Nearly one hundred auditors joined eight lucky riders at Tomora Training Center in Greeley on February 23-24, 2013 for two educational days with master instructor and USDF president George Williams.  The underlying theme of the symposium, which featured horses working at every level from Training through Grand Prix, was the classic training scale.  

After a brief lecture at the beginning of the morning on Saturday which reviewed the whole training pyramid, George proceeded throughout the rest of the weekend to remind both the audience and the riders alike that each element - rhythm, relaxation, contact, impulsion, straightness and collection - must be maintained as consistently as possible throughout the horse's training up the levels.  While the foundation of the training scale -- rhythm, relaxation and contact --provide the focus at the beginning, these qualities must not be lost as the horse develops impulsion, straightness and collection. 

Rhythm, as George explained, can be thought of in terms of consistent energy in a tempo appropriate to the horse's age and stage of training.  Relaxation refers to a looseness or suppleness throughout the whole body, without any tension acting as a dam to forward movement, so that the rider's aids can surround the horse like a web.  Contact, also known as connection, means the horse is accepting of the rider's aids, moving forward to the bit.  Impulsion, or thoroughness, means that power from the hind legs flows through the horse's body to the rider's hand.  With impulsion, the horse's back can swing, the rider can adjust the stride, articulation of the joints of the hind leg while in the air can be increased, while at the same time the ability to carry weight behind is improved, resulting in both greater engagement and more thrust.  Straightness, George explained, requires both longitudinal and lateral balance.  The hind leg must be tracking under the horse, so that both hind legs are brought closer together, narrowing the base of support in order to provide more push, similar to a diver or a gymnast.  Finally, George reminded everyone, as the rider requests more collection, her seat must be straight and balanced.  Of course, the straighter and more balanced the horse, the easier it is for the rider but she must never compromise her position.  Ride every stride, making sure the training scale is always in place. 

George concluded his introductory remarks with some thoughts on everyday training: allow the horse to have a proper warm-up, with plenty of time at walk to loosen up, stretch and gymnasticize all the joints and muscles.  Maintain the horse's balance; being out of balance creates both physical and mental tension for the horse.  Take frequent breaks to allow the horse to recuperate and remain relaxed; relaxed muscles build strength.  Vary the exercises from day-to-day, so that different muscle groups are used.  Finally, do not neglect the cool down, again with plenty of time at walk to stretch.  In sum, look out for the horse's best interests, so that he enjoys his work. 

With that, we were ready for the horses and riders.  These included Ashley Eberhardt and her Andalusian mare Mango, working at Training/1st Level, Whitney Haugen and her Morgan mare Tiara, also at Training/1st Level, Gigi Brittain and her Friesian gelding Fritz, at 2nd Level, Julie Haugen and her Morgan stallion Alex, at 2nd/3rd Level, Nicole Roach-Reinsvold and her Dutch gelding Vesper at 3rd Level, Kathy Simard and Wild, a Lippizan gelding, at 4th/PSG, Jennifer Kirch and Paladin, a Dutch gelding, at PSG/I1 and Jessica Greer and Navarro, a Dutch gelding, at Grand Prix.  

George's approach with each pair was very similar.  First he watched them warm-up at all three gaits without comment, then he praised them for the things they were doing well before quickly zeroing in on whatever weakness might be impeding their ability to maintain the fundamentals of the training scale.  In one case, the horse was not sufficiently in front of the aids, relaxed and accepting.  The aids themselves, George explained, should relax the horse and give him confidence.  This includes the whip, which he helped the rider learn to use more effectively.  In another case, the focus was on establishing and maintaining rhythm, making sure the horse was balanced, working over his back, with the energy going from the rider's hand to the horse's mouth, not the reverse.  Another horse needed work on the half-halt, which involved numerous transitions, always with the aim of keeping the horse relaxed, supple and obedient.  With a more nervous horse, George emphasized seeking steadiness, consistency and regularity, pointing out that rhythm and tempo are integral to achieving relaxation.  If the rider can keep the horse's body relaxed, he explained, she can then reach his mind. Although the skill level of the horses increased throughout the day, the message remained much the same.  For those working on tempi changes and canter pirouettes, the emphasis was still on maintaining rhythm, suppleness and balance.  Each exercise George introduced was designed to address a specific issue, while at the same time seeking to establish the universal values of the training scale.  Exercises should be repeated three times, according to George, the first time to introduce it, the second time to execute it and the third time to confirm it.  If the horse becomes hurried, unbalanced, or tense, the rider must immediately re-establish the fundamentals. 

Although the snow-storm significantly reduced auditor attendance on day two, work in the arena for horses and riders continued from the day before, with Natalie Ellis and Victor replacing Gigi Brittain and Fritz.  George began by discussing turn-on-the-forehand and leg-yielding exercises as a means of helping the less-than-perfect horse to become straighter, more coordinated and more responsive to the rider's leg.  Then, with each horse-and-rider pair, he built on what had been accomplished the day before, adding new exercises aimed at accomplishing the same goal of maintaining the consistency of the training scale.  As George noted, what might work for one horse on one day might not necessarily be the right solution for a different horse, or for the same horse on a different day; the rider must remain flexible and solve problems creatively.  As for those riding in the symposium, in each case the end result represented significant improvement, as by the end of the second day the horses all became looser, more balanced, more obedient and more successful in their work.

Many auditors left with stacks of notes, diagrams and helpful hints.  No doubt the riders all went home and wrote down copious details about everything they learned.  The amount of valuable information imparted defies summary in a brief article.  Suffice it to say that George Williams brought a new level of understanding of the training scale to every member of the RMDS community lucky enough to benefit from this superb symposium.

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