Everything old is new again and that’s good news for American dressage, says San Diego trainer Will Faerber.
With Nuno Oliveira as his early mentor, Will has been training and coaching classical dressage for 35 years. But it’s only recently that he’s become optimistic about the degree of acceptance among Americans for the traditional ways. Will attributes this paradigm shift to Klaus Balkenhol’s role as coach of the USET dressage team.
“We’ve seen the horse show world become closer to the dog show world, where the most expensive dog wins,” Will observes. “Klaus won his Olympic gold medals (in 1992 and 1996) on a $3,000 horse.” With Klaus’ knowledge as a classical horseman leading at the sport’s pinnacle, Will says, “I feel that we might finally make some real progress in this country toward a wider acceptance and recognition of what dressage is and should be.”
A correct piaffe is the foundation of collection: the horse lowers its’ hindquarters and engages its’ back up under the rider which allows it to absorb the concussion of the movement in the muscles rather than in the joints.
Like-minded equestrians will be pleased to learn that Will and his wife and training partner Karen Loshbaugh have room for a few new clients. This is a result of their recent move to the Valenti Estate and Saddle Club in Rancho Santa Fe. The lovely, private training facility has undergone many upgrades in the past year. Will and Karen’s arrival brings the added improvement of a state-of-the-art dressage arena, built by Triple Crown Arenas and made possible by the couple’s sponsors, Pam and Dave Cox. Trailer-in students are welcome during monthly clinics.
Will’s resume includes sizable stints in Portugal and Europe, but he and Karen had been happily based for the last several years at their client Jody Anderson’s private Rancho Santa Fe stable, which they outgrew.
Horses First
Debates about classical versus competitive dressage are both old and ongoing, but Will sees no distinction between the two. “If a horse is correctly developed to be ridden at a certain level, you should have no trouble competing at that level.” The foundation of classical dressage is that the horse always comes first, Will explains. “The health of the horse will reflect the way it has been trained.”
Vet visits to Will and Karen’s barn, Art 2 Ride, are most often for routine maintenance. In 35 years as a professional horseman, Will says he’s seen only one case of mild gas colic among his equine charges. Bowed tendons, bucked shins and other common sporthorse injuries haven’t happened on Will’s watch. Medications and injections are not part of Art 2 Ride’s maintenance routine, and there are no “gimmicks or gadgets,” including draw reins, in their tack room.
A correct extended trot: The horse maintains the lowered position of the hindquarters, which allows it to step deeply under the body at the same angle of movement as the front legs.
Karen and Will are pursuing their own Grand Prix careers and their focus is on FEI level competition, however they welcome serious beginners. “Serious” means sharing their passion for and devotion to classical principles: For “riding that puts the needs of the horse ahead of their own need or egos.” And, they must have an “intellectual capacity for the intricate details of the sport.” New students don’t have to be perfect, but they must be ready for the hard mental and physical work of striving for it while appreciating the process. “It is the journey, not the product that has real value,” says Will.
It boils down to balance no matter what level the rider and horse. “The horse must be round: it must engage deeply from behind and push its back up under the rider,” Will continues. “Only then can the horse be truly balanced, and only then will it accept the rider’s commands without tension or resistance.”
Will and Karen traveled different paths to their commitment to classical dressage. Will grew up fox hunting and eventing. His love for dressage was cemented by five years working regularly with the late Nuno Oliveira. He was a self-described 23 year old know-it-all when he won a scholarship to study with Nuno, but the Portuguese legend “taught me that I didn’t know anything,” Will says. That was in the 1970s and since then Will has devoted most of life to learning the ways of the classical masters. Along with Nuno as his main mentor, Will considers Klaus Balkenhol and Arthur Kottas of the Spanish Riding School as his inspirations.
A correct connected stretch: The horse maintains the lifted position of its’ back while elongating the muscles of its’ top line to warm up or relieve the stress of collection.
A hunter/jumper rider until just five years ago, Karen has taken a green horse through Intermediare I, earned her USDF silver medal and is now schooling Grand Prix. “As exciting as it is to jump a five-foot fence, dressage involves much more discipline, creativity and time to correctly develop a horse,” Karen says. “Once a horse has progressed physically and is submissive, the resulting power and harmony is far more exhilarating.”
Will and Karen also have side interests. Will is a successful musician and songwriter and, together, the couple wrote and produced a feature film comedy, Clothing Optional, which they hope to release for film festival consideration later this year.
Endless Benefits
Classical techniques have enabled Karen and Will to succeed with horses that others had given up on and that has colored their training philosophy. “We never tell anyone to buy another horse until we have trained the one they have,” Will says. “If a horse is sound, it deserves to become the best it can be, a safe and reliable mount. That is what will ensure that the horse gets a good home even if the current owner desires to move up to something better.
“So many people today are going to Europe and bringing back wonderfully trained horses only to find that in a few months the horse has become unmanageable or, worse, lame,” Will continues. Jet lag, changes in feed and the hard ground here are among the explanations that often arise in these situations, but Will says the real answer is usually a harder pill to swallow. “The horse has been placed in the hands of someone who is not competent to train it or even to maintain it at its current level. There’s an old saying that it takes 10 years to train a horse and 10 minutes to ruin one.”
At Art 2 Ride’s new location, Will and Karen have a few spots for those with the patience, persistence and passion to train themselves and their horses in the old ways of the classical masters.
For more information on Art 2 Ride, and Will Faerber and Karen Loshbaugh’s training business, visit www.art2ride.com or call 858-232-6091.
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