For some reason, in 2006, things came to pass that have been in the making for quite a while but couldn’t quite come to fruition until now.

One of our most important steps as educators and promoters of dressage was to create the positions of coach for our developing riders and for our developing young horses. And the next good move was to appoint Debbie McDonald and Scott Hassler to fill those two positions. With such experienced and stellar personalities as Debbie and Scott working in symphony with our national coach, Klaus Balkenhol, we can reach much farther down in the training process than ever before.

Now, a rider with a capable 4- to 7-year-old will have a place to go for help and guidance. As soon as a horse looks promising for the FEI levels, he’ll be under the wing of one of the developing coaches. In the meantime, the national coach will be informed of all up-and-coming talent in riders and horses. A pipeline for progress has finally been created, and, although the coaches will certainly change over time, at last we have a system in place to monitor and channel our national dressage talent.

Some of that blossoming talent got headlines in August, when we hosted our second FEI Junior Championships. But the big difference this time was that it was combined with the North American Young Riders Championships, and all three disciplines were at the same venue at the Virginia Horse Center. Putting all of the youngsters together is a great concept, and I thoroughly enjoyed being one of the judges and taking part in their energy and enthusiasm.

At the FEI Dressage World Cup Finals last April, we had an opportunity to introduce to the European dressage world a new combination in the shape of Arlene (Tuny) Page and Wild One. I’ve mentioned before that I have a soft spot for this combination, so I was thrilled to watch them have a good qualifying go last winter in Wellington (Fla.), and even more pleased when they made it big in the Grand Prix at the Final. Although I was told that Wild One had some hiccups with his pirouettes in the freestyle, it was evident that with Tuny and Leslie Morse, on Tip Top, we sent two quality combinations to show at the Finals. As all competitors know, however, sometimes the magic works and sometimes it doesn’t.


A Matter Of Horseflesh
Even after a strong showing by our top combinations at June’s World Championship Selection Trials in Gladstone, N.J., we worried about our standing at the World Equestrian Games in August. That’s because, in comparison to the horseflesh available to the most competitive teams, we were wanting. Yes, we had nice horses made available by wonderful sponsors and owners, but they were either becoming older and shaky in the soundness department or were sort of green. But, as David O’Connor said in his speech at the USET Foundation cocktail party at the WEG, “Sometimes you have to ride the horse you have, not the one you wish you had.”

Well, the U.S. team riders took what they had, and they made their ponies shine! The riding they displayed was fabulous, and they all had their horses performing to capacity. So, at the greatest horse extravaganza ever presented, our team members earned a bronze medal that assured us our ticket to the 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong.

While elbowing your way through the crowd to get to your seat on freestyle night at the WEG, it was difficult to believe that the reason for the excitement among the crowd was dressage, not some soccer game or rock concert. That’s because, never before in my lifetime, has there been a horse festival of the dimensions of this one in Aachen, Germany. And, once again, I cannot help but point out that in my experience, the WEG by far outshines the Olympics as a pinnacle for horse sports. The Olympics tend to drown the horses among the other athletic activities, and, although I fully understand the commercial benefits and the status value of being part of the Olympic Games, I’ve never enjoyed the experience of being at any Olympics as much as being part of the WEG.

The WEG also becomes especially intense and thrilling when–as in Stockholm in 1990 and Aachen in 2006–you can literally walk from one discipline’s venue to another in just a few minutes.

Some events are better watched on TV, but the electricity in the air this time, especially on Sat-urday evening, was so strong you could have been shocked by it. You cannot get that feeling from the tube. Watching the event horses negotiate the difficult water obstacle made you hold your breath through the entire combination, and the vaulting and reining and jumping was within easy reach, like a wonderful equestrian smorgasbord for us to gorge ourselves or to pick and choose.


Panic Attack
As perfect as Aachen was, we did have a serious incident during the Grand Prix awards ceremony, where the team awards were presented. A huge marching band was playing at one end of the arena, and the horses had to pass by it on their way out. The Dutch horses had been walking around on the far side, away from the band, while their riders received their medals. As they started the victory gallop, the band struck up and completely surprised Salinero, who panicked and bolted. I happened to be standing right in front of him as he headed for home, almost shaved off an official, and then ran headlong toward the gate.

Anky van Grunsven was screaming in fear, and so, unfortunately, was the audience. Luckily, the mounted honor guard, assembled at the in-gate, quickly grasped the problem and lined up in front of the gate to form a barrier. Salinero skidded to a stop, giving Anky an opportunity to bail out.

It all ended well, but that was far from the first time accidents have loomed large during the awards. You may argue that a dressage horse should, by definition, be disciplined and trusting enough to tolerate boisterous award ceremonies, but that theory doesn’t cut the mustard. There’s a kind of excitement that fills the air in a victory gallop and speaks to the herd instinct of a horse, and when you add to that loud music and clapping, the electricity can easily turn into fear. A frightened horse is a dangerous vehicle, and the animal instinct to flee is a lot stronger than the wish to be obedient.

