Global Dressage Foundati on proudly presents Report 29 - 30 October 2012 Hooge Mierde - the Netherlands - www.globaldressageforum.com Opening - Richard Davison Page 4 Welcome - HRH Princess Benedikte of Denmark Page 5 FEI Developments - Trond Asmyr Page 6 - 8 A sensational new approach to fitness - Adelinde Cornelissen, Tjalling van den Berg & Lammert Haanstra Page 9 -12 Dressage simulator - Barbro Ask Upmark Page 13 -14 Physiotherapy for sport horses - Jarko Dun Page 15 -16 Training for the prize giving ceremony- Tristan Tucker Page 17 -20 Dressage Training including cavaletti exercises - Ingrid Klimke Page 21 - 25 Harmony between horse and rider - Inga Wolframm Page 26 - 28 Finding and training a future top horse - Patrik Kittel Page 29 - 32 Olympic Review - David Hunt, David Stickland & Wim Ernes Page 33 -35 The German system - Helen Langehanenberg & Johnny Hilberath Page 36 -39 Press releases international magazines 3 OPENING Richard Davison Once again, for the 12th year in succession, Richard Davison, the Forum’s Moderator, opened the two-day Forum with warm greetings to all delegates, regular and new (350 in total from 21 countries). The Forum is THE opportunity for national representatives to keep up to date and, to a certain extent, influence the current and future affairs of worldwide dressage. Richard Davison Founded early in 2012, the Forum is now underwritten by the Global Dressage Foundation of which HRH the Princess Benedikte of Denmark is President and she will address the Forum shortly. Welcome to the representatives of the IDRC and IDTC (the International Dressage Riders Club and the International Dressage Trainers Club), to members of the ISES (the International Society for Equitation Science) and also to the representatives of the media who inform the wider equestrian public. At this Forum, top riders, trainers and scientists window their experience and skills; before the first GDF in 2000, riders and trainers met up for regular discussions but now much wider and deeper links with horse sport and equestrian science have transformed not only the Forum but also the sport. London 2012 was, for sure, the turning point for the sport – dressage has never been more open than it is now and the wider public have become more aware that dressage exists – and that it’s not boring! Thanks are due, in no small measure, to the partners of the Foundation – Academy Bartels; the IDRC; the FEI; the IDTC; the ISES; the KNHS (Royal Dutch Equestrian Federation) and to the supporters of the Foundation – the Noord Brabant Province; Mr & Mrs Bartels; Mrs K Kuistila from Finland; Mrs L Sonnenberg from Switzerland; the Altez Group (Geerkens-Hippico); Blue Hors; the Tschuggen Hotel Group and Toosbuy’s Foundation. Finally, a thank you to everyone for their support over the years, to the presenters, the riders, owners and horses; we hope you will find this year’s GDF inspiring and informative. 4 WELCOME HRH Princess Benedikte of Denmark, president of the Global Dressage Foundation A welcome to all and a big thank you to everyone who makes this Forum possible. Again, this year, the IDTC and the IDRC combined their General Assemblies with the Forum – top riders, trainers and judges must be part of the overall influence on the sport and the Forum is a unique opportunity for them to get together each year. Since its inception 12 years ago, the Forum has depended on the support and organisation of the Bartels family, and the facilities of Academy Bartels. This year, the initiative was taken to help them with this by creating a Foundation to guarantee the continuity of the Forum, to ensure that the high standards set by the Bartels would remain and that the Forum would be kept as HRH Princess Benedikte of Denmark a unique international umbrella for dressage. In Amsterdam this January I was delighted to be invited to become President of the Foundation, along with Board members Dr Wilfried Bechtolsheimer and Drs Joep Bartels. Together with the representatives of the Stakeholders, the Forum’s future is ensured and will continue to contribute in a major way to the sport of dressage. Thank you. Enjoy the Forum. 