Thanks to the serendipity of volunteering to scribe at a local dressage show last summer, and being given the lucky assignment of scribing for “S” Judge Betsy Berrey, I discovered her DVD series, The Winning Edge. This series is produced by Betsy’s company, Dressage Dimensions, with the talented assistance of Chris Hickey, Director of Training at Hilltop Farm in Colora, MD (See Jan. 2008 issue of California Riding Magazine for full story on Hilltop Farm) and double gold medal winner at the recent Pan Am Games riding Regent.
Betsy told me, “I started Dressage Dimensions because of my realization that there were no DVDs on the market for riders or judges that dealt with our national tests. There is a great need for continuing education for everyone who participates in dressage and my goal is to help meet that need. Our first two volumes, which covered the 18 new 2007 USEF Dressage Tests, have been very popular.” (See Aug. 2007 California Riding Magazine for a review of volumes one and two.)
Growing FEI Classes =
Growing Need for Education
Betsy and Chris recently completed volumes three and four: The Young Rider Team Test, Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire 1; and volume five: The FEI Young Horse Tests for 5 and 6 Year Old Horses.
As Betsy explains, “At many of the bigger shows today, the FEI classes are larger than the national classes, so it was logical to create DVDs for those who are moving up into those levels.” Betsy sees larger Prix St. Georges classes filled by both amateurs and open riders, with quite a few riders going on to ride Intermediaire 1, as well. “This inspired us to spend time and give more detailed information from the saddle and from C for these two levels,” she adds.
“Jocelyn Weiss, a very successful young rider, is now working at Hilltop under Chris’s guidance,” Betsy reports. “She offered her horse Lamborghini to us, so we decided to include the Young Rider Team Test. The programs for both the juniors and young riders have become increasingly popular.”
In each volume, Chris rides a warm-up for each test and comments from the saddle, then Betsy scores and comments as Chris rides each test, and after each test, Betsy and Chris recap their impressions. This combination of comments from the perspective of the trainer/rider and the judge illustrates how everyday training impacts the test scores.
Chris’ comments in the warm-ups are a master class all by themselves, and demonstrate the philosophy of dressage in action. Betsy’s comments during the test help the viewer educate the eye for what’s right and wrong – an education that requires knowledgeable instruction instead of the horse show railbird’s personal opinion.
Young Riders, Prix St. Georges,
Intermediaire 1
Volume three covers the Young Rider program, riding in the double bridle, the Young Rider Team Test, moving up the levels, the Prix St. Georges test and the Intermediaire test. Volume four goes more deeply into the movements and tests of Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire 1, and addresses moving up to Grand Prix. These two volumes, packaged together, give the viewer more than two hours of incredible instruction. More than just “how-to,” these volumes also provide the “why.”
In volume three, Chris demonstrates the Young Rider Team Test with Lamborghini, who has successfully carried Jocelyn Weiss through several years of Young Rider competition. Betsy gives frank and honest advice about the realities of the Young Rider program and the kind of horse needed to be successful in national competition, while Chris explains use of the double bridle and demonstrates its proper use.
In his warm-up, Chris talks the viewer through what goes right and what goes wrong, giving the viewer a feeling for what it’s like to ride a well-schooled horse in a complex and demanding test. Indeed, in his comments after the test, Chris and Betsy discuss the fact that this is a busy test, and the rider must ride every step of the test. It definitely leaves the viewer with a better appreciation of the skill set required of the successful Young Rider competitors.
Later in volume three, Chris rides the Hanoverian stallion Werbellin to demonstrate the Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire tests. Together, they demonstrate the strength and training that is needed for these tests, which by international standards are considered of medium difficulty. Chris’ comments during the warm-up are as instructive as Betsy’s comments during the actual tests, and together provide a viewpoint based on extensive knowledge and experience which any rider aspiring to train and show at this level can benefit from.
Volume four goes into even more detail with the Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire 1 tests, and provides both practical demonstrations as well as strategic pointers. Chris rides his Pan Am Games partner, Regent, with whom he won the individual and team gold medals.
Chris is frank in saying that all trainers make mistakes, adding that they all learn from them, and “that’s what makes a good trainer.” He also makes the point that they need a trusted ground person, their “eyes on the ground.” Chris addresses the horse’s point of view when he says that the best rewards are praise and not overdrilling the horse!
Watching Chris warm up and ride these tests, and learning from Betsy’s scoring and comments throughout the tests, is a workshop in itself. It’s one that can be repeated again and again (yes, I’m working on wearing out this DVD!) and one that’s worth mining for every bit of great information.
FEI Young Horse Tests Demonstrate the Basics
Volume five, the FEI 5 Year Old and 6 Year Old Tests, demonstrates the basics that every dressage horse needs to know, and every dressage rider wants to be capable of creating, in every ride. You can learn a lot from these volumes, regardless of the level you are training and riding.
Mastery of the basics is important to horses at every level, whether the horse is an upper level show horse who needs them as a foundation for the more advanced movements, or a horse at Training Level who is just learning how to carry himself with a rider aboard.
By watching an accomplished rider with a superb horse demonstrate those basics, as Chris demonstrates in the FEI 5 Year Old Test with Cabana Boy, who has been unbeaten here in the U.S., and in the FEI 6 Year Old Test with Hanoverian stallion Donarweiss, you’ll have a better mental picture of what you want your rides to be like. Every dressage rider uses these basics, every ride, and for those times when things just aren’t going well and you need inspiration, it’s right there on DVD!
For those of you interested in the FEI young horse competitions, Betsy and Chris explain how the tests are judged, with only 5 scores – for walk, trot, canter, submission and general impression – rather than a score for every movement as in other dressage tests. They explain that these tests evaluate the young horse’s potential and ability rather than scoring specific movements individually. Further, they explain that these tests are designed to identify future international talent, and are usually judged by two or three judges who, in a departure from other dressage tests, confer with each other before determining scores.
In his comments during the warm-ups, Chris explains what the judge is looking for and why, and how basic movements like walk-canter, canter-walk transitions leads to executing good simple changes. Chris talks about what he’s thinking during the rides, explains what he’s trying to get from the horse, the corrections he’s making, what’s good and what needs to be better. He’s quick to praise the horse, and quick to calmly correct any mistakes, giving the horses every opportunity to do well. That’s something for us all to learn, too!
Words of Wisdom and a Wish
To conclude, a few words of wisdom from Betsy Berrey, who is a member of the USDF “L” Program Faculty and its Standing Committee: “Be sure you know the test well and that you know where each movement begins and ends. Then if you have a problem you may be able to contain it and avoid bringing down two scores instead of just one. Remember that the judge is on your side – we really do want you to succeed. The weakest areas that I see, all over the country, are the lack of an independent seat and the lack of a correct collected canter. Improving these two aspects of your riding will pay great benefits in the future.”
From yours truly, I simply wish you a lifetime of learning, and happy riding!
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