Remember that Rembrandt, Nicole Uphoff’s two-time Olympic gold medalist, was kicked in an awards ceremony and laid up with a fractured leg for a year. Monsieur, my friend and colleague Charlotte Bredahl’s famously consistent Olympic partner, checked out mentally as soon as somebody whispered awards, and several of the pictures of Charlotte in the winning line-up in Europe show her on my horse Metallic, who happened to love being in awards ceremonies.

I fully understand that spectators enjoy seeing the winners take their lap of honor, but I also know that you cannot guarantee the safety of anyone around you if you lose control. It’s not only about safety, although that’s a huge concern, but also about time, money and emotion invested in those fragile show horses. One hoof planted in the wrong place, and no more horse!


Opportunities
In the beginning of November, Hilltop Farm and Harmony Sporthorses sponsored a second young-horse training seminar at Hilltop Farm in Maryland for close to 60 participants selected from all over the United States. Scott Hassler, Ingo Pape and I worked intensely with them for three full days and loved every minute of it!

In a friendly and open atmosphere, we worked through training the horse from the very beginning through the FEI’s 6-year-old tests. The discussions went on through dinner, airing many subjects of interest to the young professionals as we shared a lot of information. The collection of trainers who took part belong to a pioneering group, much as some of us in the “first generation” did as we tried to popularize dressage in this country years ago.

The United States has never had a professional core primarily involved with the breaking and training of young stock, but luckily for both young horses and inexperienced owners, that problem is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

In Orlando, Fla., there were two events worth noting, especially for breeders who are looking for a place to showcase their products and sell their youngsters. Highlife Farms hosted two breeding and sport horse auctions in 2006, in the spring and in the fall. Joan Sims, who with her husband owns Highlife Farms, has put a considerable amount of time, money and effort into the planning and execution of these events, which I believe can usher in the beginning of a new era in horse sales.

Sport horse auctions have never really taken off in the United States, although they enjoy enormous popularity and prestige in Europe. Some people have made isolated attempts to run good-quality auctions here, but mostly on the West Coast. What we need is a permanent place and consistent management to escape the negative stigma of any kind of horse auctions and to gain the respect and attendance of our European counterparts.

The Highlife facility has all the necessary ambiance and space, the staff is capable and enthusiastic, and the owners are breeders with a passion for producing quality horses and a desire to offer a good place to market them. They’ve scheduled at least one auction for 2007, and breeders, sellers and prospective buyers ought to keep their eyes peeled for the Highlife information.

Another worthwhile event that’s coming up again this year, in Wellington, Fla., in the early spring, is the Cadillac Challenge of the Americas. Last year was my first experience with this fabulous fundraiser for breast cancer research. It was a feast of dressage without restrictions, offering three superb and imaginative Grand Prix quadrilles, plus several pas de deux, which included, as one of the riders, our national coach, Klaus Balkenhol. The costumes brought out the inner child in all of us, and even the horses were painted and decorated. It’s already a wildly popular event, and if you have an opportunity, don’t miss seeing our top riders putting on the Ritz while doing a lot of good!

The FEI World Cup Finals will return to Las Vegas in April, and since it’s the only international event of importance to us this year, other than the Pan Am Games, we can expect the competition to be intense. Steffen Peters, George Williams and Guenter Seidel are all sporting new mounts, and we may see the stallion Lingh, our favorite from Las Vegas 2005, competing in the qualifiers with his new owner, Carol Offield, under the U.S. flag.

As far as I can tell, there isn’t anybody in the United States who has a Prix St. Georges horse who is not trying out for the Pan Am Games, so we can expect a strong team for the competition in Brazil.

All in all, if 2007 is half as productive as the year past, we will be in good shape.


Rollkur–And More
Early in the year, the F�d�ration Equestre Internationale hosted a workshop in the aftermath of the “rollkur” controversy. The speakers presented all sides of the argument and to some degree put to rest the worry about permanent damage to the horse’s physique by using this training method.

But the discussion goes on in respect to the psychological effects of the “learned helplessness” that results when a horse just gives in to repeated long sessions of being “hyperflexed,” as FEI officials prefer to call the technique these days.

The fact remains that any training method that renders a horse brain-dead or unsound is wrong, but that the problem may not necessarily be in the prescribed recipe for training, but in how it’s administered.

Any unskilled rider who tries to copy an Anky van Grunsven or Isabell Werth is going to have an unhappy horse, not because the method is incorrect, but because they’re lacking the skill and the experience needed to succeed with this technique. But such a rider can make a horse miserable following any school of equitation!

I suspect we haven’t seen the end of this conflict yet, but the debate is calming down and starting to make some sense. In a way the discussion has cleared the air, and it may have helped some horses to a better lifestyle by educating riders.

Things are changing elsewhere on the FEI scene too, I’m glad to say. A new president, HRH Princess Haya of Jordan, was elected in April, and she was very much in evidence at the World Equestrian Games in Germany, giving the opening speech and handing out awards.

The princess is young, a past Olympic show jumping rider, and she obviously likes to be involved in the various aspects of our sports. She looks like a fresh breath of air to me!

And I’m especially pleased to say that the FEI has awarded to U.S. dressage two new O-rated (Official) judges, Gary Rockwell and me. I hope that will mean that we’ll have an increased representation of U.S. judges in future international events and championships.

Anne Gribbons