5 FEI DEVELOPMENTS Trond Asmyr As FEI Director of Dressage & Para- Equestrian Dressage, Richard suggested that I am a powerful man in dressage – I wouldn’t admit to that! First of all, congratulations on the formation of the Foundation which will ensure the future of this very important Forum for the dressage world. Last year, the FEI’s long term plans for Trond Asmyr dressage were presented and this year, following the usual pattern, more changes will be proposed to the forthcoming General Assembly, showing more clearly the direction within the FEI. These proposals are: Protective headgear, especially for riders under 18, and riders of any age in young horse classes; in fact these are already established. The rotation of judges at top level competitions so that judges can only judge a maximum of 3 years at one show, and then must take a break; this helps more judges to gain more experience at international level. This rule does not extend to national judging. Fly-hoods – this rule was particularly concerned with outside shows during the summer months, when insects can be a difficult problem for horses. It was never intended to be used for noise abatement and they will not be permitted at indoor shows. For two years, there have been many discussions about the ‘blood’ rule. The proposal is to make the decision of the judge at C binding; if the horse shows fresh blood, i.e. the horse is bleeding, then elimination is the result. We understand that this is not everyone’s view but it has the merit of being simple, easily understood, doesn’t upset the smooth running of the show and allays any possibility of public backlash at the sport. 6 No electronic devices, i.e. mobile phones or other communication devices, are allowed whilst judging; marking should be nothing other than the judge’s opinion, without any reference to anything or anyone outside the judge’s hut. If riders qualify for GP freestyle and GPS, it is mandatory that they should participate. London 2012 was a massive success; this was the most successful showcase ever for dressage. Para dressage was equally successful – 130,000 tickets were sold, which is a new record, and it ensures that dressage and para dressage will now be at the forefront of Olympic sports. In the FEI Sports Forum, scheduled for April 2013, dressage is now firmly on the agenda, which is wasn’t the case before London 2012. However, there have been subsequent reviews to improve the sport even further – regarding the qualification procedures, the format to include adjustment to the number of rest days in between competitions, and this has already been taken on board. Also, the original GP Special test will be reinstated from the end of 2012 – at last! Four years ago, there were serious challenges facing the quality of judging – did we want to go for quality or compromise? The JSP (Judges Supervisory Panel) has been tested and found to be very useful as a backup for mistakes missed in judging that can be adjusted in the scoring; it is not intended to be, and has never been, used to change a judge’s opinion. Quality has won out and thus now international judges have to judge a certain minimum number of tests and assessment discovers whether or not they are up to scratch – this could, in turn, mean that we might well lose approximately 20% of FEI judges; this is not the catastrophe that it might be because such judges don’t do 20% of the judging so it shouldn’t cause major problems. Scoring is still an emotive issue. Back in 1924 many judges spent over 3 days discussing the scoring of the Olympic dressage tests. However, we needed to move on. Now 7 judges have proved to be useful, especially in conjunction with the JSP. 7 PANEL SESSION Kyra Kyrklund; David Hunt; Trond Asmyr; Rowley Overs The IDTC & IDRC are not in total agreement about the blood rule but will abide by the FEI decision; the point was made that other equestrian disciplines should be in line with this ruling. Sport is played out in front of huge global audiences thus all sports must Trond Asmyr, David Hunt, Rowley Overs, bear in mind public perception, so simple and Kyra Kyrklund easy to understand are generally best. Riders, owners and trainers all share the responsibility. The JSP changed 59 marks in the GP in London and 26 marks in the Special (both up and down) – these were mistakes in the changes, in the pirouettes, hindlegs together in the pirouettes, rein back, number of piaffe steps. The JSP panel has two monitors, and can watch playbacks, so marks can be changed as necessary – this means that test are marked accurately and this supports both judges and riders. The JSP is there solely to ensure accuracy in judging – it is not there to alter judges’ opinions. A split second’s loss of focus or concentration, or just a difficulty of angle in viewing a movement, is enough to affect a mark. Associate membership of the FEI, which affects the IDTC and the IDRC, will stop next year but co-operation with the clubs will continue so they shouldn’t feel that they have been cut off at the knees. The FEI is looking for a wider and more representative selection. Perhaps this could have been brought in after due consultation between the FEI and the affected clubs, thus deferring the resolution and listening more to the dressage community so that a better way forward could be found.