Animals in the Olympics – Advocacy for Animals Tweet by Lorraine Murray In just over a week, the 2012 Summer Olympic Games will begin in London, England, with the opening ceremony taking place on July 27. A Hanoverian cantering during a dressage test--© Karl Leck/USESA Controversy erupted in mid-June of this year when the show’s artistic director, film and theater director Danny Boyle, presented his plans for the ceremony and revealed that they involved re-creating a rural English setting for the audience of 80,000 (as well as the billion people expected to watch on television around the world). The plan was complete with thousands of people and real farm animals, including 12 horses, 10 chickens, 10 ducks, 2 goats, 3 cows, and 70 sheep. The pastoral part of his theme also involves real grass and soil, plows, and a cricket team, as well as, he claimed, clouds hanging above the stadium that could provide rain. Beyond that will be the flashing, noisy, bright high-tech displays that Olympic audiences have come to expect, including fireworks. The ceremony would begin with ringing of an enormous clanging bell.

People involved in animal rights and animal welfare were immediately concerned about the animals. Ingrid Newkirk, the president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, wrote Boyle a letter describing the risks of stressing, injuring, and traumatizing the animals: “There are inevitably serious problems involved when it comes to using live animals in productions, and I don’t mean just aesthetically, with animals falling ill, defecating, urinating and so on. “Animals become stressed and anxious when they are forced into unfamiliar or frightening situations, and stage sets—with their bright lights, heavy equipment and noisy crowds—are obviously traumatic environments for them. “Then there is the transport to and from the venue, which also proves stressful as animals do not understand what is happening. “And as for fireworks, clearly they frighten the bejesus out of animals.

By contrast, the use of stunningly clever animatronics would create a show of Olympic proportions—without harming any living beings.” She went on, “Should you opt to use real animals—and we hope you do not—please do as the producer of Babe did and ‘pay them their wages’ by making sure that they are retired to an animal sanctuary after the performance, rather than being sent back to farms and ultimately slaughtered. Your intent is to recreate our ‘green and pleasant land’ but real animals are not necessary to achieve this aspiration and, in fact, detract from it.” Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle--Jason Merritt/Getty Images Indeed, it’s very disappointing to see that, yet again, animals are being impressed into serving human plans as though they were much less than what they are—as if they were window-dressing, loved for certain qualities but not others, appreciated for what they look like and what they mean to humans, without any meaningful concern for their right not to be involved in things that are not to their benefit or may actively harm them. Boyle seems sincere in his appreciation for the animals of the traditional English farm, but it’s a shallow appreciation.

It seems unlikely that any real farmer would allow his or her animals to be paraded around before a roaring crowd of spectators for the sake of calling up sentimental nostalgia for the England of memory. Boyle wants to use the animals as part of a “let’s pretend,” but, unfortunately, these animals are real, not actors like the human volunteers in the ceremony, and not a stage set or lighting effect. Animals in Olympic history Animals have actually been involved in the Olympic Games, ancient and modern, since earliest times—both for better and for worse. The ancient Olympics were athletic competitions held in various city-states in the western Pelopponese (in Greece) between 776 BCE and the 4th century CE to honor the Olympian gods. At first, the only event was a stadium-long foot race, but other sports, including chariot races and horse racing were later added. The chariot competition began in 680 BCE, and, according to Olympic historians, was the Games’ most exciting and spectacular sport. During the religious festival of which the ancient Olympics were a part, animal sacrifice was a component of the ceremonies.

On the third day, 100 oxen were sacrificed before an altar; their butchered thighs were placed on top and burned to please Zeus, and the rest of the meat was distributed to the spectators and eaten. In the early days of the modern Olympic Games, which were revived by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in 1896 (although several Greek Olympics were held from the 1870s), animals were equally unlucky. The decided low point was the introduction of pigeon shooting as an event. Pigeon shooting was a “sport” at the 1900 Olympics. The goal of the competition was to kill as many live pigeons as possible. In all, 300 birds were killed, and the winner was awarded 20,000 francs. According to the website Top End Sports (see reference below), “The birds were released in front of a participant and the winner was the competitor who shot down the most birds from the sky. The participant was eliminated once they missed two birds. Nearly 300 birds were killed.

The event turned out to be quite messy in the end with dead or injured birds on the ground and blood and feathers all over the place.” Belgium’s Leon de Lunden took the gold with 21 kills; the silver and bronze medalists killed 20 and 18, respectively. That was the event’s sole appearance in Olympic history. Eight years later, a similar-sounding event—running deer shooting—was introduced at the London Summer Games. It sounds gruesome, but the targets were actually cardboard cut-outs of deer with bull’s-eyes painted on them. The “deer” moved quickly (75 feet in 4 seconds) past the shooters, who stood 110 yards back and took their allotted two shots at each of them. Although a glorification of animal-hunting skills, at least it did not entail the killing of actual animals. In all, deer-shooting events took place in three Olympics. Horses in the Olympics By far, it is the equestrian sports that have the longest history in the modern Olympic Games, although the number and type of events has varied over the years. They made their first appearance at the 1900 Games (Paris).

