The WDAA World Championships were once again held in the world class Lazy E Arena in Guthrie Oklahoma . Walking horses returned in full force to capture multiple World Championships and Reserve World Championships . Seven Walking Horses from four states converged on Guthrie , Oklahoma eager to compete against other gaited breeds in Western Dressage starting at the Intro Level up to Level 4 .
This spacious arena gives our breed a chance to stretch their legs in the inherited walking gear and show the world why we are famous and smooth . As I have stated in previous articles Dressage is a fairly new division for our breed although it has been around the equine trotting world for decades . A bit about the Dressage discipline .
Dressage itself is a way of training and riding your horse . The actual word “ dressage ” is French and evolved from the verb dresseur meaning to train . There are many different equestrian disciplines of horseback riding from classical dressage , western riding , through to jumping , reining and eventing to name a few . There are different levels of Dressage starting with the Introdustory ( Intro ) -Preliminary ( Prem ) -Novice-Elementary-Medium-Advanced Medium- Advanced-Prix St Georges ! As the horse and rider team become more in sync they advance to more difficult levels .
When the gaited horse movement into Dressage became more popular , a separate division was formed for all gaited breeds . This certainly helped the gaited breeds to be judged more fairly as they did not have to trot . Many of our versatile exhibitors have joined the gaited Dressage movement as it is undoubtedly a test of one ’ s skill as well as memory ! Dressage is an equestrian sport defined by the International Equestrian Federation as the highest expression of horse training where horse and rider are expected to perform from memory a series of predetermined movements . The goal of
14 • Walking On dressage training is to develop a horse ’ s flexibility , responsiveness to aids , and balance . This makes the horse stronger and more pleasurable to ride . The point of dressage is to demonstrate harmony and trust between horse and rider , which is achieved using correct , gentle training .. There are , however , some training methods that are not allowed by the FEI , the international governing body of horse sport , on the grounds that they compromise horse .
Western Dressage Rules and Tests are derived from Classical Dressage fundamentals and showcase applications for the Working Western Horse based on the concepts of “ lightness ” and subtle cues . The sponsor of the World Show , the Western Dressage Association of America , is the largest group devoted to western dressage and is affiliated with the United States Equestrian Federation ( USEF ).
At the week long WDAA there were over 40 different breeds that competed . Over 1,100 tests were ridden ! The talented Tennessee Walking Horse , American Doll owned by Tami and Wallace Steinbrecher ended up with the highest overall average score in the Intro Division for the entire show !!!!!!!! This means our breed with the excellent performances by Tami Steinbrecher and American Doll scored higher than any of the gaited breeds + outscored the trotting breeds ! AWESOME JOB ! But the accolades for American Doll just kept coming ; as she won the TWH Breed Award and Lower Level Gaited Horse World Grand Champion . American Doll , exhibited by Tami Steinbrecher of Talking Rock , GA , went undefeated in the Intro Amateur Gaited Division . The team brought home 4 World Championships and was crowned the lower-level Gaited Amateur Division World Grand Champion . The team also garnered the Tennessee Walking Horse Breed High-Point Award . Beating out not just the gaited horses but also the non-gaited horses , American Doll achieved the highest overall average at the Intro Level Division at the show .
Demonstrating the versatility of the breed , The