Germany's Isabell Werth, winner of the 2017 World Cup Finals, offers her expertise in a session from the Dressage Showcase presented during the World Cup event in Omaha, Nebraska. Isabell coaches three demo riders through the training and movements appropriate for a young horse headed for Grand Prix. She first works with a 5-year-old stallion, beginning by explaining that riders should look for a horse with three good gaits and no weaknesses in those gaits. They must have a good mind, a willingness to work and elasticity, as well as freedom in the shoulder. With this horse, they start in walk and she asks the rider to help the horse maintain the rhythm of the walk even through the corners. As they move to the trot, Isabell points out that swing is needed, and that each horse will need to be worked according to their age and level. She has them ride shoulder in on the long side, and take care when riding corners to use the inside leg to outside rein. After a few trot leg yields they work on the canter with an emphasis on keeping the jump. She has the rider use counter flexion to increase suppleness and add a few collected steps of canter on the circle. The session ends with a stretchy trot.
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2017 World Cup Dressage Showcase - Yo...
Next, Isabell works with a 7-year-old Hanoverian gelding on his way to Grand Prix. He immediately shows a long swinging trot and Isabell encourages the rider to work on quicker steps with flexion. As the rider develops this, they perform the trot half pass, and Isabell points out that as the hors...
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In Part 3 of this series, Isabell leads a session with an 8-year-old Hanoverian mare who shows further development toward Grand Prix. This mare shows more self carriage than the previous two horses, and Isabell points out that the rider needs to work to lower the mare's croup. She asks that they ...
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