The five equestrian events during that Olympiad included various jumping events, “Hacks and hunters,” and something called “Mail coach,” a four-in-hand event. Horses did not return until the 1912 Games, but equestrian competition has been on the program ever since. Figure riding—team and individual—made its sole appearance in the 1920 Games. Figure riding is part of equestrian training that is similar, in a way, to the once-compulsory figures in Olympic figure skating. In figure riding, rider and horse perform basic movements, such as circles, that demonstrate training, control, and moving as a team. Until 1948 only men were allowed to compete in equestrian events, because participants were required to be military officers. Since 1964, all events have been mixed; that is, there are not separate men’s and women’s events. The events are dressage (extremely difficult, sometimes dance-like, movement), eventing (cross-country), and jumping. All three events have team and individual competitions, for a total of six. Professionals were first permitted to compete in 1988.

According to Olympic historians , in the early days of equestrian sports in the Olympics, “Jumping was dominated by the military, but with the mechanisation of the army over the years, civilians became more and more prevalent. The decline of the military teams also paved the way for women, who made their first Olympic appearance in jumping at the 1956 Games in Stockholm, and today are as often if not more on the top spot of the podium.” The 1956 Olympic Games were held in Melbourne, Australia, but that country’s strict quarantine regulations kept foreign horse competitors out of the country. For this reason, equestrian events were held in a separate hemisphere: in Stockholm, Sweden. The equestrian competitions actually took place months before the others—during the summer (in June), according to the usual Olympic schedule. But, because of the reversal of seasons in the Southern Hemisphere, the Australia-hosted Games took place in November and December. Thus, there were two Olympic torches lit—one for the human-only events in Australia and the other for the horsey events on the other side of the world.

Dressage events are also a part of the Paralympics , the championship games for athletes with disabilities that are held in Olympic years in the Olympic host cities, using the same facilities. (This year they will take place August 29–September 9.) Olympic animal mascots A word about another way in which animals appear at the Olympics, in a manner of speaking: Animal mascots. Spectators at the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games creating an image of the Games' mascot, Misha the bear.--AFP/Getty Images According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica , “The organizers of the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, devised as an emblem of their Games a cartoonlike figure of a skiing man and called him Schuss. The 1972 Games in Munich, West Germany, adopted the idea and produced the first ‘official mascot’, a dachshund named Waldi who appeared on related publications and memorabilia. Since then each edition of the Olympic Games has had its own distinctive mascot, sometimes more than one. Typically the mascot is derived from characters or animals especially associated with the host country.

Thus, Moscow chose a bear, Norway two figures from Norwegian mythology, and Sydney three animals native to Australia.” The 2012 Olympics Back to this year’s Olympics, and the opening ceremony. Unfortunately, although Danny Boyle listened to the animal-welfare concerns expressed by PETA and responded respectfully, he did not alter his plans to keep the animals out of the show. Instead, he attempted to assuage concerns by assuring Newkirk and the public that the animals would only take part in the ceremony during daylight hours and would be taken away “before any large effects or noisy sequences take place.” He also responded that he had not previously considered the animals’ fates after their Olympic appearance, but that he would now “vigorously” look into having them retire to sanctuaries rather than going to slaughter. Not a promise to do so, but a promise to investigate the option. It’s something. It’s not a lot, though. We’ll hope that Boyle was speaking in good faith, and that he will make sure that the animals he’s used go to shelters and sanctuaries.

And as for the rest of it—the farm animals suddenly plunked down in a huge stadium in London before tens of thousands of people, made to mill about in an imitation of a traditional village and appear to be innocently enjoying the nonexistent peace and quiet, as though they were insentient props—well, fingers, hooves, and paws crossed for them. To Learn More Dressage Horse Abuse "Modern" Dressage = Horse Abuse (Abuse) The relevant definitions of the word abuse are as follows, lest the reader finds excuses to justify these abusive actions. Verb: abuse. 2. Change the inherent purpose or function of something. 3. Use wrongly, improperly or excessively. Noun: abuse. 1. Cruel or inhumane treatment. 2. Improper or excessive use. Dressage today must be one of the most contradictory and confused riding styles of any age. It looks like some witch-brew and mixture of modern theories of amateurs, combined with various old and out-of-date training /riding values.

First and foremost, the old (classical as the greenhorns call it these days) dressage, as well as the more modernized style of the campagne style based dressage, were to some point intended for the use in the military of its age (outside the parade presentations of horses). Just in case you havenï¿½t noticed, there is no longer any use for the "so-called" warhorses! So, the question is simple: "What are we doing when we ride dressage these days and what is it about? " Well folks, you may get many answers from the dressage participant and if you are open-minded you will see that their justifications are as corrupt and confused as the entire dressage society is in this day and age. Why? Well, it is so simple that even a little kid would see the answer.

Once, when my family and I were watching the Olympic Games dressage competition, one of my children (then four years old) asked me with her innocence: "Daddy, why do the riders look so stiff and grouchy?" (Imagine that, a little four-year-old child who knows nothing about horses and riding can see the obvious absurdity of these ridersï¿½ actions, which their presence reflects. Some folks said in defense of this observation that the riders are not grouchy but rather are concentrating, and yet they compare dressage to a dance. Just how bad must a dancer be to have to concentrate on where his feet are?) I told my kids that they look the way they do because ï¿½they, as well as their hearts, are hard as stones.ï¿½ One would think that this may be a cruel statement, but here is a simple enlightened response to that. The dressage folks preach a freedom of movement and a willingness to work on the part of the horse.

