time, these horses are high strung or hard to ride for a beginner or intermediate rider. Good luck in your horse search!!

For some reason, I have a recollection that there are letters along the quarter line in a [regulation size] dressage arena. Am I just making this up or not? I can’t seem to find the information anywhere, but if anyone knows that there are letters, can you tell me what and where they are?
Thanks a ton!

There are no letters for the quarter lines, however, there are actually 5 letters that go down the centerline of a standard arena, not just three.

Maybe that is what you were thinking of?

From A to C the letters of the centerline are;
D, L, X, I, G

So the standard arena consists of these letters

C

H G M

S I R

E X B

V L P

K D F

A

I tried to format that all nice but it didn’t work =(

I am a dressage rider and i compete in dressge i am wondering what does the flash do?

it keeps the horse from getting his tongue over the bit. the flash noseband keeps the horse's mouth shut around the bit and eliminates the extra slack for chewing and rolling the tongue so the horse cant get away from the bit

I have "bling" stirrups, silver colored and smooth metal, except for on the outside there are like 5 small crystals. Can I use these in the dressage ring? I've looked in the rulebooks and have not found a straight answer.

According to the US Dressage Foundation (http://www.usdf.org/Menu/index.asp) any questions regarding equipment should be brought before a USDF Technical Delegate prior to use in a show or test. If you have a show coming up you can find out who the Technical Delegate is and submit a question. You can also check the USDF contact sheet for a director in your area who will be able to help you http://www.usdf.org/Menu/Submenu/AboutUSContacts.asp