One of the benefits of being a USDF Certified Instructor is that you get invited to watch the first day of the USDF National Symposium for free! This year, the symposium featured Klaus Balkenhol at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. The list of demo riders reads like a Who’s Who in American dressage: Steffen and Shannon Peters, Guenter Seidel, Sue Blinks, Leslie Morse, Christine Traurig, David Wightman, Hilda Gurney, Charlotte Bredahl, Laurie Falvo-Doyle and Christina Beal.

USDF Certified Instructors were invited to attend the “warm up” day of the symposium, Friday, December 2. This smaller group made for a more intimate setting, and Mr. Balkenhol welcomed questions from the auditors throughout the day. Many people took him up on this offer, and good discussions ensued.

The main theme of the day was: Take Time! Throughout many of the lessons, Mr. Balkenhol stressed the importance of taking time in the training of dressage horses, both with the trained horse, and especially with the young horse. He reminded the riders and the auditors that it takes a long time for the young horse to fully develop, and then it takes even longer to build up correct muscle through training that will keep the horse sound and healthy for a long time.