Anti-dressage sentiments

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Halfstep

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Recently I've started to notice that there are a fair amount of "anti-dressage" comments cropping up on this forum (mainly in NL and PG, but sometimes on here too), and other general equestrian commentary sites. And I've been thinking about this and why people seem to be quite antipathetic towards competitive dressage. Comments like "it looks so forced" or "unnatural" or "incorrect, not like the Spanish Riding School, etc". I don't hear so many such comments about Eventing or Showjumping, both of which have their issues as disciplines.

Why this anti-dressage? I think it is for two reasons, and this may be a bit controversial. Firstly, high level dressage is SO UNBELIEVABLY DIFFICULT to do well (if at all), and lot of people who do other disciplines or none at do not have empathy for top level dressage because they have no conception of how it feels or is achieved. Hence relying on pictures, internet comment, and general opinion. Now I know that jumping a 1.50m oxer is completely different from jumping a 1m one, but the mechanics are fairly similar - and most decent riders can "think" their way into how it might feel to jump a top course. But riding a Grand Prix dressage test is so far distant from riding a prelim or novice test, but in ways that are hard to appreciate. The speed of setting up moments, the immediate reactions required from the horse, the transitions that look similar but are light years more difficult (the passage to canter in the GP, for example). I think that a lack of appreciation of the skills involved lead people to be extremely judgmental of dressage in general.

Another aspect is still photography and the pause button on videos. When you look at, for example, the photos of Kevin Sparrow or other top dressage photographers, you are looking at probably a selected sample of maybe .5% of the photographs he actually took of a combination. Why? Because a mistimed photo can make even the best in the world look like **** on a donkey! No horse looks attractive on the down beat of the canter stride, or when the diagonal pair in the trot is just about to ground. So Kevin et al. tend to chuck such photos out. But if you stop and start a video you can see these unflattering sequences and if you want to, it is easy to produce not so great pictures of anyone doing a test, especially at the high level.

Sorry for the length but I was wondering what people thought. I happen to love dressage, it is my chosen sport and while there are problems with it, I don't think it is rife with abuse and poor riding.
 
I'd like to think I have a fairly balanced view of equestrianism, and have competed in all 3 Olympic disciplines at various levels. I also have come across a lot of Natural Horsmanship types, the good and the inneffectual. Traditionally I think it was the show-jumpers who had the worst reputation for mistreating their horses, and using questionable techniques. Now, the focus has switched to dressage. Perhaps dressage has been a victim of its own success? It has gained enormous popularity in the last 10-20 years, and has evolved at high speed. Along with evolution at the top, the base of the pyramid has widened too. This has led to greater scrutiny from all quarters, those who know what they're talking about, those who don't, those with vested interests, the list goes on.... I agree with what you say about photos and freeze frames, but you can take awful pictures of jumping too: as a horse starts to bunch to take off, the moment when the landing foreleg takes all the force... For me the proof is in the pudding, when a horse is still looking fresh and flexible in their later teens then I don't think there can have been anything too harmful in their training. From competing at local level here, which is where you see the worst horsmanship to my mind, I must say it was the dressage riders who left the worst taste in my mouth. Most of them never thought to pat their horse or smile, and I can understand that if that's what dressage's critics are seeing I can understand where the negativity is coming from.
 
Really interesting statement Halfstep :)

Somehow over the recent years a stigma has built up over dressage that everyone schools their horses in draw reins, they live in 24/7 and are fed to the max, when in fact if you go to any top level dressage yard this is not the case. I dont know any top riders who keep their horses stabled 24/7 for starters, yes some ride in draw reins but not all the time and the riding is done ''correctly''.

I think most of the dressage stigma derived from the Rollkur debate though, everyone seems obsessed with looking to see if a horse is being ridden in Rollkur or not - regardless of whether they have an actual understand of what Rollkur is. There is a massive difference between Rollkur and deep and round, but people who are less knowledgeable just dont see this. They (like you said Halfstep) only see the images from a certain frame and not the whole picture, and immediately jump on the ''Rollkur Bandwagon''. Really gets on my nerves.

For some reason there just isnt a stigma attached to eventing or showjumping like there is dressage........
 
