MULE CROSSING: Dressage Explained
By Meredith Hodges
Dressage had its beginning hundreds of years ago in the military when horses needed to be not only trained to ride, but conditioned to withstand the stress placed upon them by the demands of war. They needed tremendous endurance, as well as the ability to perform certain movements that would protect their riders from enemy assault. When the use of the horse armies diminished, the concept of their “dressage” training became more recreational, commercial and competitive.
The concept of true Horsemanship gained its own unique identity. One need only witness the white Lipizzaner stallions of Vienna, Austria, to see the result of this age-old military training. The stallions are started as three and four-year-olds with groundwork and simple patterns under saddle to begin strengthening muscles and minds and, to facilitate good balance for the more difficult demands placed upon them later. It is a gentle training process and is supported by a lot of positive reinforcement and minimal negative reinforcement, or punishment. The result is a happy, healthy, and willing equine. Intelligent and sensitive equines do not take kindly to punitive or unfair training practices. For this reason, I find that Dressage and Combined Training lends itself particularly well to mules, Thoroughbreds, Arabians, and some of the other more intelligent and sensitive breeds.
Dressage is practiced in an arena marked by a low fence with letters at strategic intervals. A manual outlining the different “tests” tells you what to do and where to go in your marked arena. Once an animal is started under saddle, he begins dressage training at what is called Training Level. There are four tests at each level that increase ever so slightly in difficulty from one to the next. In each level there are certain objectives to be met. At Training Level, for instance, your mule should learn to travel in straight lines and to bend his body to the arc of large circles and in corners, and to make upward and downward transitions through his gaits while maintaining good balance, a steady rhythm and cadence throughout the test in an elongated and elastic frame. At the same time, the rider is also learning and conditioning his own body to react appropriately to the body of his animal. The objective of dressage training is to develop a harmonious balance and understanding between equine and rider physically and mentally.
When your equine is strong, steady, rhythmic, and responsive at Training Level, he can then proceed to the next level, or First Level. At First Level, he learns to initiate more engagement of the hindquarters (collection) and begins to condition the muscles needed for lateral work through lengthening of the gaits and yielding from the leg. As he is better conditioned in his body, he is better able to perform and hold the balance and collection that is needed for Second Level, then Third Level, Fourth Level, and beyond. In order to gain true collection, he needs to possess incredible strength, such that he can step underneath himself with power from his hindquarters, round his back, and bring lightness and suppleness to the front end. This kind of posture makes the fancy upper level movements one usually associates with Dressage fluid and effortless with no apparent movement by the rider.
Each level builds on the exercises from the previous level from Training through Intermediate to Prix St. George and Grand Prix. Combined Training is the addition of gymnastic-type exercises (aerobic equivalent) to the regular dressage routine. The jumping, or gymnastic, exercises can start in conjunction with the dressage tests as early as Training Level and can greatly enhance and improve their Dressage performances. It gives the equine a mental break from the repetition and intensity of the dressage tests. It allows the animal to develop better coordination and stronger forward movement. Jumping also enhances hindquarter development and the variety in routine keeps your equine’s mind fresh, alert, and willing to perform.
Athletes most often get hurt if they are not properly conditioned for an event. Muscles not ordinarily or regularly used cannot support the stress of certain activities. For this reason, the concept of training just “movements” is not really the most beneficial way to train your equine. It allows too much room for unconditioned muscle strain and possible permanent injury.
Using Dressage and Combined Training to condition your equine will produce a well-conditioned athlete that can depend on his own body strength, adding relaxation and confidence to his overall performance. The natural step by step progression of the exercises insures his physical and mental safety and understanding, minimizing resistance and failure. As it is when we progress through school, so progresses the equine through dressage training, learning, and then building on each new foundation with a confident understanding of what is expected.
All the Lucky Three mules will attest to the success of Dressage and Combined Training, particularly Lucky Three Mae Bea C.T., who began to do exercises at the more advanced levels. Before we began dressage training, we were training for each event. With dressage training she developed an incredible responsiveness to seat, leg and rein cues and was able to perform anything easily and willingly. She did absolutely everything you would ask of her and did it all with above average quality and enthusiasm. It has made classes in which she already excelled even better! The other Lucky Three mules exhibited this same above-average attitude and performance across the board with Dressage and Combined Training. This kind of variety keeps life interesting and challenging as we find new uses and events in which we can compete our mules. They have even made their own unique contribution to the equine industry! Volunteers to help set up shows and events are often hard to find.
The Mountain States Combined Training Association is grateful to the Lucky Three Ranch, but particularly to Mae Bea C.T. for her help in dragging logs to help build cross country jumps at Lory State Park in Fort Collins, Colorado. Mae Bea C.T., trained in Dressage and Combined Training, not only jumps those cross-country jumps, but helps to build them as well! She is a strong, healthy and willing mule thanks to the preservation of a 100-year-old or more equestrian art called Dressage!
To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.
Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE, EQUUS REVISITED and A GUIDE TO RAISING & SHOWING MULES at www.luckythreeranchstore.com.
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