Well, if thatï¿½s so, why do they need all the severe aids like curb bits (also called leverage or lever bits) with brutal chin chains that immensely increase the pressure on the horse's mouth, and why do they need spurs for a willing and refined horse? (Some of the fools say in defense of this, "because the horses are more refined". Can this get any dumber than that, they don't even know why the severe aids were mandatory in former dressage !) In the time of battle these severe aids may have served their purpose, but in riding for pleasure and entertainment it is downright absurd. On top of this, the widespread theory that one has to drive (push) his horse forward (the one that is supposed be willing to do so) just puts the icing on the cake. We cannot preserve the warhorse type of training, since the warhorse is made by battle and not by training alone, not to mention that we no longer have the use for any warhorses. Comparing the dressage horse today to a warhorse of yesterday is like saying that one is a good soldier without being "christened" by a battle. The battle makes soldiers as well as warhorses.

What we have in dressage today are mostly people who are looking for fame, money and an easy ride. The whole sport of dressage is so corrupt that in today's world it is nothing else but a parody of what it once was , literally a circus, therefore the dressage riders are nothing more but comedians entertaining the clueless public. A horse in a nice frame, good flex at the poll , note the head is not on the vertical position, and thereï¿½s much more freedom in movement (see shoulder) which can be seen in the _expression of the horse alone. Unfortunately this type of movement is not as frequently seen as the one below. (The comparison of the above with the below is about the horse and not about the seat of the rider. See more about the seat here ) Inappropriate and very common frame of a dressage horse with exaggerated lower foreleg extension and with the head past the vertical. Horses like this should be disqualified from any level of dressage competition because the head past the vertical demonstrates bit refusal . The movement is cramped up and such horses will often go lame because of it. It is hard to believe that such things can be seen in the dressage ring.

I've seen little kids riding their ponies in better riding balance than this. The irony of this is that a horse like this will come out of the ring with some score, instead of being disqualified for such a downright brutal display of abuse. Another example of the abuse of horses in the hands of "dressage" people is that they started so many levels for the greenhorn rider and relatively green horses, completely forgetting that these young and green horses are incapable of working in such confined areas as the dressage ring. On one hand they say that a ten-meter circle is for the more advanced horse, while at the same time they ask the young, green horse, who is not collected at all, to ride out the corners (part of 6 m circle) of the relatively small dressage ring. Just how stupid and contradictory is that? Most of all, however, they are completely leaving out the fact that at one time dressage was exclusively for the very advanced riders, the so-called elite riders, to which testifies the mere fact that only the military officers were allowed to present dressage at the Olympic Games before WWII.

Now, relative to that, how ridiculous are the lower levels of dressage, when the participants cannot sit on the horse, let alone ride it, and the horses are off balance ? Folks, it is an absolute joke to have an unbalanced horse enter a dressage ring, yet it is done repeatedly in things called "training level" and "first level" tests, and then the off-balance going of the horse remains tolerated (carries over) in most of the higher levels of dressage as well. This of course leads to immense pounding of animals in the confined areas day after day, till the horse is finally crippled because he is forced to move in relatively tight turns while out of balance and on a hard surface . One cannot go ballroom dancing without knowing how to dance; one cannot show a dressage horse in the dressage ring unless he has one! The ï¿½dressageï¿½ level starts at the campagne level, which any riding horse should master before he enters any riding ring, let alone a dressage arena.

In addition to all this these fools completely confuse the term "school" with the term dressage, and think that dressage includes schooling a young horse, and that is why they invented all these stupid so-called "lower levels" of "dressage". I came to the states in the early seventies, at which time I was involved primarily with racehorses, since the money was easier to earn than in other riding disciplines, and without me degrading my self to some comedian level. One day I had a farrier come to shoe some of my horses, while I was stabled in the country getting the young stock ready for the track. I asked him in which riding discipline he finds most sore horses. I expected that he would say thoroughbred racing, because when I came to the states I was shocked by the amount of lame/sore racehorses I found here. Before coming to the sates, I was employed as a "futermeister" - rider - groom by one of the champion trainers in "West" Germany , where over the span of three years and about 100 horses, I came across only three lame racehorses in his stable.

(On account of my past dressage experiences, the trainer often used me to get the stiffness out of some horses that presented it. Acorrect implementation of the basic schooling will often help horses that show some mild forms of stiffness or soreness to become sound). When the farrier replied that he found the most sore horses among the dressage participants, I was speechless. For a moment I thought he was making fun of me, since dressage was also part of my riding practices and experiences. It was simply inconceivable that in riding dressage there would be any lame horses at all, let alone a majority of them. Dressage is supposed to show a well-balanced riding horse that can serve safely and soundly well into his advanced years. The whole concept of balanced riding (dressage) is about the horse, his safety and mainly, his longevity in service. How can it be that dressage leads the way among disciplines in the amount of sore horses it turns out? Folks, do not be misled-just because a horse doesnï¿½t bob his head (limp) doesnï¿½t necessarily mean that he is not sore or in pain!

