Carl Hester reflects on the LeMieux National Dressage Championships and shares some practical new ideas to move dressage forward
What a brilliant few days at Somerford Park for the LeMieux National Dressage Championships. It was great to see so many British-bred horses and new names taking the titles.
Due to it being in September it lacks the team horses who are on breaks after a busy summer. I still feel it’s a class that could be held earlier in the year so that all combinations can be included.
The young horses are among the most popular for spectators, so I was disappointed to see the ride-judging part of the young horse classes cut to just two horses. With four in for the final judging two were sent out and only two were ridden. I can see the need to trim time but let’s bring back ride-judging all four.
So much of a horse’s potential is shown by the way it feels to ride. Point proven in the six-year-olds with Alicia Lee and Della Ballerina, brought in in third place, then kept to be ridden in the final two, then after the ride promoted to champion! It’s all about the feel.
Give and retake at grand prix level
I had an interesting exchange of ideas with Kyra Kyrklund at the nationals. With the amount of criticism thrown at dressage – tension, not in self-carriage, that horses aren’t happy or confident – Kyra’s view, which I agree with, is that something has to change. It would be better to get ahead of the game and make suggestions rather than sit back and have changes imposed on our sport.
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Kyra has lots of ideas but this one I think would be brilliant. As the FEI young horse tests have a give and retake the reins in trot, why don’t we introduce it at prix st georges and grand prix level?
Kyra’s thinking is that instead of having three trot extensions in the grand prix, the final one could be replaced by two half circles over X in trot, where the rider allows the horse to lengthen its neck, showing it’s carrying itself.
As opposed to doing a give and retake on the diagonal or anywhere else, all the judges would be able to see the movement from wherever they were sitting. It would also allow the horse a breather, which means the final centre line in piaffe and passage would really show a horse relaxed – and that piaffe and passage are not produced through tension.
Kyra told me: “We have to admit to critics that there has been a lot of tension. We also have to show that we don’t want tension, what we want is collection and energy. This movement would also enable judges to see in black and white if a horse is working correctly with relaxation.”
As she says, riders training for the young horse classes get quite good at it, so why not keep it in the tests throughout the levels? Of course top riders use it in training – I certainly do. It would be good to encourage those who struggle with the movement or find it difficult to train, to practise and perfect it.
I’m in favour of this movement being included more and so is Stephen Clarke. We hope that other key people will get behind it too.
Loving the chestnut mares
Finally, I can’t believe I was brought up in an era where you weren’t supposed to touch a chestnut mare. What a change! National seven-year-old winner, six-year-old winner, and five-year-old reserve champion. Chestnut mares are the future. We all love them – congratulations!
● What moves would you like to add to higher-level tests to encourage positive change? Write to us at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and country, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine
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One of Britain’s most successful dressage riders and trainers, Carl Hester MBE is an Olympic gold medallist and multi-medallist at European and world championships. He is also the holder of more than 65 national dressage titles and is responsible for the development of the outstanding partnership of Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro. A regular Horse & Hound columnist, you can read Carl’s views in the magazine or website subscribers can view them online below.