I think it is all to do with rolkur/hyper flection being in the public sight in warming up areas and possibly the percieved perception that dressage horses have a more restrictive lifestyle than horses doing other displines.

I am sure the other displines have similar unpopular techniques but they are less visual or have not been seen by the public on a regular basis.

I do very low level dressage and to me it seems a lot about patterns, suppleness and obedience which tie in quite nicely with some natural horsemanship skills or skills you might use out hacking as people are asking their horses to go backwards or move in different directions at different speeds.

I don't think there is an anti dressage sentiment as a whole as loads of people compete at the lower level but there is a backlash perhaps against some of the techniques used at highter level and the BHS getting involved in the rolkur debate has caused more publicity and awareness amongst the general horse owning population. I think it is easy to get confussed between anti dressage and anti rolkur.

The great thing about dressage is it is something everyone can do certainly at the lower levels including adults on small cobs/ponies who are often excluded from other affiliated disiplines.
 
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I think dressage is just in the spot light at the moment - showing has had its fair share of being berated, I remember as a child it was show jumpers that got it in the neck for potentially dodgy practices - weather they acctually went on or not.

As someone who schools their horses as highly as possible, but rarely competes them, I do have things in all disciplines that I like & dislike - for example, in dressage, I hate to see the very tight nosebands that some horses wear, but equally, I dislike how many horses seem to wear martingales to jump. Conversely, I love how the dressage training has made my mare so supple that out XC she is cat like, and can get herself out of any pickle we might end up in.

If we pick one aspect and focus on that alone then we can make any sport seem 'dodgy'. What about cycling and its reputation for using performance enhancing drugs?

Dressage today, something else tommorrow.
 
These are the reasons I think dressage has been tainted! I think Fiona Price's videos on horsehero have been wonderful in explaining how hard FEI dressage is. Fiona is no clueless novice and yet she has shown her struggles riding Valero in just walk and trot!

1) Rolkur
2) Massive horses and tiny people - Anky syndrome it does not promote harmony to me. In Sjing and eventing there is no way you could ride horses as big as they do in dressage. You get the odd one but they are a minority.
3) Middle Aged Women syndrome - Super flash horses and riders without a clue. Again in the other sports you cannot get away with being overhorsed like this.
4) Its totally subjective.
5) It looks easy - I look at it and think I could do that with Laura Bs money. Does not mean in reality I could though!
6) Money talks as flash will often win over correctness. Its not supposed to but it does.
7) Katie Price - do not need to say anymore!
8) It looks pompous. This is when I speak to people who are non horsey. Dressage at eventing is seen as a means to go xc!
9) As a personal - dressage is the most unfriendly sport. Eventing wins, Sjing comes 2nd and dressage they never speak to you!
 
LEC said:
9) As a personal - dressage is the most unfriendly sport. Eventing wins, Sjing comes 2nd and dressage they never speak to you!
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I dont think dressage is unfriendly at all. I have a lot of friends in the dressage world that i have met out competing, and a lot of people I would used to see out competing that i recognised on a regular basis that I would always say hello too.
 
I agree with 99% of what LEC has written.
Although with point 9) apart from the odd show, most Aff dressage has been most friendly. Granted its never been BE friendly but I can think of two venues and the ppl who attend them (many semi pro/pros) and they make for a happy competing day :D
 
This is me waiting to compete in dressage .

cuteface.jpg

As you can see I am

a) overhorsed
b) unfriendly
c) rich
d) flash

he lives out and we even beat warmbloods though have to admit we are nearly alway the only pony! Obviously we are not going to be competing at GP level but then neither could we do GP SJ or 3 day eventing!

Dressage is accessible to everyone you don't need a flashy horse and you don't need lots of equiptment to practice such as shows jumps or x country course. I would say out of all the displines you need the least amount of money to compete at the lower levels.

There is a big difference between the average dressage rider and the top people doing more complicated advanced movements but ultimately everyone is enjoying themselves and doing some form of dressage. It is a shame that the focus has been on some high profile people doing some unsavourary things when most people who do dressage are not like that.

