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Dressage from All Angles
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Reviews |
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If you
are starting out in competitive dressage or even if you have been
competing for quite some time, take a look at this book. It is a
little different from the many other dressage books in the store in that
instead of giving you specific dressage theory or even training advice the
book examines each gait and movement in dressage from three viewpoints;
the rider, the trainer and the competition judge. This is the "all
angles" mentioned in the title. This gives you valuable information that you can use in your dressage training. The judges view is always something you should be interested in! The book is set out according to each of the dressage movements with the first few chapters dedicated to some general subjects such as what it means to be a dressage judge or whether the choice of horse affects how the judge will score your test and what the general objectives are of each level in competitive dressage. However one of the best features of this book is something you wont find in the marketing blurb or the editorial reviews - its the photos. |
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Photos
of top level riders not looking quite so top level. This is not to
say that there aren't also photos of riders absolutely at the top of their
game or instructional photos showing how horse and rider should move in
harmony, but that this book takes an honest look at dressage and the
photos are of such great quality that you can see Isabel Werth with her
face pursed in concentration and her heels coming up, or Carl Hester with
a leg so far back he's almost kicking his horse in the bum, or Jennie
Loriston-Clarke with feet poking out like a duck's. It is when you
see photos like these that you realise something that is sometimes lost
when you read the theory of great masters - no one's perfect all the time.
It's such a relief! The tone of this book is
encouraging, frank and open. Each of the 'viewpoints' discusses not
only what they are looking for or trying to achieve but also the faults
that can occur and this is particularly interesting when reading the
judges section. Here the judge will explain what they are looking
for, some of the differences of opnion that can occur between judges and
advice for those who may be judging. |
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"I have heard the argument that event horses are more on the forehand than dressage horses a the same level because thay have to gallop as well. Personally, I think this is nonsense. No horse should ever go on the forehand if ridden properly; it is the greatest hindrance to its performance in any sphere. I think that, as judges, we owe it to horses to eencourage their riders to understand that importance of correct balance, and we should give marks accordingly." |
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book is laid out in approximately two halves with multiple chapters in
each. The first half deals with general subjects such as objectives
in the various competition levels, the effects of the aids in which topics
such as submission and resistances are discussed and the essential
concepts of engagement and impulsion or suppleness. The second half
of the book looks at specific movements such as collection and extension
or lateral work such as shoulder-in and half-pass and finally looks at the
advanced movements of rein-back, canter pirouettes and piaffe, passage. "Riders do not always understand that, although in all gaits the steps may become shorter, this is not the criterion - the shortening or gathering together of the frame is. Thus, while shorter, more elevated, impulsive steps are a consequence of collection, short, inactive steps do not constitute collection..." My one criticism of this book would be that the order of some of the topics seems somewhat random, in the 'Basic Essentials' chapter for instance the pages on 'centre lines' should by all rights be the first addressed since this is the first element of all tests, however it appears half way through the chapter between 'Give and retake the rein' and 'Halts and transitions'. This does make reading your way through the book or even picking it up to find a particular topic easy. Despite these minor faults, it is a helpful and interesting book and once you have found a topic to read, the writing style is relaxed and candid.
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