WHAT IS THE
DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN
TRADITIONAL
GRAND PRIX
DRESSAGE,
WESTERN
DRESSAGE
AND COWBOY
DRESSAGE?
Traditional dressage is
simply the original style
of dressage also referred
to as English or Classical.
Grand Prix is the highest
level and Introductory is
the beginning level. They
are the bookends to
everything in between
for traditional dressage.
Western Dressage and
Cowboy Dressage
branched out of the
desire to take the
benefits of traditional
dressage and cross
over to those riding
in Western tack. They
are more similar than
they are different. Both
follow the building
blocks of traditional
dressage requiring
specific maneuvers
and emphasize the
relationship of the horse
and rider. Cowboy
dressage focuses more
towards an overall
Western style horse like a
stock horse. It is primarily
located in the Western
United States, but is
gaining ground in other
geographic areas. Very
simplistically, Western
dressage is closer to
traditional dressage
done in Western tack
and suits bigger moving
horses. However, any
horse could study any
of these dressage tracks
regardless of breed
or way of going.
DRESSAGE FOCUSES A GREAT DEAL OF ENERGY ON
TRYING TO GET A SELF CARRIAGE FOR THE HORSE,
WHAT ARE SOME WAYS YOU CAN GO ABOUT
HELPING YOUR HORSE DO THIS, AND WHEN WILL YOU
KNOW THAT YOU HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL?
Dressage has a training pyramid and it is important to follow the order
because every lesson builds on the last as you move up. The levels are
rhythm, relaxation, contact, impulsion, straightness and collection. We
start all of our horse and rider teams this way. Luckily for the gaited
horse, our riders are blessed with horses who seems to either have
rhythm or understand rhythm pretty easily. The TWH specifically has
the long swinging, ground covering walk and flat walk which scores
well in dressage. One of the ultimate goals is to have the horse “On
the Bit”. This is where we really start achieving self-carriage and is
up in the levels before we really see it as a scored component on a
test. However, the beginning of teaching a horse to be On the Bit
appears in the very first test where the horse is asked to free walk.
This is a maneuver where the horse follows the contact with the bit
as the rider slowly releases the reins, allowing the horse to pull the
reins down and through the rider’s hands as he seeks to keep that
connection with the bit. The horse will continue to follow the bit as the
rider collects the reins again instead of just popping his head back up.
In an Introductory test, a judge is looking for a basic understanding of
this concept, not perfection. It is more like “when I do this, my horse
understands to lower his head”. Achieving a really nice free walk
takes most horses at least a year or longer.
You can start this process from the ground. Take both reins and
pull down slightly waiting for the horse to lower his head even an
inch. When he does, you can release the pressure. It is not unlike
teaching them to lead. The reward for the correct action is removing
the pressure. After the horse begins to understand, you can hold
that pressure longer before releasing. It is easier for a horse to do this
standing still than walking. Once he has an understanding from the
ground, you introduce it under saddle. Remember the goal is to lower
the head and neck, not just draw the nose in towards the neck. There
is no “too low” in teaching this exercise since the horse should be
following the bit and stop when it stops. They should not simply lower
their head to the ground unless you asked them to lower that far.