Report 2008 27 – 28 October Opening by Richard Davison Page 1 Dutch Dressage – Part 1 - Breeding page 3 - 9 Dutch Dressage – Part 2 – Talent Development page 10 - 14 Olympic Evaluation page 14 - 18 Clinic by The Cadre Noir page 18 – 21 Working groups – Part 1 – Core Strengthening by Dr Hilary Clayton page 22 – 25 Olympic Judging – how to solve problems? By Hans van Zetten page 26 - 30 Working groups – Part 2 – New Developments in Mental Training with Dr Rico Schuijers page 31 – 33 How to become an Olympic Judge – an education system for dressage judges with Dr Dieter Schüle page 34 – 36 Physical Training For Riders with Andrew Thomas page 36 – 41 Masterclass by Hubertus Schmidt page 42 – 47 Press releases international magazines Opening by Richard Davison Richard Davison opened the 8th Global Dressage Forum (on “The History and Future of Dressage”) by welcoming over 300 delegates from 25 countries; truly a Global Forum encompassing different techniques, riding styles and methods, but with a common love – the Horse. Questions, as ever, to the presenters were welcomed but time restraints meant that written questions were preferred so that a variety could be picked for the members of the Panel to answer. ‘Question corner’ is a feature of the Forum, with presenters available after their sessions for delegates to meet and discuss any aspects of the Richard Davison Presentation further. Grateful thanks to everyone that supports the Forum and makes it possible – the Dutch National Federation KNHS, the commercial and private sponsors Eurocommerce; DressageDirect; Equine Elite; Dressage Today; Lambert Geerkens; the Bechtolsheimer family; Mrs Lyke Sonnenberg; and the Spijkers family. Also to the Bartels family, who hosts the Forum, the International Dressage Trainers Club, co-organisers of the Forum, and to the staff behind the scenes. Finally, thanks to the audience. Richard, the host of the Forum, introduced David Hunt, President of the International Dressage Trainers Club, and now Director of Training for British Dressage; and David Holmes, former CEO of British Dressage, and now the new Sports Director of the FEI, based in Switzerland. 1 Introduction David Hunt This year the focus is on respect – for each other as trainers, riders, owners, judges, and others involved in the sport of dressage and, in particular, for the horse. The horse is the reason everyone is here; we all have a passion and a love for horses. The Forum provides the best possible circumstances for discussion and communication to pull all parts of our sport together; communication should be positive, forward looking, creating strategies for the future; it is too easy to be destructive and divisive. Our collective experience is a substitute for youth; sadly, we can’t have both; both ends of this spectrum can contribute to a successful Forum David Hunt and the development of dressage. FEI David Holmes As the President of the FEI, her Royal Highness Princess Haya of Jordan, was unable to attend the Forum, David Holmes represented her. Just two months into the new job, he sees his role as co-ordinator and communicator between the Olympic equestrian disciplines; bringing the new Youth Olympics, the Paralympics, and the developing nations more closely into the fold of equestrian sport. The continuing education and training of officials, judges and stewards, at all levels, is of paramount importance in keeping the sport on line, with development and support similar across the disciplines. David Holmes Key areas include the strategic direction from 2 the top down necessary to address the challenges that face the FEI and equestrian sport generally. Cross-departmental issues, for instance, need attention so that there is no conflict with overlapping rules in each discipline. Strengths need to be developed and turned into opportunities to access a wider public, via the media, and thus attract commercial sponsors, involve national federations and support the International Olympic Committees in its goals and aims. Dressage must somehow make itself more appealing because, although it has experienced huge growth from a membership perspective, it has yet to make sufficient impact in terms of sponsorship internationally. For instance, having only one tender forward for championships suggests that there is something wrong with the basic concept and a long, hard look at this aspect is obviously necessary. David is very optimistic about the role the FEI plays in global equestrianism and looks forward to maximising strengths across the board. Dutch Dressage – Part 1 - Breeding George de Jong, formerly a director of the Dutch National Federation and now director of research institute ‘Innosport’, introduced this session on the ways in which Dutch horse breeding has developed and the impact it has on equestrian sport way beyond the borders of Holland. There has been a meteoric rise in the success and popularity of Dutch horses, with many medals