Going bitless...dressage bashing

[guest@endurance.net]

K S SWIGART   katswig@earthlink.net


Linda Merims said:
> , but I always thought is was funny how the stated
> goal of dressage was to have the horse move forward "naturally"
> and all it took was 8 years of schooling before a horse was
> ready to move forward "naturally" in Grand Prix.

Dressage has no such stated goal.  There is nothing “natural”
whatsoever about dressage (or about riding any horse or
subjecting it to the control of humans).

The opening lines of the AHSA rules for dressage state:

"1. The object of Dressage is the harmonious development of the
physique and ability of the horse. As a result it makes the
horse calm, supple, loose and flexible but also confident,
attentive and keen thus achieving perfect understanding with his
rider.
2. These qualities are revealed by:
a) The freedom and regularity of the paces;
b) The harmony, lightness and ease of the movements;
c) The lightness of the forehand and the engagement of the
hindquarters, originating in a lively impulsion;
d) The acceptance of the bridle with submissiveness throughout
and without any tenseness or resistance."

The purpose of dressage it to generate willing obedience under
saddle in the horse while asking for more and more physically
demanding maneuvers.

It takes eight years of schooling to get a horse to Grand Prix,
not so it can move forward “naturally” but so that it can
perform extremely physically demanding maneuvers with
elasticity, impulsion, and perfect obedience.  Where anybody
could have gotten the idea that Grand Prix dressage maneuvers
such as the Piaffe and Passage, Tempi changes, and Canter
Pirouettes on demand are “natural” is beyond me.

I make no comment whatsoever about whether current dressage
riders, current dressage training techniques, or the many
training aids (including the assortment of bits, bridles and
attachments) are any good for achieving the stated goals of
dressage, I just merely wished to point out that moving forward
naturally is not, nor has it ever been, one of the stated
goals.

The stated goals of dressage are, in essence, exactly the
opposite: to do the totally unnatural thing of submitting to the
direction of humans while being asked to carry those humans on
their backs while performing physically demanding and
complicated maneuvers with perfect precision.

kat
Orange County, Calif.

p.s. There is nothing "natural" about endurance riding either.
Horses, by nature, walk around and graze, sleep (occasionally),
have sex, and run away from anything that remotely frightens
them.  Anything else that we ask of them is "unnatural."