a PDF - Western Dressage Association of America

The rise of
Photo courtesy CWDA
Western
Dressage
Sarah Pinney of Vista, who has ridden to
IAHAL national titles and FHANA world titles
in Western Pleasure, became hooked on
Western Dressage four years ago.
from horsetrader staff reports
A
s an Olympic year revs up
interest in Steffen Peters
and Legolas 92 as a U.S.
Gold Medal hope in dressage
this summer in Brazil, there
is another force revving up in
California, too, with a lower profile. Western Dressage.
Western trainers have long
been using dressage techniques
that enhance communication
with their horses, but since
2010, the Western Dressage
Association of America (WDAA)
has provided a structure and
consistency that that has
spawned growth. And, since the
California Western Dressage
Association (CAWDA) started in
2012, interest and participation
has grown widely here.
“Western Dressage kind of
mirrors the training levels that
a horse would go through in the
traditional English dressage,
but it takes those principles
and applies them to the western horse,” said Sandra Ogden,
current CAWDA Vice President.
“You progress through similar
type training levels, but the tests
themselves are designed for
the development of what would
make a good western horse—not
necessarily a good English horse."
Ogden has been with the
organization since its inception,
and growth has been like grass
under a leaky spigot. The number of CAWDA shows, where
participants can garner points
toward year-end high-point recognition, increased 50 percent
from 2014 to 2015, going from
44 to 66. At the CAWDA awards
banquet Jan. 31 in Pomona,
60 members, including some
who flew in from Northern
California, attended—30 more
than in 2014.
“There’s a lot of enthusiasm,
and participation is growing,”
said Ogden, who says the sport’s
mission of educating communication with the horse—in any
sport or discipline—has been a
drawing card.
Trainer and clinician
Jec Ballou first
became involved in
the sport six years
ago as an advisor
to the Western
Dressage Association
of America and has
enjoyed helping
it grow from
its grassroots
beginnings.
Jeff Kirkbride photo
Discipline has grown with the CAWDA
February 18, 2016
Jeff Kirkbride photo
12
Lena Stipkova from the Gibson Ranch in Shadow Hills took
her Rudy, a 10-year-old Mustang cross, to the 2015 CWDA
Overall High Point Open Championship, the Basic Level Open
Championship, and the First Level Open Championship.
“We have a lot of members who have come
from varied backgrounds,” said Ogden, a
self-described “horse junky” whose search
for dressage techniques to better train her
Quarter Horse led her to becoming involved
with the WDAA six years ago. “Some of our
trainers have used dressage techniques for
years on their horses as a training tool to
make them more supple, and now they have
a sport that they can go out and compete in.”
Ogden says CAWDA members may have
different horse histories, but all appreciate
the techniques as well as the structure provided by WDAA and its statewide affiliate.
“The WDAA works closely with USEF,
developing the tests, and in the last two
years, implementing a judges training program,” she said.
“Here in California, we promote the
educational part and the sport of Western
Dressage here,” added Ogden, whose association has a high-point program in place.
Another attraction to membership has
been the easy entry into the sport.
“People have the opportunity to go out and
compete with the horse that they have—they
don’t have to go out and buy a special horse
with special qualities to begin competing in
Western Dressage,” she said. “They can take
the horse that they’ve been riding down the
trail and doing other sports with, and continue doing those other things.
“I think the more we bring in our western
riders and get them comfortable with some
of the new terminology,” the sport will continue to grow,” she said. “Also, people will
see that we are not trying to take them away
from the western horse, we are trying to
enhance the western horse.”
More online: http://bit.ly/602B_WD
WHAT’s GREAT ABOUT WESTERN DRESSAGE?
Here’s what riders are saying
“Western Dressage reminds us all
that there is a very real need for
systematic and gradual training.
Each level is a reminder of how to
incrementally improve your horse
through correct training, bit by
bit...Shortcuts will not lead to longterm success. The structure and
progression of Western Dressage
makes this very obvious—and for
that reason, it teaches patience. This
is the biggest lesson I continue to
learn as I teach and train Western
Dressage.”
“Western Dressage has given me
the opportunity to stay true to my
principles of classical riding yet be
able to show. My horse stays quiet
and happy without the stress of high
pressure training. Western Dressage
has given my former reining horse
another lease on life.”
–Ann Marie Avansino
“Some people like classical music,
some like country-western—but
both are music. Dressage is a French
word most commonly translated
as “training”. Some prefer classical
–Kaili Graf
dressage and some western dressage
“Here in California, very few of us
but the end result should be the art
grew up on a working horse ranch
of riding and training a horse in a
with families that have successfully
manner that develops obedience,
raised and trained horses for
flexibility, and balance. Just because
generations, so having a tool like this you like classical music doesn’t
to help us master the skills need to
mean that country-western music
reach our goals is invaluable.”
is wrong. It’s just a preference. And
–Sarah Ogden
given the opportunity, that classical
person who loves the violin and cello
“Although my background is heavily
may find they enjoy the sound of the
influenced by my career in regular
guitar and fiddle. Western dressage
dressage I have ridden western
horses work just as diligently to
pleasure horses, competed in reining,
have the same rhythm in their gaits
reined cow horse, ranch sorting and
as a classical dressage horse. They
trail classes and challenges. I am
just happen to perform at a different
learning to ranch rope and also hope
tempo—not wrong, just different.”
to build my personal Quarter Horse
–Carol Tice
to compete in ranch pleasure and
possibly ranch trail. I think Western “In three years, I’ve seen a trust
Dressage is a great foundation for all building connectivity between my
of these sports, and practicing it daily horse and I. The horses love it. There’s
also now a light connection with the
only helps the foundation my horses
bit, better balance, and an amazing
have.”
–Nicole Chastain Price
level of communication.”
“Western Dressage is super fun and
challenging, and it can be a good fit
for some horses who may not fit the
traditional mold of a competitive
dressage horse, for a variety of
reasons.”
–Sarah Pinney
–Kathleen Elliott
“For me, Western Dressage is a great
avenue to confirm and solidify
softness and relaxation in your horse
before adding power/expressive
movements...
I have seen my students become more
focused and attentive to their horses’
movement and athleticism.”
–Jec Ballou