People might not be very smilely doing their test but they are concentrating or might be nervous - in my case and does not mean that they never smile or are constantly grumpy.
 
PMSL at LEC !!
Not far from the truth though I have to say, unfortunately I think I am far too rapidly heading towards the middle-aged woman syndrome!!!
I do think there is a fair bit of jealousy in the dressage wannabe world, perhaps more so than in the sj/eventing scene.
I would argue the friendliness though LEC, I have to say I have found BSJA by far the most unfriendly. Of course eventing still rules though :)
 
I think their comments are quite often based on ignorance. There are a wide range of breeds and sizes of pony and horse competing affilaited. Although some cost mega bucks an awful lot did not. It is generally very friendly. The super flash more money than sense brigade exist in all disciplines.
 
LEC said:
These are the reasons I think dressage has been tainted! I think Fiona Price's videos on horsehero have been wonderful in explaining how hard FEI dressage is. Fiona is no clueless novice and yet she has shown her struggles riding Valero in just walk and trot!

1) Rolkur
2) Massive horses and tiny people - Anky syndrome it does not promote harmony to me. In Sjing and eventing there is no way you could ride horses as big as they do in dressage. You get the odd one but they are a minority.
3) Middle Aged Women syndrome - Super flash horses and riders without a clue. Again in the other sports you cannot get away with being overhorsed like this.
4) Its totally subjective.
5) It looks easy - I look at it and think I could do that with Laura Bs money. Does not mean in reality I could though!
6) Money talks as flash will often win over correctness. Its not supposed to but it does.
7) Katie Price - do not need to say anymore!
8) It looks pompous. This is when I speak to people who are non horsey. Dressage at eventing is seen as a means to go xc!
9) As a personal - dressage is the most unfriendly sport. Eventing wins, Sjing comes 2nd and dressage they never speak to you!
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haha! agreed :) especially with number 7! ..and number 9!
 
I have been thinking about the other direction and how you could overcome this negativity and actually I think it would be very simple. It just needs some terminology changes and the getting rid of the word Rolkur from discussions. I think Totilas will help once the furor over him calms down as he is superbly relaxed and looks the happy athlete. I also think if the Germans are coming through with some superb relaxed horses then this will all help. I also do not think it will do any harm for Anky to disappear for the year as Salinero is not going to WEG. If slowly this becomes the norm then it will help.
 
One example of unfair criticism I can think of was when there was a Horse Hero video of Maria Eilberg when the site was free. Now, you really couldn't find a more classical rider from a more classical family than Maria, and a less flashy horse than Two Soxs. They are an example of a horse who has shone through really good training, and Maria has learned to ride through solid education from her father and his German, traditional background.

And yet - they were hugely criticised for showing how she warms Two Sox up deep and swinging - a lot of it implying that she was riding rollkur! It was madness. It was like people simply couldn't understand what they were seeing and lashed out.

I feel there is more and more of this.

No problem criticising where it is due. But where good work is slated for idealogical purposes.....that is where it becomes damaging. People will read the comments and instead of looking at Maria and learning how to help a naturally "ordinary" horse become "wow", they will think she is doing something wrong! :confused:
 
I think it's true what you said about it being difficult for someone who doesn't do dressage or only competes at a low level to understand completely what it's like to ride, train & compete on a top level dressage horse. Some of the transitions & movements, all the varieties... even just thinking about it now I'm finding it hard to even guess just how you would ride them & how minute some of the differences must be!
I admit, I used to HATE dressage. It looked like the most boring, pointless thing ever. And then I saw some clips of the WEG freestyle tests on TV when I was about 11.... I changed my mind! Ever since I've been rather obsessed :o This year I'm hoping to go for lessons at Pen Llyn Lusitano stud - 1. because I've wanted to ride an iberian for years ;) but also because I really want to know how it feels to ride some of the more difficult dressage movements! I'm rather scared about it tbh because I have no idea what to expect... I guess it'll be hard work though!