If my schooled horse is willing to perform the required work, why would I need severe aids like spurs and a curb bit , let alone a whip? Why would I "drive" or "push, push" the horse forward, looking like a dog humping a leg, as many of these fools do, if the horse is willing to go? The old and obsolete ("classical") dressage evolved from a relatively brutal form of training. It eventually developed more humane principles in the campagne based style of riding, when the rider achieved everything through riding and without the help of the work off the ground, but that was short lived. The term "war horse" has appeared more and more in the last decade as a tool for propagation of breeds and various riding disciplines. (People just want to OWN and ride a "WAR HORSE." Different generation! "Mommy, I don't want your 'Black Beauty' anymore, I WANT A WAR HORSE!") Horses were at one time bred and trained for military purposes, but that alone did not make them war horses! Once the horses took part in a battle, then they became "war-horses"-that is, if they didnï¿½t freak out or get killed.

One of the main qualities of the latter "war-horse" was the ability to run away from, or to pursue, the enemy if needed; hence speed was of the essence, as well as endurance. Have you ever seen today's Lipizzaner or a dressage horse in full run? I believe that most of them have never done it with a rider, and if they did I think they would for the most part look ridiculous, like a clumsy fat man on a treadmill. The Mongols had the best war-horses and I assure you that they hardly practice anything similar to dressage, since dressage has its origin in the west ( Greece ). The Mongols were not called the "Hell Riders" for nothing, and trained their horse via gaming (playing games on horseback). They were the best horseback warriors of all time, riding just "little ponies" (by the English standards) and completely demolishing the knight cavalries of the Europeans. Did you know that the Mongolian horse could gallop with a rider for four hours straight? How many dressage horses do you know today that could do that for one hour?

So, if you believe that today's dressage training is some sort of military training of horses, just imagine what would happen if someone would fire a shotgun next to the show ring where the horse is performing, or if another horse would run full speed straight at him. As you can see, the formal western (meaning civilization) military horse training could justify the use of severe aids but the show riding "dressage" of today cannot, especially when preaching about freedom of movement and the willingness of the horse to perform the required tasks. Basically, dressage riding today for the most part draws the kind of people who want to show horses (dress nice, look pretty, make pretty moves, socialize, etc.) but are afraid to do the disciplines that require more courage, thus opening the doors for the faint hearted and becoming a downright insult to the term "war horse" (on which grounds they base their riding/training theories), because the folks that participate in this discipline in this age would for the most part be the least type of warrior on a horse. Mind you, these people ride horses on nice even terrain, in slow speeds, supposedly balanced and yet most of them somehow manage to get their horses sore. Ludicrous, extremely abusive and corrupt!

Furthermore, if the judges would exclude horses that are out of balance (on the forehand) they would have hardly anyone to participate, and thus no dressage shows and of course no money. Therefore, today's dressage riding is not about horses or riding, nor does it adhere to any of the principals of the foregone dressage , rather, it is about the dressage societies and the participants, which in reality represent some form of comedians, rather than genuine riders and their well-balanced and willing horses. Remember that it was the circus people who said "The show must go on" (despite the consequences, especially when it comes to the animals), and so the "dressage show" must keep on going. WHY? Because they are comedians and the "show must go on"! The major points of abuse in so-called dressage are: Riding unbalanced and uncollected horses in extremely limited spaces (dressage rings). Unbalanced + Limited Space = Navicular related lameness . Forcing (driving - pushing ) the horses to perform the requested tasks.

Unnecessary use of severe riding aids (spurs, curb bits (chains), whips), which in reality are the remnants of the military use of horses and are out of date in this day and age. Working the horses on too hard surfaces . (see most TB racetracks for sufficient depth of riding surface). The use of unsuitable horses for dressage/riding e.g. coldblooded horses or too heavy and/or too tall warmbloods . Improvement suggestions: The elimination of the lower levels of dressage performed in the dressage ring, and/or creating larger rings for the less balanced horses. Increased attention to riding on the forehand, and the disqualification of riders that fail to meet the collection level , as well as, the balance level in the appropriate dressage class (0 points!). Any horse that puts his head past the vertical any time during the performance should be disqualified in any level (no points!). No severe riding aids ! If your horse is willing, you don't need them. You are not on the battle field! Deeper surfaces in the riding rings (see most TB racetracks for sufficient depth of riding surface).

A horse with good impulsion and cadence will not kick out any dirt, nor will he trip (in front or rear), whereas an off-balance (sore) horse will tend to do one or both of them, which shows his incorrect going. The propagation of training dressage horses in open spaces (on grass fields, etc.) The dressage horse should not work in the limited ring more than once or twice per week. Making riding with and without saddles mandatory (blanket with girth only - do less and do it better!) in the lower levels of dressage (this is how most of the Lipizzaners/dressage horses were schooled during their first stages at one time). This will eliminate the "fake" riders, while refining the horse's awareness of the rider, thus improving the higher riding levels in dressage, to which the rest of the dressage folks look up to. Approving the suitability of horses for riding purposes by setting limits on height and weight (as well as their relevance to each other), which will lead to more appropriate and suitable breeding of horses for modern purposes. (To hell with preservation of breeds whose original purposes we no longer have any use for.

The horse is a living creature and not a collector's item! The preservation of unsuitable horse breeds will only lead to more horse abuse. Separate issue, article coming up soon.) Any special shoeing, other than simple flat, light riding plates, should be disallowed, no pads, no bars, no wedge pads, etc. If your horse has a soundness problem it should never enter a dressage presentation, because dressage is not a game competition like racing, polo, team penning, jumping and such and so forth, where one may need some special shoeing requiring a particular traction. Any horse that enters the dressage ring sore should be excluded from performance for life and the rider should be expelled from the dressage society. Same thing if there is any foreign substance found in the horse's blood. If you own, ride or train a dressage horse that gets lame from his work, you should be downright embarrassed and ashamed of yourself. Don't blame the trainer or the rider; you own the horse and only you are responsible!

