On Fire!
- Henk Jan Vroom
- Feb 5, 2022
- 2 min read
The Netherlands has acquired great fame as a supplier of top dressage horses. The Dutch breeding products are in demand all over the world. A wide range of legendary stallions has ensured that the KWPN offers a unique combination of horses that excel in willingness to work and have great athletic ability.
The Dutch dressage riders are eager to show the great movements of their horses. What started with “a round for the breeders” during the young dressage talents competitions has gradually become a common sight in the dressage ring as well. The judges were apparently very impressed by those great movements in the trot and awarded the movement performance with high marks for the dressage test. The attention of many riders was mainly focused on the extended trot, which just couldn't be big enough. Often the horses were rushed over their pace with the typical buckling of the front leg just after straightening and an immense strain on ligaments and tendons as a result. The collected exercises were also ridden at a considerable pace, which resulted in more expression and therefore higher points.
As a breeding country, the Netherlands has therefore developed its own riding style -based on spectacular gaits- , separate from the neighboring countries that have continued to focus on lightness and ease of movement. The painful consequence is that the Netherlands, only recently a leader in the top of international dressage, is starting to miss that connection.
Fortunately, there is now a turning point. Inspired by the images of the Olympics medalists, where harmony and lightness have been taken to great levels, you will see many young riders and their instructors stepping away from the spectacle and focusing on the gradual development of young horses for the highest level. The high prices of young horses encourage owners to make demands on how to handle these vulnerable animals so that they retain their value in the long run. The training videos of top dressage riders with their young horses serve as inspiration and show young horses working at their own pace and in balance, relaxed and reaching for connection to the friendly rider's hand. An image that will make many horse lover happy. It will be these horses that we will see shining in the international dressage ring in a few years' time and it is hoped that the Dutch judges will learn to appreciate this kind of riding more than a dressage test where spectacle is more important than horsemanship.
Whoever still shows a video on Tiktok of his three- or four-year-old horse being rushed ahead, with the comment “on fire” and the accompanying emoji can expect the viewers' pity.
The real heroes show a swinging horse, relaxed and moving loosely, ready for training the advanced exercises. What would be an appropriate emoji for “rhythm”, “balance”, “relaxation”?