'2) Massive horses and tiny people - Anky syndrome it does not promote harmony to me. In Sjing and eventing there is no way you could ride horses as big as they do in dressage. You get the odd one but they are a minority.'
This is a part of dressage I just find silly... I'm 5'4 & weigh 7 stone, I know if I could afford a flashy dressage horse, I certainly wouldn't want a 17.2hh warmblood! Who does?! It seems rather pointless to me... and surely they're harder to maneuver around dressage arenas!? :p
 
I'm enjoying this a lot!! Keep going please.
My two pennyworth? I was an event rider, but as always did all 3 disciplines separately as well. I was trained in all 3 disciplines by different trainers, but the basics we always the same.
I think we forget that dressage is the athletic development and training of a horse and that we all do it to some level.
I also agree there are many misconceptions about dressage riders and the image of expensive horses; the subjectivity of the marking doesn't help.
However, showjumping is similar in this, many riders with money can buy very expensive good horses and manage to have a go.

Dressage at the level we see on the Tv etc is hard to imagine for many riders, and as with any sport at this level, takes some brainwork, studying; as well as rider skills.
I do feel though that talent and dedication, will out in the end.
I personally love it, but I don't like the falseness of some of the movement of the frontlegs in some of the top horses, at this moment in time. I like to see less flashy stuff and normal horses doing well, at the high end of the sport, but then this is dressage- and elevated gaits are the aim and when they are naturally there, life is easier, winning comes naturally, and they beat normal, correct movers, hands down.
As we judge paces in these classes as a separate mark , I often wonder why amazing movers (as the current trend dictates) are marked so much higher throughout their tests.
I think Carl Hester is amazing at training and getting the best out of horses, we saw Utopia this spring here in Spain, and he looks such a normal horse, until Carl begins to ride, more swing, harmony, as does Charlotte Dujardins (I hope that is spelt correctly) amazing horse Valegro.
It was also an education watching Ferdi Eilberg training very different horses and seeing the harmony he managed to extract from all of them, whatever their type.
I wish everyone could have the time and chances to train with true masters; dressage is so much more than winning the class you enter.

However, these people at the top are earning their living from the sport so it will evolve around these needs.
But I must admit, I found no more stuffiness in the dressage world, no more than other areas, when I have asked for advice or just been standing listening to teaching. I find the trainers really approachable.
But eventers rule, (haha) (I am so biased)
 
Halfstep said:
One example of unfair criticism I can think of was when there was a Horse Hero video of Maria Eilberg when the site was free. Now, you really couldn't find a more classical rider from a more classical family than Maria, and a less flashy horse than Two Soxs. They are an example of a horse who has shone through really good training, and Maria has learned to ride through solid education from her father and his German, traditional background.

And yet - they were hugely criticised for showing how she warms Two Sox up deep and swinging - a lot of it implying that she was riding rollkur! It was madness. It was like people simply couldn't understand what they were seeing and lashed out.

I feel there is more and more of this.

No problem criticising where it is due. But where good work is slated for idealogical purposes.....that is where it becomes damaging. People will read the comments and instead of looking at Maria and learning how to help a naturally "ordinary" horse become "wow", they will think she is doing something wrong! :confused:
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I so so agree with you, It is amazing to watch her warm him up, so soft, so gentle from what looks like a happy hacker to a really smart gp horse. Their horses go so so sweetly, I spent 3 weeks last spring and this spring watching them and feel I have learn't more in these 6 wks than in most of my training over the years!
 
I dont think its just dressage - i think showjumping is equally as disliked. (particularly on here, eventing is the only sport worth any credit!) but dressage just happens to be the one in favour to slate at the moment.

I think the higher you try and climb in any of the sports the more you see how tricky the whole thing is and (personally) you become more open minded and far less quick to judge.

However, out of all horsey people a very small % are doing that or are on the inside(or have been previously) of high level competition, so there is a really massive proportion of people looking up and picking out faults left right and centre.
 
I am not personally "anti-dressage", I just don't have a strong desire to do it any more than I "have" to in order to get to the jumping parts of eventing! ;) I can sometimes get quite into my flatwork when it's going well or I'm having a good lesson, and I can see why those with horses who have a natural talent for it find it more fun than those with a pokey-nose, part-bred giraffe! ;) (although the part gazelle breeding makes up for it jumping! :p )

I understand, and can see, that it takes an incredible amount of hard work, determination and patience to produce and ride a horse to the highest level though and can appreciate the satisfaction that must come with that- the same as reaching the highest level of any discipline.

