Global Dressage Forum

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.

Robert Dover Speaks - Riding Deep, or Riding High

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.