| Training Level Frame By Anne Councill American Driving Society 'r' judge in Dressage, Pleasure Driving, Combined Driving I think driven dressage has greatly improved in the last decade or so. It seems to me it takes a lot more to get a decent score nowadays, and the field is much more competitive and talented. Dressage is no longer a foreign language; most competitors understand concepts such as "roundness" and "impulsion." I also see judges trying very hard to be consistent with their scoring, whether soft or harsh. In general I'd agree with that, but it also depends on where you go. In competitive areas that's true, but I've also been to places where the TL [Training Level] was really uneducated. I still see a good deal of subjectiveness (at least at lower levels) when it comes to what is most important to judges. Some are prone to heavily weigh accuracy in figures; others more prone to heavily weigh rythym, smoothness, and gait quality over accuracy. That is often a reflection of the judges background and training. Accuracy is easier to judge than dressage fundamentals and it's easier to hang a number on. The fundamentals don't change and the German training scale is a really good guide. Rythym and relaxation have to be shown at TL, without it you can't advance properly. If you leave anything out, you pay later and have to go back and do it anyway, so do it in the beginning. I do have one question / comment regarding Training Level dressage. Referring to the "Training Level" figure drawn in Sally Robinowitz's wonderful book "Driven Dressage for the Single Horse," the horse is in a beginning frame, not yet round, with his head extended, but moving forward willingly. How would this horse fare in today's judging? Would he get comments such as "not round" "needs more forward" and such at Training Level? Sandy's illustration is just as correct now as it ever was. TL doesn't need to go round, it does need to seek the bit, be balanced, not necessarily bent, but balanced and show that the horse is using his bit to help himself. A TL horse that is round and not forward needs to be less round, he's probably being held by a tense driver and is artificially round. The head is often the last thing to get right after the body is trained. How round and forward is enough for (genuine!) Training Level horses, particularly those whose conformations do not lend themselves to "automatic collection?" There are horses with round toplines that look better than others but that has nothing to do with collection. Collection is schooled and physically developed over a long period of time. Forward is something else again and very doable by a TL horse. A guaranteed way to blow the judge away is to be really forward with great balance, obedience and confidence. If you've got it, flaunt it! Do we have to wait until these greenies are really more fit and trained to even be in the running at Training Level? Ideally a competition worthy TL horse should have enough balance to get around a corner without counter bending or falling in. He should move freely forward in a steady rythem. He should be happy and obedient. That's about it. Anne Councill * Driving in Birch Hollow * Stewartstown, PA 1.717.880.3840 |