2021 Summer Shows In This Issue: A Way To Learn How To Ride Shoulder-In by Maurine “Mo” Swanson The Danish System by Ellen Broadhurst and More! [email protected] June 19 Schooling Show at Bay Ridge Stables Entries Open June 1 via EqEntries.com June 26, 27 LVDA Youth Team Challenge HITS Commonwealth, Culpeper, VA July 14 Decades of Dressage at Thunderhead Farms Entries Open June 1 via EqEntries.com July 25 Schooling Show at Hidden Creek Equestrian Ctr Entries Open June 16 via EqEntries.com August 14 LVDA Recognized Show at BCHP See our full schedule on the LVDA Show Omnibus webpage VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Anyone interested in volunteering at any of the above shows please contact the show managers listed on the show schedule. 2021 LVDA Executive Board President: Jennifer Koch Vice President: Sherry Morse Treasurer: Lindsay VanAssen Executive Secretary: Bethany Lewis Membership Secretary: Ellen Broadhurst Timi Bauscher Members at Large: Patty Weston Trisha Hessinger Sabrina Wetzel Beth Kauffman Lisa Cope Mo Swanson Chris Dickenson Natasha Rutherford Kim Hirschman Cara Klothe Melissa Morehouse LVDA Webmaster/Editor: Terry Wetzel Hay!! The LVDA organized some GREAT shows for you this year. We’re having fun and hope you are too! Rescheduled to August 7, 2021 in conjunction with Heart’s Journey Stables NPASS Show by Ellen Broadhurst If you have been showing with LVDA this season at the Winter Series or at Thunder- head Farm, you will have noticed that ribbons were awarded based on individual merit versus a rank ordering. Referred to as the “Danish System,” any competitor scoring above 67.0% received a blue ribbon, 62-66.9% received a red ribbon, 57-56.9% yellow ribbon, 52-56.9% white and 47-51.9% pink. In the Danish System a ribbon signifies a level of achievement versus a universal stan- dard, rather than pitting one competitor against another. An easy way to think of this system is to compare it to how classes are graded in school. Any student who achieves average scores over 90% receives an A. If all students achieve over 90%, all students receive an A, reflecting their individual performance. The ranking system that most of us recognize and has been used historically in LVDA dressage competition is called the “American (or Peer) System.” While the American System uses standards and requirements, competition between exhibitors establishes the rankings; the top scoring competitor receives first place, the second scoring com- petitor, second place, etc. One key reason for the switch from American to the Danish system early in the 2021 show season were COVID-19 protocols. Under the Danish system, once a test is scored, the competitor can instantly be awarded a placing based on score and be al- lowed to take their test and ribbon and leave the premises. In the US, the Danish System is frequently used at 4-H competitions and in many ju- nior classes of events in state and county fairs. The objective for using the system is to reward and encourage young competitors based on the individual merit of their own work. Many individuals can produce exemplary work, and each individual is then given an award that reflects their personal level of achievement. As COVID protocols continue to evolve, the need for riders to exit the show grounds quickly is becoming less urgent. However, at this point, LVDA is planning to continue to use the Danish system of awarding ribbons for the remainder of the 2021 schooling show season (the August Recognized show will run under the American system). The board and show committee are interested in getting feedback on how well riders un- derstand the system and if there are preferences for Danish vs the American system of awarding ribbons. If you were a competitor at any of the LVDA 2021 shows, please watch your email. A survey will be coming around asking for your opinion on the differing award systems. We look forward to providing a great show experience for all of our members! A Way to Learn How to Ride Shoulder-In By Maurine “Mo” Swanson Note: This article by LVDA member Mo Swanson was a featured article in the April 13, 2021 USDF YourDressage publication and USDF Facebook page! Shoulder-in is fundamental in dressage because it’s the first movement in a horse’s training that requires actual collection. Megan Fischer-Graham rides Elian, owned by Amanda Stapleton, at the 2020 Adequan®/USDF FEI-Level Trainers Conference. (Jennifer Bryant photo) In my opinion, shoulder-in is one of the most difficult movements to teach to students of dressage. The movement may be clear in your mind when you read about it, and it looks so easy when someone performs it correctly, but when you try to ride it yourself, you run into multiple problems. Your body balks at what it