The practical purpose of dressage, for the modern use of riding horses, remains the same as in the past: improving the safety and longevity of the horse for riding purposes, as well as his reliability in the particular service for which he is being used. This is of course is not practiced by the "modern competitive dressage" since the fools often injure their horses in the process, which of course contradicts the whole purpose of dressage. Related Article: Discover Horses > Get Involved > Participate > A Horse of Your Own Intl. Museum of Horse Get Involved Ready to become a "horse person"? Learn how to get involved as a rider, volunteer, advocate or savvy spectator. Dressage Dressage © United States Dressage Federation, courtesy of Misty Caffey Introduction Dressage is a French term meaning “training” and its purpose is to develop the horse’s natural athletic ability and willingness to work making him calm, supple and attentive to his rider. History Dressage is one of the Olympic equestrian sports.

The modern Olympics commenced in 1898 with equestrian events, and the “military test” first included in 1900 which evolved into the separate Olympic disciplines of dressage, eventing, and stadium jumping. Horses have been used as mounts for the military since early history. As the horses had to be obedient and maneuverable, a system of training was developed, first documented in the writing of the Greek Xenophon. The system of training was built upon throughout the ages, with many well-known riding masters, military and civilian, writing books expounding their methods. As the equine in the past centuries was used primarily by the military, it only stood to reason that a test of the military horse be the standard during the inception of the modern Olympics. The military test included obedience and maneuverability (or what would become dressage) and the ability to jump obstacles. By 1912, the equestrian disciplines as we know them (dressage, jumping, and eventing) were included. However, the riders continued to be all male and predominantly military for a few decades. The United States Cavalry at Ft.

Riley exchanged ideas and instructors with the schools in Europe and started the trend that brought dressage training not only to the military but to civilians in the United States. After the US Cavalry was disbanded in 1948, the focus for dressage shifted from military to civilian competition and sport and began to gain momentum. Women as well as men became passionate about dressage and in 1952 the first women were allowed to compete in the Olympics. The growing enthusiasm for the sport, supported by increased access to knowledgeable military and foreign trainers, finally brought together 81 pioneers of dressage in 1973 to found the United States Dressage Federation. Early Dressage Horses Heavy horses carried the knights of the middle ages in full armor. As modes of warfare changed, the type of horse changed with it, giving way to the lighter horse used for the cavalry. The hot blooded breeds, such as the Arabian and Thoroughbred, were introduced to add swiftness and greater maneuverability to the cold blooded, heavy horses of the armored knights. The resulting “warmbloods” formed the basis for most of the breeds most commonly successful in dressage today.

Separate studbooks in principalities throughout Europe were maintained by the local lord or prince, with the result that many of these warmblood bloodlines can be traced back through a surprising number of generations. Arabian and Thoroughbred lines have continued to be used to further refine the warmblood that we know today: a leggier, elegant horse, sometimes with extravagant movement. These modern-day warmbloods predominate in international dressage competition. Dressage Today Currently, competitive dressage involves nine progressive levels incorporating multiple tests within each level. Special tests are also written for musical freestyle, sport horse breeding and performances incorporating multiple horses and riders. Tests are revised every four years by the United States Dressage Federation, the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and the International Equestrian Federation (FEI). Competition occurs in a regulation size arena with specific apparel and equipment all regulated by USEF. Judges are licensed by the USEF and the FEI and are assisted by scribes who write down the judge’s scores and comments during the test. Success in dressage is dependent on the rider’s position and ability but because of the goal of the training, many horse breeds can be quite successful.

Watching dressage can be very exciting, especially the musical freestyle rides or tests at the FEI (highest) levels. © United States Dressage Federation, courtesy of Misty Caffey About the USDF The American Horse Shows Association (AHSA, now the United States Equestrian Federation, USEF) and the United States Equestrian Team (USET, now the USET Foundation) were the two primary organizations involved with dressage in the United States until the 1970s. Although dressage competitions had been in existence in prior decades, dressage enthusiasts were concerned that the AHSA, the governing body for dressage, could not give the discipline of dressage the attention it needed to flourish. There was a need to establish uniform standards for the sport, and to provide education to dressage judges, instructors, and trainers. At that time, dressage survived in local and regional clubs found in pockets of interest across the country; however, there was a lack of nationwide communication, interaction, and cohesiveness amongst these groups. In the 1970’s it became increasingly apparent that the time was ripe to establish a national organization for the sole purpose of furthering dressage in the United States.

Lowell Boomer, founder of the Nebraska Dressage Association, took action, placing an advertisement in The Chronicle of the Horse, asking “all those interested in the advancement of dressage” to come to Lincoln, NE in February of 1973 to start a national federation. An official roster of registrants listed 70 dressage enthusiasts and several VIPS who traveled to Lincoln that February to collaborate in establishing a national dressage organization. Because of his initiative, Lowell Boomer is known as “the father of USDF.” The first official business meeting of the United States Dressage Federation took place in November of 1973. During that meeting the foundation of USDF was created, including election of the first officials, approval of the organization’s original bylaws and committee structure, and development of the mission statement. Over thirty years later, USDF retains the core elements first established in the founding meeting in 1973: the dedication to education, recognition of achievement, and promotion of dressage. In 2006, the USDF National Education Center (NEC), located at the Kentucky Horse Park, opened its doors.

