By the Letter - Notes from the Dressage Desk.
By Gina Krueger, VP of Dressage, GDCTA
(originally published in the GDCTA newsletter)
The elements of the Training Scale are (in order from bottom to top) :
All of these elements create Throughness. Rhythm, Suppleness, and Contact comprise the Familiarizing phase, Suppleness, Contact, Impulsion, and Straightness comprise the Propulsive Development phase, and Impulsion, Straightness, and Collection comprise the Carrying Development phase. See the diagram to see how these all fit together.
The scale of training is an ordered collection of the basic skills of the riding horse and it is important to its success that the phases remain in order. None of the six points of the Training Scale can stand alone. Furthermore, they are not interchangeable as they are dependent on one another. The criteria of the Training Scale must be adjusted for every horse depending on his abilities and attributes. The responsibility for success lies in the precision and harmony with which the rider is able to apply his aids. The work must be systematic but not repetitively monotonous.
On to Part 2 of the Scale of Training
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