being won at the top levels, particularly in dressage. Is this simply the ‘Anky’ factor or is there a bit more to it than that? What is the recipe? Together with his colleagues, Wim Ernes (‘O’ judge), Johan Knaap (director of Dutch Warmblood George de Jong Studbook KWPN) and Arie Hamoen (chairman of stallion selection KWPN), a comprehensive picture of the breeding strategies that have underpinned these successes was presented. But first, 3 an overview - dressage is the number one equestrian sport in Holland. Over 60.000 participants in official competitions are affiliated to the Federation; there is a good base of clubs and riding schools, with over 500,000 competition entries (!) registered per year. There is an education system for judges, with five levels, and a master plan in place for the future training of judges which should improve further the image of the sport. Credibility, quality and fair play are the cornerstones of the sport; the aims are to minimise mistakes, conflicts of interest and the pressures on judges in the increasingly commercial industry that dressage has become. New and more professional ways to improve education, monitor and evaluate performance, balancing quality with quantity; all these things need consideration. Perhaps competition organisers should not appoint judges – perhaps it would be better if national federations did that and then younger judges would be more likely to be given the chance to progress through the levels. It needs to be totally clear what the policies are, what guidance there is, and how responsibilities are allocated, so that high standards of performance can be expected, and delivered, all round. Major considerations include PR and marketing; constant and consistent education and innovation; good communication between riders, owners, and trainers; agreements between top riders and the national federation, with give and take on both sides; helping the success of important events and promoting the sport – all these aspects need to be factored in to the total strategy so that new ideas and the exchange of ideas and experiences can bring the sport forward. The ‘Anky’ factor is a particular strength in Holland – she is a super star, and has been since 1994, way beyond the rather narrow limits of dressage. She is a wonderful help and the possibility of putting other riders around her, so that they can benefit from the media exposure she generates, can only be good and she contributes much to the sport by mentoring and training up and Johan Knaap 4 coming competitors. We do it our way! This is the message from Johan Knaap, the Director of the Dutch Warmblood Studbook, the KWPN, who talked about the breeding strategies in place to produce top class horses for the sport. Historical traditions are crucial to today’s successes; the Dutch have always been good breeders of cows, pigs, and poultry, working in the fields with their horses to cultivate the land. A natural appreciation of the ability to work, soundness, and good conformation comes through from this heritage. Breeders realised, very early, that thinking in generations was essential, with the dam lines as crucial to the success of any breeding programme as the stallion lines, although the latter are understood to bring the most genetic progress. Together with the collection of data from the broader family, seeing and being able to assess desirable traits in the offspring, good conformation and movement are fundamental to the process, with quality and good looks being important as well. Already in the 1940s, an approval system for breeding stallions existed and this has been developed over the years into one of the most stringent in the world. Not all horses bred will be top level so the breeding system must be good enough to ensure that what is bred can be marketed to have useful lives in jobs other than in top competition. There is an open breeding policy so that fresh blood lines, and their strengths, can be integrated to improve the traits inherited through those lines. Breeding for specific purposes, in effect, specialisation, is part of the innovative process – performance confirms the pedigree. New knowledge, new systems, new technology and scientific research are embraced without ever losing sight of traditional values and breeders’ practical experience to ensure good, healthy, sound horses are bred year after year. There needs to be co-operation and collaboration between breeding and sport with the stallion selection commission consisting of breeders, trainers, test riders for young horses and all levels up to Grand Prix, putting information into the pot, so that every aspect is covered and considered. As already mentioned, the Dutch selection system has evolved into one of the strictest in the world; there are around 6000 colts born each year of which 600 go to the first inspections at 2.5/3 years of age; from these only about 20 get through the grading and licensing stages.