I detest any form of cruelty to the horse in any discipline, whether it's dressage, SJ, eventing, showing or any other sport. There is no excuse for it and surely it is more rewarding and satisfying to have a happy horse doing it because it wants to than a sour horse doing it because you've made it?! (probably far too simplistic and naive a viewpoint!)

From a spectator, non-horsey point of view, Mr FigJam has always deemed dressage "boring" to watch, even the higher levels. To the untrained eye they all do the same thing in the same way and there's not much to differentiate between. At least with jumping sports you get the thrills and spills for the non-horsey- they can definitely see when something hasn't gone to plan there! ;)
 
Ive spent a long time in the dressage world, longer than my record says anyway but thats another story.

I do think dressage does come across as a un-friendly sport, i have had far more shows where ive met nothing but spoilt brats than i have where ive met down to earth horse people who truely love there horses unfortunately.

People also see it as a sport where all we do is make everything match everything & have bling, dead sheep & money dripping off ourselves & horses. In reality it's only a small number of people who can afford to have matching bandage/numnah sets & expensive clothing for everyday wear. However if i had the money i would also have everything to match everything!!!

Then we have the other issues of Rollkur & people reading book after book then believing that they can get on a horse & it be light & supple within minutes & there position near perfect.

They think dressage is easy & are very happy to give out criticism with no practical knowledge at all but again it's what they read on a forum or in a Book .:rolleyes::eek:

I used to event (pre novice level & SJ) but i havent done either for years now, i never ever offer anyone advice on these topics as i feel it would be very un-fair. Yet this seems to be different with Dressage as everyone has a view point?

Rollkur hasnt done the sport any good at all imo & im not afraid to say i don't like the method, but now you have un-educated people believing any form of suppling horses by moving there neck is a form of Rollkur. How we change this i have no idea:confused::eek:
 
dressagecrazy said:
Then we have the other issues of Rollkur & people reading book after book then believing that they can get on a horse & it be light & supple within minutes & there position near perfect.

They think dressage is easy & are very happy to give out criticism with no practical knowledge at all but again it's what they read on a forum or in a Book .:rolleyes::eek:

I used to event (pre novice level & SJ) but i havent done either for years now, i never ever offer anyone advice on these topics as i feel it would be very un-fair. Yet this seems to be different with Dressage as everyone has a view point?

Rollkur hasnt done the sport any good at all imo & im not afraid to say i don't like the method, but now you have un-educated people believing any form of suppling horses by moving there neck is a form of Rollkur. How we change this i have no idea:confused::eek:
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Yes i agree, the read a book/forum/whatever syndrome is a problem. As is the "classical" trainer syndrome - people who are marketing themselves as classical trainers but who don't have a clue, are very good at PR and publicity, and gain a sort of cult following. There are some true nutters on the internet, but they often sell themselves very well to those with little knowledge but a lot of passion.

Part of the problem is that dressage is cerebral and does attract people who think too much. What is difficult to address is that you can't think your way into riding well, you have to ride. Overanalysing can be a massive barrier to good riding, in a lot of cases (guilty as charged here I'm afraid).......:p
 
Halfstep said:
Recently I've started to notice that there are a fair amount of "anti-dressage" comments cropping up on this forum (mainly in NL and PG, but sometimes on here too), and other general equestrian commentary sites.
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I think this is the key part of what you wrote - the trouble is it is an internet forum and everyone's opinion has more or less equal weight. So the idiot rider who is articulate and has read a few books but who wouldn't have a clue how to ride half pass any more than they could fly to the moon can make themselves sound terribly knowledgeable and have their opinion respected and backed up, often by other people who also have no chance of riding at GP if you gave them Totilas and drilled them every day for the rest of their lives!

It isn't until you sit on something which knows how to do it that you realise how hard and yet how rewarding it is to do higher level dressage movements well. Ever since I have been having schoolmaster lessons I've realised exactly why people bother with dressage, and just how difficult it is to, say, canter a half 10m circle, half pass back to the track, hold counter canter for a few strides then ask for and get a clean change. And that's on something which knows how to do it - actually training a horse to do that is another level all together.