The USDF NEC continues to support USDF’s mission of education, recognition of achievement, and promotion of dressage by housing the Lendon F. Gray Bookstore, Gypsy Woods Farm Resource Center, and the Roemer Foundation/USDF Hall of Fame and furthering its working partnerships and presence through its close proximity to USEF, the United States Pony Clubs, and all events hosted at the Kentucky Horse Park. Additional Information Horse Trainer: Job Description, Duties and Requirements Horse Trainer: Job Description,... Horse Trainer: Job Description, Duties and Requirements Learn about the education and preparation needed to become a horse trainer. Get a quick overview of the requirements as well as details about educational programs, job duties and available courses to find out if this is the career for you. Show me popular schools A horse trainer teaches horses the skills they need for performance, making sure they are also fit and obedient. Most horse trainers gain equine experience and learn training skills on the job, though there are postsecondary programs available for those wishing to enrich their knowledge. Essential Information Horse trainers, also called equine trainers, work with horses to prepare them for riders, races, trail work and/or horse shows.

They help horses adapt to wearing saddles and bridles, teach vital riding commands and work with the animals to correct behavioral issues related to abuse or other trauma. Horse trainers are required to have expert riding skills and a thorough knowledge of horse management. Patience and a love of animals can also be extremely beneficial. Required Education On-the-job training or apprenticeship; equine studies programs sometimes helpful Projected Job Growth (2014-2024)* 11% for all animal trainers Average Annual Salary (2015)* $33,600 for all animal trainers Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Duties Horse trainers use different methods to get horses to respond to them, such as giving treats and other positive reinforcement when the horses do something well. To get the horses used to human contact, horse trainers use their voices and plenty of physical contact. Slowly, trainers bring in other people to help the animals become used to responding to different riders' commands. Trainers analyze horses' behaviors to assess the horses' dispositions. They use this information to correct any behavioral problems such as head tossing, kicking, biting and dominance assertion. Other traits trainers may address include bolting, nervousness and restlessness.

The horses' personalities also provide horse trainers with insight in determining the horses' training capacities. Most trainers also observe a horse's nutrition, feeding habits and health, which may be discussed with veterinarians and horse nutritionists if the trainer suspects the animal is ill. Because horses are frightened easily, horse trainers work on ways to counteract that tendency. Throughout the training period, horse trainers may be thrown off the horse, stomped on, kicked or bitten. Horse trainers who prep horses for riders or horse shows teach horses different commands for when to perform a certain task or trick. Horse trainers use different training styles to coach horses for different equestrian events, including: Dressage - a horse learns to perform set movements in a precise manner Cutting - a Western style of training where the horse learns to herd livestock Barrel racing - a rodeo event that requires the horse to execute a clover-shaped course Trail riding - a horse learns to walk along trails Show jumping - a horse learns to jump fences of various heights Reining - a Western form of dressage Western pleasure - trains the horse to enjoy being ridden by scoring based on whether the horse appears pleasant to ride Horses being trained for races often perform early morning exercises, and then take a break for grooming and injury inspection.

Later in the day, the horse may undergo another exercise session, and the trainer typically supervises all these activities. In addition to training horses, horse trainers also teach people how to interact with horses properly. Horse trainers teach jockeys how to direct and manage racehorses. They also teach horse owners how to care for and handle horses. Cleaning horse stables and grooming are sometimes the duties of horse trainers. If these duties are delegated to other equine workers, the horse trainer supervises the chores. Horse trainers also acclimate horses to walking onto horse trailers to get them used to being relocated whenever necessary. Requirements Working in stables and as horse groomers is a way many horse trainers begin their careers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ( Proficient riding abilities and knowledge of horse husbandry is often mandatory. Some horse training positions have weight requirements. Some horse trainers work as horse trainer apprentices where they perform stable chores, exercise horses, feed and groom horses and any other duties their mentors ask. Completing an equine studies program, which is offered by some colleges, is another way horse trainers learn required skills.

Courses may include horsemanship, equine anatomy and physiology, facility management, equine behavior, animal ethics and welfare, equine nutrition and equine diseases. Career Outlook The BLS reported that jobs for animal trainers in general is predicted to increase by 11% from 2014-2024, more rapidly than average across all occupations. According to the BLS, animal trainers earned an average yearly wage of $33,600 in May 2015. The top ten percent of these professionals took in $57,170 or more every year, while the bottom ten percent of workers made $18,160 or less annually. Trainers work with horses to prepare them for whatever task they are to perform, implementing exercise sessions, vocal and physical commands, specified nutrition, and behavioral correction. An equine studies program can be useful, but is not required; apprenticeships and on-the-job training can suffice. Jobs for all types of animal trainers are projected to grow at a faster than average rate through 2024.