should be doing, and your horse hollows, slows down, does more of a leg-yield or has too much angle, overbends his neck, or does any number of other things that are not correct. Let’s start with the USDF glossary definition of the shoulder-in: A shoulder-in is performed in collected trot. The horse is ridden with a slight but uniform bend around the inside leg of the rider, maintaining ca- dence at a constant angle of approximately 30 degrees. The horse’s inside foreleg passes and crosses in front of the outside foreleg; the inside hind leg steps forward under the horse’s body weight following the same track of the outside foreleg, with the lowering of the inside hip. The horse is bent away from the direction in which it is moving. Shoulder-in is a three-track move- The shoulder-in is a wonderful suppling ment (pictured: shoulder-in right). exercise. It is the fundamental collecting The rider’s inside leg is used at or exercise, and it first appears in the just behind the girth, and the out- dressage tests in Second Level Test 1. side leg is farther behind the girth. Shoulder-in is also a straightening Both hands shift slightly to the in- exercise because you place the horse’s side. The horse’s bending should fill shoulders in relation to his hindquarters: out the outside rein, while the inside with the horse’s hind legs on the line of rein stays slightly off the neck. travel and with the shoulders displaced USDF illustration. to the inside. The horse should travel on three “tracks” (lines of travel), and the approximately 30-degree angle should remain the same throughout the movement. The horse’s outside hind leg tracks along the wall; the inside hind leg and the outside front leg are on the same track, parallel to the wall; and the inside front leg is on the inner track, parallel to the wall. You can ride shoulder-in along the wall or on another line off the track, such as on a quarter line or the center line. The horse is bent around the rider’s inside leg, and his poll is flexed slightly to the inside, away from the direction of travel. Sounds easy, right? Let’s take a moment here to talk about the shape of the horse’s body. Horses are shaped a little bit like isosceles triangles, with their forehands narrower than their hindquarters, as shown in the illustrations on the next page. Horses are shaped like isosceles triangles, with their hindquarters the widest point and narrowing to their noses. Illustration by Mo Swanson. That’s why shoulder-in is a straightening exercise: If you ride with the outside of your horse parallel to the wall, he will actually be crooked, with his haunches carried to the inside. His inside hind leg will not be engaged, as shown in the illustration. This innate crookedness is why riding Because a horse is widest at his in what’s known as shoulder-fore position haunches, he will actually be crook- is riding your horse “straight,” with the ed if he travels with his shoulders inside hind leg engaged. Shoulder-fore and haunches parallel to the wall. has less angle than shoulder-in. Illustration by Mo Swanson. In shoulder fore, the horse’s shoulders come in a little bit further than his hips. Your hips and your horse’s hips are positioned straight as you travel in a straight line. The illustration on the next page shows the positioning for shoulder-fore right. Shoulder-fore positioning makes the horse straight by bringing his shoul- ders in line with his hindquarters. Illustration by Mo Swanson. In dressage, the rider’s shoulders should be parallel to the horse’s shoulders, and the rider’s hips should be parallel to the horse’s hips. So for shoulder-in, because you are bringing your horse’s shoulders off the wall with his body bent around your inside leg, your shoulders need to turn, too, with your outside shoulder coming slightly forward and your inside shoulder coming slightly back. Don’t slump or drop one shoulder. Some of us older women will remember the Barbie doll that could twist her body side to side at the waist, with her shoulders remaining level. That is what you will need to do—pivot at the waist like Barbie without dropping a shoulder. Try this: Stand on the ground with your weight balanced evenly over your two feet. Twist your torso to the left like a Barbie doll. Keep your shoulders level. What happened to your left hip? Unless you are a contortionist, your left hip came up slightly. Keep this in mind going forward. On your horse, to begin shoulder-in left, start in the walk or trot and ride a 10- or 15-meter circle on the left rein. (A 10-meter circle has the correct degree of bend needed for shoulder-in, but if you are just learning how to ride this movement, you can start from a 15-meter circle and increase the bend later.) Shoulder-in is performed at the