There is also this weird thing which I know we've discussed before about how people latch onto an idea such as rollkur and then instantly dismiss anything which isn't perfectly on or in front of the vertical as being 'wrong' without understanding the whys and wherefores of working a horse in a deeper outline. They also, quite bizzarely IMO, dismiss anyone who trains like this (not rollkur) but gets good marks as merely showing up a symptom of the general decline in dressage judging and a leaning towards overly deep, flashy horses. There are some horses I'd never work low deep and round, there are others which positively benefit from it, and knowing the difference is key.

It was said to me after several months of intensive training, 'these methods won't work on every horse you sit on, your horse may hate them, but what you now have is a set of new tools in the box to try out, which could be useful and which will ultimately make you a more effective rider with a better grasp of potential ways of problem solving' - that really stuck with me as a concept.
 
Halfstep said:
Yes i agree, the read a book/forum/whatever syndrome is a problem. As is the "classical" trainer syndrome - people who are marketing themselves as classical trainers but who don't have a clue, are very good at PR and publicity, and gain a sort of cult following. There are some true nutters on the internet, but they often sell themselves very well to those with little knowledge but a lot of passion.
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You've clicked onto the very people i was thinking of when i wrote my post, i find them most annoying but fab at Marketing ;) They have a knack at gaining big followings of lower level riders, it's quite amazing.

Halfstep said:
Overanalysing can be a massive barrier to good riding, in a lot of cases (guilty as charged here I'm afraid).......:p
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Me too:o:o
 
I haven't gone through all the replies but as a complete outsider can I just say, that in the main, dressage looks ugly, uncomfortable and un-natural in the way the riders give the aids; I mean who on earth would be allowed at Pony Club to swing their lower leg right back up the ribs when changing leads or lean back so far behind the vertical let alone be scowling most of the time? It just looks horrible unless you are watching someone who has empathy with their horse, tries to hide the aids as much as possible (as we're all taught surely, to finesse our aids) allows their horse to be natural rather than looking to be hanging on for grim death and gives an overall pleasing natural picture. If you look at the pics Tiffany posted of the Premier League, only one rider to me, fitted that bill; the first pic in the second set. That looked a happy horse. I take your point about professional photographers entirely and going by those pics alone, I'll take my happy horse any time although I don't have a clue who the rider is.
Outsiders want dressage to be pleasing to the eye which means smooth; they don't want to see all the hauling, kicking and excaggeration that is going on in a lot of tests, they can see that at any local show for goodness sake; at the higher levels they expect a lot better - and yes, you're more likely to see that 'harmony' with more eventers or show jumpers than you are in dressage.

Please don't make the bullets too quick else I won't be able to avoid them................
 
I'm definitely not anti dressage at the lower levels - how could anyone not aspire to having a well schooled responsive horse!

But I think I am a bit anti top level. So often it looks forced and such an unhappy picture. I'm sure Rollkur has also clouded my view of it and I have a perception of the top horses leading an entirely un-natural existence moving from stable to school and back again and being forced into performing movements

I appreciate that I am making huge generalisations and I dont hate dressage, but I definitely wouldnt pay to watch top level stuff even if it was very local :D
 
I think the other point is that when it comes to jumping (SJ or eventing), a) there is a clearly defined right or wrong answer - you either clear the fence or you don't - and it is perfectly acceptable to lack in style on occasion when you do so, as long as you get the answer right; and b) most people know they don't have the balls to jump 1.50 or intermediate + or whatever, but are utterly convinced they'd be brave/capable enough to ride a GP horse given the right training.....

PS There was a lot of rider bashing on the Badminton thread this year - what made me really chuckle about that was that in general (and of course there were exceptions!) the people who were slated were the ones who got round, whereas the ones who were lauded as riding really nice stylish rounds often had a stop/fall/retired. There was a certain delicious irony in that!
 
Very interesting topic!