Dressage Test Movements Prelim to Medium Level – Horse Clips The diagrams show that by the time you get to medium level the horse should be able to demonstrate collected paces and how this is developed from the working paces required in prelim tests. Exercises There are lots of dressage exercises that we all use when schooling our horses at home and the next two diagrams show at what level they are included in dressage tests. Prelim and Novice are the first two levels so the dressage tests only include simple movements such as circles, diagonals and transitions. More advanced dressage movements (such as leg yield and half pass) are included in the Elementary and particularly Medium level dressage tests. While exercises such as leg yield are not included in dressage tests until Elementary level that does not mean that you should not include these movements in your training at home. Exercises such as leg yield are good, even for prelim horses, since it develops lateral suppleness and improves your horses balance. If it is appropriate movements are initially introduced such that they start or end anywhere between a couple of markers. As the tests get more complex the movement must start and end precisely at the marker. Paces British Dressage tests include movements at walk, trot and canter.

There are also variations on these paces (medium, collected and extended) that are introduced as the tests get more complex. The diagram shows that by the time you get to medium level the horse must be able to show that the hind quarters are engaged and the horse is able to perform the test with collected paces. Transitions between Paces Transitions demonstrate that your horse is obedient and in front of your leg. More advanced tests require direct transitions (e.g. from walk to canter) that require a degree of engagement so that the transition comes from behind and is not on the forehand. In lower level tests the transition can be performed between a couple of markers. The transition must be performed at a marker in more advanced tests. Tests include exercises such as Trot-Walk-Trot that require a downward transition and a few strides in the new pace then immediately an upwards transition to resume the original pace. Elementary and Medium tests include direct simple changes which are essentially just a transition canter-walk-canter with a change of canter lead. Circles A 20m circles is a basic dressage exercise. The diagram shows how this basic exercise is used at Prelim level but the circles gets smaller with figures of 8 introduced at more advanced levels.

The figure of 8 obviously includes a change of bend to demonstrate your horses suppleness. I plan to look at the dressage tests above Medium to show how dressage tests gets increasingly more complex up to Grand Prix level. Related posts: How animals mourn their dead | New York Post How animals mourn their dead Modal Trigger dpa/Landov A MOM’S PAIN: Gana, an 11-year-old gorilla, cradles the body of her 3-month-old son, Claudio, in her enclosure at the zoo in Muenster, Germany. (dpa/Landov) For two years, Barbara J. King, a professor of anthropology at the College of William and Mary, has studied how animals react to death. In her new book, “How Animals Grieve” (University of Chicago Press), she argues that a wide variety of creatures including dogs and cats feel the pain of losing a loved one. Here, she explains why grief may be an emotion many animals share. Wild elephants sometimes stand silently at the bodies of dead companions and, later, stroke their sun-bleached bones as if embracing a memory.

Dolphin mothers may refuse to part with the bodies of their babies who die, forgoing food and tirelessly keeping their child buoyant in the water day after day. Jane Goodall famously reported that a chimpanzee juvenile, even though mature enough to feed on his own, could not recover emotionally from the death of his mother, and soon passed on himself. Scientists have known for years that big-brained mammals may grieve when a family member or close friend dies. But after two years of research, I have discovered something unexpected: Mourning is found more widely than science has recognized before in animals, extending to horses, cats, dogs, rabbits and birds. It’s not only the animals in the wilderness who grieve, it’s often animals right here on our farms, or in our back yards, or cuddling next to us every night as we go to sleep. Separated by how we think, we are united in how we feel. Vigil for a thoroughbred Take Storm Warning, a dressage horse who fractured his hind leg in an accident on the farm where he lived. In the same field where he had been so often turned out, he was put down and then buried.

That evening, the woman who rode him and cared for him, walked alone to his grave. She placed flowers there in remembrance. She was grieving — and saw that she wasn’t alone. Six geldings, all horses who had bonded with Storm Warning during his life, grouped themselves in a circle around the mound of fresh earth. They stopped grazing, showed no interest in the flowers, and simply looked, with a heads-down gaze, straight at the grave. Other horses, nearby but not part of Storm Warning’s herd, did not join in. The next morning, the horses were still there, standing vigil. Two Siamese cat sisters named Willa and Carson who lived in Virginia were inseparable for 14 years. They ate, slept and relaxed together, at times fitting their bodies tightly into a circle to soak up the sun’s warmth. As she aged, Carson developed some health problems. One day, new symptoms appeared, and her human family took her to the veterinarian. Kept in an incubator for warmth, Carson died that night in her sleep. At first, Willa acted mildly upset at her sister’s absence. Within two or three days, however, she started to wail, searching the house for her sister.

It took Willa many months to resume taking her old interest in life again. Skeptics may raise questions in each of these two cases. Could Willa have just been stressed by the change in her environment, or might her distress have been triggered by her owners’ own visible sadness at losing Carson? Could the geldings who stood vigil at Storm Warning’s grave have acted that way for a similar reason? But consider: Willa repeatedly searched specific spots in the house that she had shared with her sister. The horses involved were friends of Storm Warning’s, and their response, while not as prolonged as Willa’s, was far from momentary. And one fact is inescapable, from all that scientists and animal caretakers know now to a certainty: Animals feel their lives. They experience joy and sorrow. Why wouldn’t they grieve? A gorilla’s mourning A question less easy to answer is whether animals can recognize death as death. When they respond with sorrow to a lifeless body, do they really grasp that death has occurred? A hint comes from one of our closest living relatives, the gorilla. At Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo, the gorilla female Bebe was euthanized to spare her the pain that accompanied advanced cancer.

