Functional Dressage

Functional patterns of movement affect the body in a physiological way. My first dressage instructor taught me that the height of the horse’s head affects the endorphin vs. serotonin levels in the body which is why we do stretchy trot. Through accessing the body we access the mind where then learning can begin. Creating then habitual choices, we call muscle memory, which can become layered on to each other. This is a systematic way of teaching the Mind through the Body or the Body through the Mind. Patterns of movement to create a more physically developed horse with increase thoroughness and confidence. Isn’t that the definition of dressage?

Dressage purpose is to be functional not aesthetic. Dressage done well is aesthetically pleasing because of the elegance and quietness of harmony that the educated relationship brings not because of exuberant reactions being held together with strength. We measure such functionality and effectiveness of the mind body patterns when we do exercises and dressage movements in both practice and horse shows. Depending on the level depends on the difficulty of the layered patterns where the judge tells us where the horse is compensating or needs better education. It is an exam of the homework we do every time we interact with our horses. But like all exams the purpose of them is to tell us what we did wrong so that way it can be brought to our awareness but not to do give a lesson on how to better it right then and there. No you go home and review the questions that you would like to improve upon. You go back through your system of asking the prerequisites of that question and find the hole in the lack of understanding or physical difficulty.

That is the sport of dressage. The examination. The art of dressage is the training process. I see it like a football team that has to be able to run its plays at home, united as a team, so then when they get in a game and the coach tells them to do a certain play they have the muscle memory as a team down that they can execute it even with the challenges of the other team upon them.
But for that team to be NFL quality the individual players have to have their individual skills so fine-tuned that they can throw the ball, catch the ball, you name it with such accuracy that they can focus on the play. Think of the body of the horse like a team of football players. They all have a part to play they all have to do their job well. Our job as a trainer is identify the weaker players of our team (body of the horse) and strengthen them with exercises that support the team as a whole. So then when you ask for something like shoulder in each part of the horse is able to move independently but functionally.

Which is why I do functional dressage not aesthetic dressage. This system of communicating with the mind and body of the horse has been around but thousands of years because it's the most effective way to train them so that we can ride them into battle or for pleasure. We go to horse shows instead of battles these days but sometimes it still feels like war. I want my horse to feel like we are doing a hack through the countryside, with a few circles thrown in, when I go into the show ring. After all isn't it supposed to be a dance? Find and create a functional system of dressage training for you and your horse and enjoy the ride!