2003 North American Dressage Trainers Club Symposium

Deleon Springs, Florida

On January 4 and 5, 2003 the North American Dressage Trainers Club held a symposium for FEI level trainers, judges and riders. The distinguished speakers included FEI "O" judge and trainer Dr. Volker Moritz, FEI "O" judge and Chairwoman of the FEI Dressage Committee, Mariette Withages and FEI Trainer and coach of the Spanish Dressage Team, Reitmeister Jean Bemelamns. The Dressage Center, for Olympian Michael Poulin, at Deleon Springs, Florida hosted this event.

This was a unique symposium, truly a first in terms of the discussions involved and the material that was presented. The discussions provided participants an opportunity to get critical information about tests, rules, freestyle requirements (as well as faux pas), FEI Young Horse Tests and the training of dressage horses. Never before has a symposium of such magnitude been attempted in the USA. Participants experienced a positive atmosphere, which was conducive to discussion and learning. The result was a resounding success.

Dr. Moritz began the discussions speaking about basic training of the dressage horse. He highlighted the "Scale of Training", meaning Rhythm, Suppleness, Contact, Impulsion, Straightening and Collection. All dressage training, from the Olympic level to training level can be deliberated in terms of this scale. Understanding these principles and their relationship to the horse's development is a vital key to happy and successful training.