Her friend of many years, Bobby, was allowed to spend some time with her body. At first, Bobby tried to revive Bebe, by touching her and placing celery — a favorite food of hers — in her hand. It is clear that, at this point, Bobby knew something was amiss, but had no comprehension of the permanent loss he faced. Then something changed. Bobby seemed to come to a sudden realization and both his mood and his behavior shifted. He began to wail and bang on the bars of his cage. Whether Bobby actually had a concept of death in his mind is impossible to know, but the sequence of his actions strongly suggests that he did recognize death in some way. The story of Bobby and Bebe tells us something else, too. Franklin Park workers encouraged not only Bobby but also Bebe’s entire social group to approach the body. The other three gorillas touched Bebe as if to rouse her from sleep, but they never erupted into sadness the way Bobby had. Perhaps they didn’t make the cognitive leap that Bobby did. Or maybe their relationship with Bebe just wasn’t as close, or of the same nature.

Individual animals of the same species may grieve quite differently from each other, just as is the case with humans. Elephants are the gold standard of animal-grief research, because we have meticulous observations from the wild. When matriarch Eleanor weakened and died in Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve in 2003, other elephants’ responses provided a window into the elephant mind — and heart. Suffering with a swollen trunk and bruised body, Eleanor collapsed one evening on the ground. Two minutes later, Grace, a matriarch of a different family, used her tusks to lift Eleanor back onto her feet. It wasn’t long before Eleanor fell again — she was just too sick to go on. Grace became quite distressed. While vocalizing, she continued to push Eleanor with her trunk. For at least another hour, she stayed with Eleanor even as her own family moved off. By morning, Eleanor was dead. On that day, a female called Maui from a third family approached the body. With trunk extended, she sniffed and touched the body, then put her trunk into her mouth to assess the taste. She moved her right foot in order to hover over Eleanor, then pulled on the body with her left foot and trunk.

When this failed to wake Eleanor, Maui stood over her, and rocked back and forth. Was Maui’s rocking behavior evidence of a shift in her understanding, akin to Bobby the gorilla’s letting out a wail when he apparently realized that Bebe was dead? We just don’t know. What we do know is that elephants came to Eleanor’s body, some to explore and some to grieve, for a full week after her death. Even though park rangers cut the tusks from Eleanor’s body to thwart poachers, and an array of predators ranging from lions to vultures came to feast on it, elephants were pulled to the body as to a magnet. Indeed, Grace returned to Eleanor, but unlike during her first approach, this time she made no attempt to lift Eleanor up and only stood quietly. Members of Eleanor’s own family came, too. Eleanor’s youngest daughter, a calf of about five months, nuzzled her mother. In what must have been a sign of her confusion and upset, she tried to nurse from other calves. She kept returning to her mother’s body. Unfortunately, this baby was too young to survive on her own, and she died also.

What animals feel What’s so remarkable here about Eleanor’s story — and a testament to the long-term scientific work by Iain Douglas-Hamilton and his team, who recorded the unfolding events — is that elephants from five different families responded to her death. Unlike the responses of horses, cats and gorillas that I’ve already described, there is a wider grief felt in elephants, beyond a small, tightly bonded group (or sibling pair). One elephant has even become famous for expressing what scientists call cross-species grief. Tarra lives not in Africa but in the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. Her eight-year friendship with the little stray dog Bella who appeared on sanctuary premises went viral on the Internet. It was fun to watch the great gray, bulky animal walk and play together with the much smaller, white, romping one. Then, Bella went missing. Sanctuary staff found that Tarra began to eat less, and appeared to be depressed. Before long, Bella’s body was discovered; she had been attacked by a wild animal, most likely a coyote. Her caretakers offered Tarra a chance to attend her little friend’s burial, but she stayed about 100 yards away.

The next morning, however, the caretakers noticed a footprint atop the grave. They believe the elephant had made a short solitary journey to visit her friend’s final resting place. Though these stories of animal grief may evoke some sadness, I want to underscore how full they are of love and friendship. Storm Warning the horse had good horse friends, just as Bebe the gorilla had good gorilla friends and Eleanor the elephant had good elephant friends. And I believe that in her elephant way, Tarra loved the dog Bella, just as Willa the cat loved her sister Carson. There’s no inconsistency with the practice of rigorous science to say that the animals all around us may feel their lives quite deeply. The roots of human grieving, then, go deep. It’s equally true, though, that we grieve in ways quite different from those of our fellow creatures. For one thing, we carry with us a heightened concept of death that goes far beyond the gorilla Bobby’s awareness of the loss of his friend Bebe. It’s an awareness we come to gradually at some point in late childhood: all creatures, even those we love most, must die one day. Even we ourselves.

That kind of consciousness is absent in other animals, at least as far as we know right now. And we humans grieve for strangers. When we learn that families we will never know are suddenly steeped in painful loss, we empathize and feel their suffering. We may even make a pilgrimage to sites of public mourning in Manhattan or Oklahoma City, Auschwitz or Hiroshima. We pour our grief into creating and appreciating monumental architecture, and turn furious sorrow into great literature, music, film and dance. The scale of our mourning, and the creative outlet we pursue because of it, is unique to our species. Yet what unites human grieving with that of other animals is more powerful than anything setting it apart. Grief can be a terrible weight for any creature to endure, and at the same time, it telegraphs to the world the power of a love once shared. Adapted with permission from “How Animals Grieve” by Barbara J. King, barbarajking.com. Share this:

Question: What animal is involved in "dressage"?
Answer: Horse