Cowboy Dressage. Jessica Black
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the precision of rider cues. There will be times when the trainer needs to be determined to establish her alpha status with a sharp word or touch of the whip. But no-one, horse or person, learns effectively when the teaching method relies on pain or punishment. Thus the central tenet of Cowboy Dressage: Be kind to your horse (fig. 2.5).
2.5 – Jessi Morrill pets her horse To the Maxx at a Cowboy Dressage show. Kindness is rewarded directly in Cowboy Dressage competition through points awarded for Soft Feel, Harmony, and Partnership.
Similarly, the emphasis on negotiating a relationship that pervades today’s culture (one negotiates with children, spouse, pets…) is reflected in the give-and-take with the horse in Cowboy Dressage. We know that the best way to get results is not to demand, but to negotiate. The relationship between horse and rider is a partnership; the rider, in training her horse to listen, must listen even more carefully to her horse. This sensitivity to the needs of the horse is part of Soft Feel, the guiding principle of Cowboy Dressage. The constant communication between horse and rider is the foundation for training in the Cowboy Dressage fashion.
Partnership
The Cowboy Dressage methods that go into making a horse your partner (discussed in chapters 5 and 6) are very important. Soft Feel and the seemingly effortless communication that it facilitates are essential to both partnership and method. The relationship between rider and horse is the focus of the Cowboy Dressage method and all of its offshoots that are so successfully spreading the message. Just as important, however, is the way we talk about that relationship, and how it extends to the greater Cowboy Dressage community. The rapport amongst those within the Cowboy Dressage world who seek to progress by learning from and teaching other people is as vital as that between horse and rider.
The relationship between horse and rider is reflected in their constant communication. This communication is often explained in terms of “contact.” The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) defines contact as “The reins are stretched so that they form a straight line, not a loop” (fig. 2.6). “Correct contact” or “acceptance of contact” is determined by the elasticity of the connection between horse and rider. In Cowboy Dressage, contact refers primarily to the connection between horse and rider. Contact may happen through the reins (these may not necessarily be in a straight line), but it also happens everywhere else that the rider communicates with the horse. All contact should be light, whether through the reins, legs, seat, or even voice.
2.6 – Cowboy Dressage asks the rider to maintain light contact with the horse at all times. It is important to remember that this refers not only to the reins, but to all points of contact with the horse. Legs, seat, and hands (through the reins) must all maintain light contact, thus ensuring a constant connection between horse and rider.
Much of the imagery that has become associated with Cowboy Dressage reflects a certain nostalgia for the days when we depended on horses for more than entertainment, or “the good ol’ days” as the Cowboy Dressage website states. It has formed naturally from the reliance on Western tack and from the grass roots nature of the Cowboy Dressage organization. Even the competitions emphasize partnership and community, so much so that they are increasingly labeled “Cowboy Dressage Gathering and Show.”
Whereas Western Dressage has provided an outlet through an association that allows for the rules and regulations needed to perform in the larger breed shows, Cowboy Dressage has coalesced around people who pursue informal goals, doing the most they can with whatever horse (or mule, or pony) they have, perhaps in their backyard, perhaps with a trainer.
There is no official association or fees, but in response to the need for some form of recognized membership, the movers and shakers behind Cowboy Dressage have created an informal membership agreement, based on “the Handshake.” Part of the appeal of Cowboy Dressage is that it allows people to extend the feeling of partnership that they are fostering with their horses to others who are pursuing similar riding goals: kindness, the Soft Feel of complete communication, and a relaxed atmosphere in which to learn. The Handshake is emblematic of the Cowboy Dressage community and partnership.
THE COWBOY DRESSAGE HANDSHAKE
With our handshake and our word, we promise to:
Continue to educate and teach as much as possible in all formats.
Keep Cowboy Dressage simple and uncomplicated.
Provide tests, rules, and information to everyone who wishes to show.
Support and educate individuals outside the show ring who want to learn and improve as horsemen and horsewomen.
Strive to maintain Cowboy Dressage as a grassroots, community-focused movement.
Ensure Cowboy Dressage is accessible to everyone regardless of his or her income or status within the horse world.
Make this a place where all people can hang their hat and be proud, whether they show, trail ride, barrel race, cut, rein, or just love horses.
Most of all, we promise to look for the “try” in you, the Cowboy Dressage world members.2.7 – Eitan and Debbie Beth-Halachmy share the Cowboy Dressage Handshake.
With your handshake and your word, you pledge to “try” to:
Become the person others can trust with a handshake and your word.
Exemplify the Cowboy Dressage way of life and find the courage to chase your dreams.
Not allow defeat when faced with setbacks in your life and your horsemanship.
Treat all horses and people with integrity and kindness.
Look for “the try” in your horses and always reward them.
Look for “the try” in people as you travel down your horsemanship path.
With your handshake and word, you become a member of the Cowboy Dressage World.
The Importance of Words
Part of capturing the Zeitgeist and interpreting it involves using the right words to communicate the method and philosophy of Cowboy Dressage. Soft Feel, lightness, kindness, partnerships—we know what they mean, and yet struggle to define them. Talking with Eitan can turn into a debate on what these key terms mean. Take lightness: “What do you mean, light?” Eitan retorted when I answered his question as to what I wanted in a saddle horse.
“Light in the bridle! Quick to respond to my cues…Responsive? Self-carriage…wears the bridle well!” I struggled.
Then there are the words that sound rough: bumping, lugging, pulling. “Bump him up!” you may hear your trainer say when your horse falls behind the bit. Yet, you want to be as soft and light as possible to ensure a responsive horse. Too much “bumping” with your legs will deaden his sides; too much picking up with your hands will deaden his mouth. Assuming that riders will understand that “bump” means gently squeeze and release is an error that can have disastrous consequences for the horse-human relationship. It takes careful use of language to get the message across in words that all riders will interpret the same (correct) way.
Much of being a trainer of horses means being a trainer of humans. Nowadays, Eitan spends his time directly teaching people ways to improve their relationship with their horses. Even before, when he was training horses, he had to work through their owners, as all trainers do. The words a trainer uses determine attitudes; he cannot be with the horse and his rider at all times, but his words can follow them home. “You need to think about words,” Eitan insists. You do not need fancy words, though; it is about conveying