sitting trot in the dressage tests. As you finish the circle and return to the wall, make one stride away from the wall, as if you were beginning a second circle. Turn your shoulders and torso to the left like the Barbie doll: left shoulder back, right shoulder forward. Your hands shift to the left, toward the inside: left hand in front of your left hip bone, right hand in front of your belly button. Don’t pull back on the inside rein or cross your inside rein over your horse’s withers, both of which are very tempting to do! The real trick to riding a correct shoulder-in is to bring the horse’s shoulders in without accomplishing this by pushing the haunches out. So for now, don’t worry about your horse’s neck. Think only of bringing the shoulders in. Come out of your circle (or the corner) and ride one In shoulder-in, the rider’s shoulders are stride of a second circle; then parallel to the horse’s shoulders, and the continue down the wall in that rider’s hips are parallel to the horse’s hips. positioning. Flex your horse slightly Illustration by Mo Swanson. to the inside, just enough that you can see his inside eye. Send his haunches straight down the long side. If you feel the urge to pull on the inside rein, use your inside leg at the girth instead. Think sideways with your hands instead of back, and keep both hands down near the withers. To avoid engaging the inside hind leg, many horses will try to make the movement easier by swinging their haunches to the outside. How do we prevent that? Remember what happened in the standing exercise when you rotated your torso to the left? Your left hip came up. So, for your horse’s hips to travel straight down the long side in shoulder-in, you need to put weight down into the saddle with your inside hip and your inside seat bone. Here’s how to learn to do this: Find two focal points at the far end of the arena that are as wide apart as your hips. Riding in shoulder-fore or shoulder-in position toward those focal points, drive both of your hips (especially your lowered inside hip) toward those two points. Another tip for preventing the haunches from swinging out is to keep your inside leg at or near the girth. Drawing the inside leg too far back encourages the horse to put his haunches out. It may feel as if your inside leg is more forward than you think it should be. At the same time, position your outside leg slightly behind the girth to “guard” the haunches and to keep the outside hind leg stepping correctly forward. There are two schools of thought on how to position your head and where to aim your gaze as you ride shoulder-in. One is to turn your head slightly to the inside, keeping it in line with your shoulders, and gazing in that direction (toward 10:00 or 11:00 on a clock face for shoulder-in left, or toward 1:00 or 2:00 for shoulder-in right). The other is to turn your head slightly to the outside line of your rotated shoulders while gazing straight down the long side. Experiment to see which one works best for you. As you ride shoulder-in, strive to keep your horse moving with energy and a steady tempo. Judges look for correct and consistent bend, a regular tempo, an appropriate degree of collection for the level, and good balance. As you get more proficient in moving the horse’s shoulders correctly, you can add the slight bend in the neck. Show a clear difference between shoulder-in positioning and straightness. For instance, Second Level Test 1 calls for shoulder-in from B to M. For a higher score, straighten your horse at M before you bend him for the corner, rather than continuing through the corner still in shoulder-in position. Is your brain overloaded trying to remember all of this? Be patient. Your goal is to train your body correctly to facilitate the correct training of your horse. Don’t give up! Learning shoulder-in is a mental exercise as well as a physical one. Don’t drill your horse over and over, especially if you find you are having difficulty. Give him breaks at the walk on a long rein. When he attempts to do something right, even if it isn’t perfect, reward him with your voice or a wither scratch with your inside hand. If you feel as if everything is falling apart, try riding the movement at the walk, or just make a circle. During a walk break, analyze what went wrong. I guarantee that not doing one of the things I have discussed here in this article will be the reason for the difficulty. Many small steps make steady forward progress. Have someone take video, standing directly in front of you and directly behind you. You will see your mistakes. Have fun, and reward yourself and your horse when it all falls into place. A correct shoulder-in is an amazing feeling! Maurine “Mo” Swanson has been breeding horses for 40 years. With her