The ninth in a series of guest blog posts from Michelle Binder

Western Dressage is a new and growing discipline in the horse world.  People are talking about it everywhere.  At North American Western Dressage we answer questions every day about what it is, how you do it, what you wear, what your horse wears, bits, reins, helmets, levels of  tests and competition, movements and how you do them and a myriad of other things.  Answering these questions could be a full time job for any one of our volunteers!  One question that keeps coming up is “Why do we need so many rules?”  It is a good question but the importance of rules and standards that govern a discipline must not be under-rated. 

Websters 1913 Dictionary Online defines a “standard” as follows:
2. That which is established by authority as a rule for the measure of quantity, extent, value, or quality
3. That which is established as a rule or model by authority, custom, or general consent; criterion; test

And a “rule” thus:
1. That which is prescribed or laid down as a guide for conduct or action; a governing direction for a specific purpose; an authoritative enactment; a regulation; a prescription; a precept
2. Uniform or established course of things
3. Systematic method or practice

A "standard" then for our purposes is an approved and generally accepted model of something, and a rule is a guiding principle that is used as a basis for a normal requirement, or making a judgement of quality, quantity, level, grade, etc.   Rules and standards then can effectively guide the development of the discipline of Western Dressage in several important ways.

First, they provide us with a particular model to learn.  That particular model channels students and helps keep them from wondering what they are supposed to be doing.  Once a foundation of understanding has been learned for any discipline, experimentation can lead to fruitful discoveries and positive feedback.  If we begin to experiment without a base of knowledge from which to work, the path can be confusing, full of otherwise avoidable mistakes and missteps and therefore potentially dangerous to both horse and rider.  Just think of driving a car…

Second, they provide us with a particular  model to teach.  Without rules and standards, teaching is at best disorganized and unfocused, at worst, contradictory and destructive to the development of the discipline as a whole.  In the absence of clarity, there is no way to determine if the results of our efforts are producing something close to the ideal, or whether we’ve left the path we wanted to travel toward the specific result we are seeking. Rules and standards give us the ability to make course corrections for ourselves and our students. 

Finally, rules and standards give us the ability to create a norm or ideal.  Deviations from the ideal (rule) can be easily recognized and performance adjusted so that we arrive at an end result that more closely exemplifies that ideal.  Like Dressage, Western Dressage follows a particular progressive training process and the tests provide a roadmap for us to get from the beginning basic exercises that develop our horses in specific ways, to the end, which in the case of Western Dressage, is still to be determined.  Having a clear set of standards that describe the ideal we seek to achieve, and rules that act as guidelines according to which we work, will ultimately define Western Dressage as clearly as other equestrian sports.  The Western Dressage horse will be recognizable as such, defined by western tack and attire, with all three gaits relaxed, rhythmic, balanced, energetic, soft and supple, collected and in harmonious partnership with the rider.

For more information about North American Western Dressage, to see excerpts from the 2012 NAWD Official Rulebook, to read articles, participate in forum discussions, see the Tests through Level 6, or start your free basic membership visit: http://www.northamericanwesterndressage.com, and join them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/NorthAmericanWesternDressage

If you would like your story to appear in this column, please email 200 words and a 300 dpi .jpg photo file of you and your horse with credits to [email protected].

Michelle Binder is the founder of the Relational Riding Academy. Relational Riding is a program that utilizes dressage as fundamental training for all horses performing in all disciplines. She has been an ARIA certified Instructor since 1989. She is currently working on her second book “Relational Riding: A Horsemanship Tutorial,” and has completed work on two professional video productions, “Any Horse, Any Rider: Relational Riding: A Universal Foundation” and "Understand Riding From the Ground Up."