I had the pleasure to scribe for Anne Moss, an ‘r’ rated dressage judge, at our final schooling show of this season. Scribing is just about my favorite volunteer job. Scribes get a front row seat to peek at lots of wonderful rides while scribbling furiously on the test sheets and receive a free dressage lesson from the judge in the process. Anne was delightful company, constructive and encouraging in her comments and cheerful and supportive with all the competitors. She smiled at one chestnut pony and chided him for being “naughty” as he challenged his rider on the centerline, but her empathy and kindness toward the young lady laboring to keep the pony straight had her smiling by the end. I enjoyed working with Anne and admired not only her focus, but also her persistent effort to choose not just the best comment possible that honestly described what she had seen, but also the most helpful for the rider. An afternoon spent recording all those constructive criticisms left me with a reoccurring theme that I copied onto many test sheets; the need for more preparation for and better understanding of the underutilized, often forgotten, but all important corner.
Every dressage arena comes equipped with 4 corners and every dressage test requires horse and rider to negotiate said corners every time they navigate around the ring. That’s 4 opportunities every circuit of the arena where riders can improve their performance and thereby, their final score. I believe that the undervalued corner contains important elements that can help to make every dressage test better – if riders will remember these few simple ideas.
Improvement #1 occurs when riders utilize each corner as an opportunity to rebalance their horse by using a half-halt as they approach and enter the corner. Half-halts serve to engage our horses by asking them to shift more weight off their forehand and onto their haunches, which then encourages them to lighten and lift their shoulders. Improvement #2 occurs when we laterally supple our horses in each corner by pushing their ribcage out with a strong, active inside leg at the girth, thereby helping to correctly connect our horses to the outside rein. Too often we merely steer our horses through the corners by tugging on our inside rein, which means we end up pulling them through the corner instead of pushing them through the corner. This may seem like a subtle difference in riding technique, but it can make a dramatic improvement in our horses, especially as it helps them to maintain their balance and straightness.
So make an effort to think about riding every corner you encounter in a more focused, proactive way and see if you don’t find opportunities to improve both your horse and your test scores!
Susan Moody, IEO President
Every dressage arena comes equipped with 4 corners and every dressage test requires horse and rider to negotiate said corners every time they navigate around the ring. That’s 4 opportunities every circuit of the arena where riders can improve their performance and thereby, their final score. I believe that the undervalued corner contains important elements that can help to make every dressage test better – if riders will remember these few simple ideas.
Improvement #1 occurs when riders utilize each corner as an opportunity to rebalance their horse by using a half-halt as they approach and enter the corner. Half-halts serve to engage our horses by asking them to shift more weight off their forehand and onto their haunches, which then encourages them to lighten and lift their shoulders. Improvement #2 occurs when we laterally supple our horses in each corner by pushing their ribcage out with a strong, active inside leg at the girth, thereby helping to correctly connect our horses to the outside rein. Too often we merely steer our horses through the corners by tugging on our inside rein, which means we end up pulling them through the corner instead of pushing them through the corner. This may seem like a subtle difference in riding technique, but it can make a dramatic improvement in our horses, especially as it helps them to maintain their balance and straightness.
So make an effort to think about riding every corner you encounter in a more focused, proactive way and see if you don’t find opportunities to improve both your horse and your test scores!
Susan Moody, IEO President
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