I just returned from the World Championships For Young Dressage Horses in Verden, Germany, (see Aug. 24, p. 44) where I coached our U.S. representatives.

Some people criticize young horse training, the young horse championships and the whole young horse
program. That’s unfortunate.

You often hear that the young horse championship is just a stallion show, with overly impressive horses that rely on presence. In addition, you hear about all of the big-name riders who are famous for riding the young horses, and they always win. And you hear how this championship is like “auction riding,” where the horses are ridden really, really forward.

People often question whether these are going to be the international horses for the future.

This year was refreshingly positive. The World Championships For Young Dressage Horses was not a stallion show—there were mares at the top. In fact, a mare won the gold medal in the 5-year-old division, and a gelding won the gold medal in the 6-year-old division.

We did not see as many stallions this year; instead, we saw riding horses.

We also saw well-known master trainers from the Fédération Equestre Internationale ring riding young horses. The whole program is growing worldwide in enthusiasm and importance.

This year the judges rewarded quality training and horses in self-carriage; they emphasized pieces of the test that showed stretching, reinback, submission and light aids. They didn’t reward over-powered gaits.

There was such a nice group of 5- and 6-year-olds that you really saw the whole quality level getting better and better every single year.

Some of the famous young horse riders didn’t place as well this year. Certainly these young horse riding masters are incredibly talented and are masters at presenting young horses, but it’s nice to see other young horses, which are doing well, come into the ring and be rewarded. You could see these horses definitely advancing up the levels in future years.

For a horseman, to have a horse in this championship is a dream come true, whether as a breeder, owner or as a rider. I highly recommend that if you’ve not been to such a prestigious event as the Bundeschampionate in Germany, the Pavo Cup in the Netherlands, or these young horse championships in Germany, and if you want to achieve the best result, you must first see it in person.

And having seen and experienced this championship, you’ll have a better understanding of the top tier and can develop your own goals accordingly—whatever you’re aiming toward. It’s just not the same to see these events on a video or in print.

Sometimes we get caught in our own little circle. We’re evaluating our horses, our program, where we’re going for training, and how we’re meeting these goals, but we have never actually seen and experienced the final picture in person. You have to feel the event, get caught up in it and be a part of the total process to fully appreciate the apex of the sport.

The depth of quality, the number of horses at the event, the caliber of horse/rider combinations, the presentations (so beautiful to watch), and walking the showgrounds and vendor areas all offer inspiration. 

I’m definitely an advocate for U.S. breeding programs and young horse training in America, but let’s be realistic and give credit where credit is due—the depth in Europe and the quality of horses in Europe is still ahead of where we are.

This isn’t to say that we’re not closing the gap, but we have to be honest with ourselves and realize that to improve we have to look at the highest standard, accept that it’s the highest standard and become familiar with it. Going to one of these championships and experiencing it is absolutely the only way to open this horizon.

Each year, Verden is becoming more and more successful—the number of people attending grows along with the various nations sending horses. (More than 40,000 spectators attended this year.) When you attend Verden or the young horse championships at whatever location they may be, you see how far we have to go. It’s most inspiring to see the numbers of quality young horses—and, likewise, the high quality of training they receive—in Europe.

We still have to go through these developmental phases in the United States before the depth and quality of our young horses increases to match those in Europe. In addition, we need more young horse enthusiasts who are behind our young horse training programs, whether it’s the breeder, the owner or the rider.

We’re getting closer, and the more we can engage people to view these events first-hand means the faster our programs and resources in this country will grow. This process really starts, of course, with breeding, but once we start riding the horses it continues with young horse training. We’re taking these steps and going in the right direction; we just need to keep accelerating it and keep getting more people involved.

Scott Hassler, the National Young Horse Dressage Coach, resides in Chesapeake City, Md., and has trained many horses to Grand Prix. The U.S. Dressage Federation Sport Horse Committee chairman since 2001, he helped establish the sport/breeding record-keeping system now active in the USDF and U.S. Equestrian Federation. He began writing Between Rounds Columns in 2005.

Scott Hassler