Klimke-Hassler Dressage Training Symposium October 29, 2016
Aneesa Romans
The Klimke-Hassler Dressage Training Symposium was held at Hassler Dressage at Riveredge, a lovely and expansive facility in Chesapeake City, MD. This event was a collaboration between American trainer Scott Hassler and German Michael Klimke, who have been friends for many years and often team up to coach one another. They stressed the value of having educated eyes on the ground, as that exposes new perspectives, which keeps standards high and training on the right track. In addition to their demonstrated prowess in the saddle, both men have experience working horses in hand, which is a key skill when teaching piaffe and passage. Several of the lessons incorporated in hand work, and it was interesting to see how the horses responded differently to the increased pressure. We were treated to a diverse range of experience levels, from a 5yo just starting to figure out flying changes, to a seasoned grand prix horse and his young rider aiming for U25 division.
The 10 pairs that kindly allowed us to watch their lessons were:
Eiren Crawford & Godot SFF (5yo KWPN g)
Kelly McGinn & Eureka (7yo KWPN g)
Katarina Antens-Miller & Adriano (8yo SWB g)
Ange Bean & BR Danny’s Secret (14yo ArabX m)
Jordan Rich & Ellert HB (7yo KWPN g)
Clare Green & Watson (12yo Hann g)
Melissa Vaughn & Awel (11yo KWPN g)
Sarah Thomas & Argo Conti Tyme (14yo Old g)
Cindi Wylie & Edelrubin (10yo Westfalen g)
Scott Hassler & Harmony’s Star Agent (10yo Old g)
Each lesson started with ample time for warm up in all three gaits. Michael’s warm up plan focused on having the horses active and stretching down to the bit as much as possible to loosen the entire topline, especially in the loin area behind the saddle. Scott mentioned that this isn’t the perfect warm up plan for every horse. More than one was a little too unsettled to start working in a completely free and relaxed manner, particularly in a new environment with almost 200 auditors packed at one end of the arena.
Scott worked with one horse that was particularly overwhelmed by the atmosphere. The horse benefitted from a more supportive ride past the audience. The rider employed what Scott called “coaching” aids to carry the horse past his source of anxiety. Scott then challenged the rider to return to using normal “training” aids as soon as possible. This meant dialing back the rein and leg aids a bit and asking the horse to carry himself with (hopefully) renewed self-confidence.
Scott’s point was that we should be checking in with our horse often when training, not just cruising along until we need to make a correction. The recommendation was to never go more than 6 strides without a half halt. When you’re coaching, they may need to be as often as every other stride. However, while we need to be pro-active, that doesn’t mean changing your ride in anticipation of an issue. The half-halts enable you to be in tune with your horse so you’re less likely to be surprised by a spook or shy and can address it in the moment. Half-halts also help prevent the rider from being talked into carrying the horse unnecessarily.
Scott cautioned that riders often make the mistake of looking for too much of an immediate difference in ‘feel’ after one half halt or transition within the gait. Instead we should think of each one as micro-adjustments, subtle balance shifts. The rider should not feel an abrupt change in each one. However, the ground person should easily be able to see the cumulative effect of a series of them; a more elastic, attentive, and expressive horse.
In the evening lecture, both Michael and Scott went a little more into their overarching training philosophies. They reiterated the need to consistently be firm but fair to give a young horse the best chance to develop, physically and mentally, into a top athlete. Although most of the lessons we watched were about addressing basics rather than specific test movements, Scott touched on his approached to training the “tricks”. The following are his four stages when starting a new movement:
i. Introduction/Exploration – Be playful and do not drill the movement
ii. Training – Be more persistent but give the horse plenty of time to process as they are sorting out a new way of using their bodies and developing the musculature to support it
iii. Maturing – Be fairly strict about getting a prompt and obedient response to aids that should be well established at this point
iv. Owning – Not only can you reliably execute the movement, it looks polished and effortless and you are capable of making smooth adjustments within the movement
Michael advocated for riders to gain a strong theoretical understanding of the sport by reading and studying classical horsemanship. He told the story how, after achieving top placings at world championships as a young man, he went to ride at the Spanish riding school in Vienna where they promptly stuck him on a lunge line without stirrups for the entire week. He described it as a good lesson in staying grounded and always working to strengthen your foundation, since that is what everything else has to build upon. Scott stressed that we need to be students of the horse, striving to seek understand from their point of view. Most training issues are from a lack of understanding or strength, not because of willful disobedience.
Thank you DVCTA for the opportunity to be reminded of how incredibly generous and tolerant our horses are. I came away from the day with a several new training tools, and renewed sense of responsibility to find the art within the sport.