I think the Rollkur debate has:
a) really clouded the issue about animal welfare - whatever one thinks about actual Rollkur, a lot of people are raising issues that have nothing to do with either Rollkur or welfare, e.g. horses sweating, salivating, use of aids, etc. My impression is that a large number of these concerns are not genuine welfare problems but rather ignorance on the part of the viewer.
b) brought a large number of people to the discussion. Anyone can comment on random photos, with no knowledge of the particular background, almost no experience of high level dressage, and in some cases even no understanding of riding at all.

That this is affecting dressage more than, for e.g., endurance riding, seems like bad luck.
 
Okay, i'll wade in. First of all, I LOVE dressage. I love doing dressage on a clueless baby horse just as much as on a trained one. I've ridden a Grand Prix horse, trained on one of the top top yards in Europe, and it took me quite a few goes to find out how to get him to canter. Very humbling. So, I do realise that even though I'm a reasonable jockey and have quite a bit of feel and a lot of empathy, I couldn't ride Totilas to save my life... sooo...
the reason I don't like SOME high level dressage riding is because I can see all the tension in the horse. I totally disagree with those who maintain that that level of tension is necessary to perform at top level. Perhaps, before Totilas, people really believed that?! Maybe Anky has a lot to answer for... ;) Tension compromises muscles, tendons and ligaments working efficiently - the horse is more likely to break down, physically as well as mentally, if worked in tension. So, horse welfare is my primary concern.
A friend used to work for a top rider and took all her 3 yr olds (which my friend had backed and started nicely) over to her (very famous) trainer on the continent for the next stage of their training. The horses would be brought out at a set time every day (horse a. at 10am, horse b. at 10.30am etc) and drilled for 1/2 hour solid in whatever was set for that day - shoulder in, half pass, whatever. The horses would start sweating up due to nerves in their stables about an hour before their allotted time slot. Don't think I need to say more about that... :( :(
My friend got so demoralised and upset at how these lovely young horses were being treated, and wrecked, that she left.
I could go on. I know that there are many brilliant and sympathetic dressage riders out there. Unfortunately I believe that some are not like that.
My dressage trainer (German, highly qualified, trained by Neundorff, very 'classical') told me that if he could do one thing for horses, he would make them whimper if they are in pain or fear, the way dogs do, that if we could HEAR how they were feeling, it would hugely change dressage. He knows a million times more about dressage than me, and those are his words.
I am NOT tarring all dressage trainers and riders with the same brush, here.
*dons flak jacket*
oh, and at a local level, i've seen more horse abuse by riders attempting to force their horses to do dressage than by those sjing or xcing...)
 
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I think you are right, cult following of trainers who are excellent at PR is weird, but is part of all walks of life these days.
I suppose this follows the age old Maxim of a little knowledge doing you no good etc..
I also understand that people are reading a lot of the training books and this results in a cult following or trend.
However, I must honestly say that I have found books by various trainers exceptionally useful as training aids alongside my trainers. I remember, many years ago having my first lesson on flying changes, it didn't go well, that night I read through a book by Jenny Loriston Clarke and another by Kyra Kirkland, the next day my trainer was amazed as it just all clicked. I have to admit, I need to read, digest and practice things in order to learn. This is my way of learning. But I'm not a cult follower, I have a very diverse library of authors. So I think, as long as you have a good BASIC level of training and a good TRAINER at your side you should be able to avoid this.
I think many cult followings offer quick fixes for inexperienced riders. Often riders who have no real solid support system.
I will keep harping back to it, I apologise, but I think many younger riders lack basic training.
I don't know, this is just my feeling. Here in Spain, everyone is an expert, each little trainer is a maestro by 30 yrs old, but no one really knows what they are doing, especially on the real basic principles, building blocks of training, this is widespread, until you get to the more experienced trainers, who are as always relatively inaccessible.
When I said above, that everyone should be lucky enough to have a chance to train with a master, I really mean it, whatever their level.... but I do not mean with a cult in mind, with a good trainer they refine things so easily, things you may have been struggling with for weeks, they really see roots of problems, it is amazing, logical, practical and when you chat with someone with this much talent it opens your eyes to how much you do, or don't know. Usually, the latter!
 
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