husband, Jim, she owns Rolling Stone Farm in eastern Pennsylvania. Swanson got her equestrian start in hunters and jumpers, then rode dressage up to the Prix St. Georges level, earning her USDF bronze and silver medals in 2018. Her homebred Hanoverians and Oldenburgs have earned top-10 national dressage rankings and have won many titles both under saddle and in hand. She has consistently been highly ranked in the Adequan®/USDF Dressage Breeder of the Year, the Adequan®/USDF Dressage Sport Horse Breeding Breeder of the Year, and the US Equestrian Dressage Breeder of the Year standings. She won the Adequan®/USDF DSHB Breeder of the Year title in 2016 and 2018, and in 2020 she was named the Adequan®/USDF Dressage Breeder of the Year. She has also been the USEF Dressage Breeder of the Year every year since 2014. Youth Dressage Team Challenge HITS Commonwealth Park, Culpeper, VA June 26-27, 2021 Closing date for in-person and virtual entries has been extended to June 5th! Visit the Youth Dressage Team Challenge webpage for entry forms and detailed information Dressage Schooling Show at Bay Ridge Stables 5384 Green Meadow Road, Northampton, PA 18067 LVDA, ESDCTA & USDF Regional Schooling Show Awards Program Registered Show Date: June 19 Opens: May 31 Closes: June 11 Show Secretary: Lindsay VanAssen - [email protected] 484-695-1049 Show Manager: Sherry Morse - [email protected] 973-610-7993 Judge(s): Ange Bean, L* & Cindy Glaser, L 1. Intro Level Test A Available Classes: 17. FEI TOC 2. Intro Level Test B 18. Leadline TOC 3. Intro Level Test C 9. First Level Test 3 19. Dressage Seat 4. Training Level Test 1 10. Second Level Test 1 5. Training Level Test 2 11. Second Level Test 2 Equitation TOC 6. Training Level Test 3 12. Second Level Test 3 20. Western Dressage TOC 7. First Level Test 1 13. Third Level Test 1 21. Musical Freestyle TOC 8. First Level Test 2 14. Third Level Test 2 15. Third Level Test 3 16. Fourth Level TOC Entry Fees, Liability Waivers & COVID-19 Protocols LVDA Members: Adult $25.00 Youth $20.00 Non-Members: $30.00 Enter via: Equestrian Entries LVDA Liability Waiver - Signature Required For everyone’s safety at the show please read and adhere to the: LVDA COVID-19 Protocols Refunds: Before Closing Date - less $10 Office Fee. After Closing Date - only with a veterinarian excuse. Scratches day of show - No Refunds A current copy of a Negative Coggins (dated within 12 months of show) and Flu/Rhino vaccination (dated within 6 months of show) must be provided in order to ride. • Due to COVID-19 Protocols please submit these documents via the File Upload on the entry form or email them to the show secretary prior to the show. Dressage4Kids Benefit Show Success! by Jennifer Koch Just 3 years ago, LVDA and the Bucks County Horse Park teamed up to offer the first ever Dressage4Kids Benefit Show.That first year, we had 75 rides.We considered the show a great success and knew this was an event that we wanted to continue to co-host for many years to come. In 2020, we had picked our spring date for the show. As we all are aware, COVID struck and forced a postponement of the show. We persevered and just one day after Bucks County turned yellow and received permission to run shows, we held our 2nd Annual Dressage4Kids Benefit Show. It was the first dressage show of the season in the area, and riders came out to support the cause. Even with so much uncertainty and new protocols, we managed 77 rides. For our 2021 Dressage4Kids Benefit Show, riders registered in droves to participate. With quite a bit of time until closing date, we had filled 2 rings with our judges, Amy Gimbel and Jacquelyn Stapel. Fortunately, we were able to secure an additional judge, Lauren Annett. At closing date, we had over 150 rides to schedule in 3 rings. Show day arrived and the weather was predicted to be hot! Fortunately, there was a lovely breeze throughout most of the day and generally overcast skies to keep horses and riders comfortable. We saw Prix Caprilli tests, western dressage, a musical free- style, and rides from Leadline through FEI levels. Riders of all ages joined in the fun and it was a fantastic day for a great cause! Dressage4Kids is a nonprofit organization that seeks to provide educational and competitive opportunities to youth dressage riders all over the country. Dozens of local youth riders have benefitted from the programs that are offered. Check out their website (www.dressage4kids.org) to learn more about the programs they offer, including the upcoming Youth Dressage Festival in Saugerties, NY on Aug. 13-15. LVDA will be sending multiple teams of youth riders. If you’re interested in participating on an LVDA team, make sure you email me ([email protected]) to get on the list. Thank you to our generous judges