This weeks blog comes to you from beautiful British Columbia Canada.  I try to bring you news and fun stuff no matter where I am in the world.  I have a perfect opportunity to share a Western Dressage story from a reader that has a Canadian link and I think you will enjoy it.  Remember, if you would like to share your story, send it to me via email at [email protected]. When the perfect moment comes, I will share your story too!

Dear Ms. Binder, 

In the USEF Weekly Newsletter for 7 January, you solicited replies regarding experiences with Western Dressage.  Since you asked, what follows is my experiences with Western Dressage. 

First, I must clarify that I currently train several horses for Dressage each weekend, in exchange for time in the saddle, since I don't own a horse and would have no other access to riding regularly.  I was trained in Classical Dressage by Herr Ernst Voegeli, at his establishment in Interlaken, Switzerland.  Herr Voegeli trained me in the Classical method of doing it correctly and with subtlety. I have ridden the FEI Intermediare test mounted on Herr Voegeli's horses.  However, a few years ago I gave Western equitation a try, and that is where Western Dressage comes in.

I started taking lessons in Western equitation at Ecole D'Equitation 1101 in La Presentation Quebec, Canada.  The highly qualified instructors there soon realized that I had an excellent seat and had been excellently schooled.  The seat, the position, leg aids, and so forth are identical in both Classical Dressage and Western equitation.  The big difficulty I had was learning how to use the hands correctly when riding Western equitation, which is entirely different than the Dressage I am used to.  So, they began by teaching me how to tack the horse correctly (I still can't get tightening the cinch right), and then started at the walk using 25% of the indoor arena to teach me the "four reins", as they say in French, the influences of which are the starting point to learning Western equitation.  After fumbling around with this for quite awhile, I finally got it.  By the way, my lessons were in French, and I can explain to you everything about Western equitation in French because I know the terms only in that language, and not in English (I learned in Quebec, after all).  One of my instructors is learning English, and she used me to practice conversation, but not during lessons.  The other instructor who also taught me does not know English at all, which is not uncommon in the countryside away from the big cities like Montreal.  Anyway, I soon realized that, except for the difference in use of the hands on the reins, what I was doing was exactly the same as what Herr Voegeli had taught me.  In effect, what they taught me at the Ecole D'Equitation is Dressage in a Western saddle.  One day, my instructor had to leave the arena for a few minutes to take care of the hay delivery, as Nathalie also manages the entire operation as Chief Instructor and Chef d'Equipe.  While she was busy with the delivery, I decided to use the entire arena and started  working "Brunante" in Dressage. All the horses they give me to ride are fine Canadian Quarter Horses suited to my ability level.  I did lateral work and changes across the diagonal.  The other instructors stopped what they were doing and gathered at the in-gate area to watch.  When Nathalie came back, she told me "no dancing" with a big smile.  The next day, i was given a different horse and they started me learning reining.  That is where I am with Western riding right now.  I intend to go back to the riding school in Quebec later this year and spend my 2 weeks of vacation there.  I ride a Western trained horse almost every weekend, except when the owner's daughter goes to shows in Western Pleasure.  She does know how to ride, and, given that Iget to ride the horse each week, the pair usually comes back with some ribbons.  It's very much a team effort between us.  When I met her instructor, the instructor was astonished, not because I could ride Western (He's really good!), but because I learned it in Quebec, of all places, and in Canadian French.  I suppose that's not so common, eh?

- John Maieron

For more information about North American Western Dressage, to read articles, explore the 2013 Rulebook, see the tests through 6th Level, or start your free basic membership visit http://www.northamericanwesterndressage.com, and join them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/NorthAmericanWesternDressage.

Michelle Binder-Zolezzi 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."