for their support of this show! Thank you to our volunteers for giving up their opportunity to show so that this event could be a success. Thank you to the Bucks County Horse Park for co-hosting with LVDA! Thank you to all the trainers and riders who came out to participate. This show is successful because of you! We hope you’ll join us for our 4th Annual Dressage4Kids Benefit Show in 2021! Reminder From Our Youth!! by Katie Staib We are getting super excited about our July 14th Decades of Dressage Show (DOD) at Thunderhead Farm! Reminder that this show is especially for our Adult amateurs!! Us youth will be there running the show! Note: Due to the excitement and interest we are going to plan on extend- ing the show day/number of rides and will no longer be hosting a Salehorse Showcase. We are still very excited of the possibility of hosting a showcase in the future, but would like to allow for more riders to show at this very special event!! Reminder that entries will OPEN on June 1st!! Get those entries in fast, as this is our first annual DOD, and have some exciting things planned!! All proceeds from the show will go to support the LVDA Youth Teams as they travel to Virginia and New York in 2021 for youth team competitions. Note: Decades of Dressage Prizelist designed by Katie Staib LVDA ADULT AMATEUR SCHOOLING SHOW DECADES OF DRESSAGE Organized, Hosted, and Run by the LVDA Youth JULY 14, 2021 Show Manager/Organizer: Katie Staib [email protected] Show Secretary: Ryleigh Koch [email protected] Judge: Cheryl Ash L* Held at: THUNDERHEAD FARM 7813 Springhouse Rd. New Tripoli, PA 18066 SHOW INFORMATION CLASS LIST CLASS FEES: 1. Introductory Test A All Dressage Tests - $30 each 2. Introductory Test B Late Fee of $15 after July 5th 3. Introductory Test C 4. Training Level Test 1 Opening Date: June 1st 5. Training Level Test 2 Closing Date: July 5th 6. Training Level Test 3 Preliminary Times Posted: July 9th 7. First Level Test 1 Final Times Posted: July 11th 8. First Level Test 2 9. First Level Test 3 Show Registration: 10. Second Level TOC 11. Third/Fourth Level TOC • Entry via Equestrian Entries. 12. FEI TOC • Current Copy of Negative Coggins 13. Western Dressage TOC (dated within 12 months of show) Raffles and Fun. and Flu/Rhino vaccination (dated within 6 months of show) must be Food available on show grounds. provided in order to ride. • LVDA Waiver & Release of Liability No dogs allowed. must be signed. • Please Review the LVDA Covid-19 Appropriately fitted, safe dress Protocols. and tack required, including helmets for all riders. Scores are eligible for LVDA, ESDCTA Year-End Awards. The show is also registered with the USDF Regional Schooling Show Awards Program. Placings/Awards: Ribbons are awarded utilizing the Danish Placing System. High Point Prizes for each decade, as well as other prizes. Dressage Schooling Show at Hidden Creek Equestrian Ctr 315 Mountain View Dr, Kunkletown, PA 18058 LVDA, ESDCTA & USDF Regional Schooling Show Awards Program Registered Show Date: July 25 Opens: June 16 Closes: July 16 Show Secretary: Jen Koch - [email protected] 484-894-0876 Show Manager: Becky Kuc - [email protected] 570-856-8291 Judge(s): Lisa Schmidt, S and Kelsey Johnson, L 1. Intro Level Test A Available Classes: 17. FEI TOC 2. Intro Level Test B 18. Leadline TOC 3. Intro Level Test C 9. First Level Test 3 19. Dressage Seat 4. Training Level Test 1 10. Second Level Test 1 5. Training Level Test 2 11. Second Level Test 2 Equitation TOC 6. Training Level Test 3 12. Second Level Test 3 20. Western Dressage TOC 7. First Level Test 1 13. Third Level Test 1 21. Musical Freestyle TOC 8. First Level Test 2 14. Third Level Test 2 15. Third Level Test 3 16. Fourth Level TOC Entry Fees, Liability Waivers & COVID-19 Protocols LVDA Members: Adult $25.00 Youth $20.00 Non-Members: $30.00 Enter via: Equestrian Entries LVDA Liability Waiver - Signature Required For everyone’s safety at the show please read and adhere to the: LVDA COVID-19 Protocols Refunds: Before Closing Date - less $10 Office Fee. After Closing Date - only with a veterinarian excuse. Scratches day of show - No Refunds A current copy of a Negative Coggins (dated within 12 months of show) and Flu/Rhino vaccination (dated within 6 months of show) must be provided in order to ride. • Due to COVID-19 Protocols please submit these documents via the File Upload on the entry form or email them to the show secretary prior to the show. LVDA 2021 SPONSOR LVDA 2021 SPONSOR LVDA Rider/Horse Recognition Form LVDA 2021 SPONSOR LVDA 2021 SPONSOR 213 E. Jarretsville Road Forest Hill, MD 21050 LVDA 2021 SPONSOR LVDA 2021 SPONSORS LVDA 2021 SPONSORS Supporters of LVDA Supporters of LVDA LVDressageAssociation LVDATeams USDF Region 1 Website Hope to see you at our shows!