World class dressage - the Hester influence

ycbm

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Eight years ago I watched Olympic dressage and was put off by tense, stressed horses, some looking as if they would be better in a circus than a sports event. Harsh training methods seemed to be normal and things looked like they were heading in a very wrong direction.

Four years ago I saw far fewer stressed and/or circus horses and a calm, relaxed looking horse won gold.

Today I watched the Kur and saw Charlotte with a fantastic win and almost every horse looking more relaxed than I remember from eight years ago.

Carl trains the entire British team. Is it going too far to say that one man appears to have changed the face of world class dressage?
 

Cortez

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Not going too far. Carl Hester is a wonderful trainer, rider and most of all horseman. And there's not too many that I'd say that about.
 

Goldenstar

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Training moves on the competition pushes people to new places developing the sport I remember the change Nicola UPhoff and Rembrant made when they burst on the scene .
Carl's an amazing trainer and horseman whose developed his skills from scratch no horsey family to give him a leg up .
But he did not do it in a vacuum many people helped him develop and nurtured his skills and huge talent you need to remember them as well .
 

Exploding Chestnuts

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Eight years ago I watched Olympic dressage and was put off by tense, stressed horses, some looking as if they would be better in a circus than a sports event. Harsh training methods seemed to be normal and things looked like they were heading in a very wrong direction.

Four years ago I saw far fewer stressed and/or circus horses and a calm, relaxed looking horse won gold.

Today I watched the Kur and saw Charlotte with a fantastic win and almost every horse looking more relaxed than I remember from eight years ago.

Carl trains the entire British team. Is it going too far to say that one man appears to have changed the face of world class dressage?

I don't know whether it was him alone, but I am grateful.
I cannot say how much I hate the Rolkur style.,
 
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Luci07

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He also sets a very very high bar in terms of caring for his horses. Valegro has been carefully nurtured and held back when others would keep pushing him. The return was a 14 year old horse who didn't show his age at all. Its not "just" the dressage - I love how he has unfashionable rescue dogs, takes back his equine friends and shows how much he cares. In terms of where he has come from he never fails to bring that up and remain grateful. However, end of the day you can't take away the fact that this man has blazed a trail and a different route for dressage - and 8 years ago, who would have thought we would ever be in with a chance of a medal, let alone 3 golds.
 

paddi22

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i always find it interesting that a sport that has such an old and well documented history could have gone so astray over the years. The rewarding of marks for flashy, stressed horses who are incorrect movers over more relaxed happy ones was awful. The judging systems should have been ashamed of allowing that to happen. The true fault lies there as it puts pressure on other riders to change their way of going and what horses they produce in order to replicate the marks the see others getting.

The main difference I like now is that you can see riders and horses who obviously have a bond and an equal partnership. You just wince looking at some of the other riders, and how miserable the horses look. Dressage should always have been about harmony, how on earth did it go so far off the track in the last few years. Full credit to Carl and Charlotte for their influence nowadays
 

AandK

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Great thread, and agree with every post.

Lets hope this 'revolution' carries on and those hideous overbent pictures we see of some people training become a thing of the past, it goes to show you don't need to practice rollkur to win/get good scores. It was so nice to see many more happy looking horses, working with ease, and very few of those circus style high stepping extended trots, which I believe are a sure sign of being trained using rollkur.
 

EventingMum

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I agree, Carl's influence has been phenomenal. He has built a great team around him who all seem to care so much for their horses and the insights we get into how he runs his his yard considering the horse's mental and physical well being is lovely. The three British riders in the Kur all seemed to use very little curb rein and the harmonious partnerships were a delight to watch. Carl certainly is a wonderful ambassador for sport and I sincerely hope many will follow his lead in the future.
 

Jazzy B

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I agree, Carl's influence has been phenomenal. He has built a great team around him who all seem to care so much for their horses and the insights we get into how he runs his his yard considering the horse's mental and physical well being is lovely. The three British riders in the Kur all seemed to use very little curb rein and the harmonious partnerships were a delight to watch. Carl certainly is a wonderful ambassador for sport and I sincerely hope many will follow his lead in the future.

Totally agree! An amazing rider, trainer and horseman - I doubt there are many out there that could get a horse that looks as sharp as Nip Tuck to the standard that he has!
 

Wagtail

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Fabulous, refreshing and amazing. Agree with the others, it is so lovely to see such a change in what gets rewarded in dressage.

Just as an aside, am I the only one who couldn't understand all the booing after the score was announced for Lorenzo? Did anyone else notice how his horses hocks were all over the place (lots of lateral movement in the joint) and all the tail swishing? Just curious, because it stuck out like a sore thumb to me and I genuinely want to know if I was seeing things.
 
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Jenni_

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Did everyone notice how loose Fiona's curb rein was.....

Yes.

And it begs the question of if someone can train a horse to Grand Prix riding essentially in a snaffle, when will it be the time to allow that legally in competition?

I know the double is about refinement but we should be celebrating those who are able to reach this level with minimum tack. Charlotte was phenomenal, as was Carl, but Fiona went in there one eyed, after a brilliant accident recovery, and rode that wonderful horse very quietly and sympathetically.... More praise for her please :)
 

Bernster

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Fabulous, refreshing and amazing. Agree with the others, it is so lovely to see such a change in what gets rewarded in dressage.

Just as an aside, am I the only one who couldn't understand all the booing after the score was announced for Lorenzo? Did anyone else notice how his horses hocks were all over the place (lots of lateral movement in the joint) and all the tail swishing? Just curious, because it stuck out like a sore thumb to me and I genuinely want to know if I was seeing things.

I don't know what was behind the crowd booing. It struck a bad chord and seemed a bit off imo. I liked the horse's activity but he was a bit all over the place leg-wise! To my very amateur eye, he seemed like a very capable horse but not quite sorted in his balance etc.. A horse with lots of potential but def not a match for those higher placed.

ETA Totally agree all comments re Carl's influence and the lovely riding from the GB Team :)
 

Wagtail

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I don't know what was behind the crowd booing. It struck a bad chord and seemed a bit off imo. I liked the horse's activity but he was a bit all over the place leg-wise! To my very amateur eye, he seemed like a very capable horse but not quite sorted in his balance etc.. A horse with lots of potential but def not a match for those higher placed.

Lots of flashiness but his hocks really would worry me. I have seen other horses with that much wobble in their hocks (obviously not at his level), but all have ended up pretty knackered. I think the horse was crying out he was unhappy IMO. All in all, a very physically stressed animal to my eyes.
 

ElectricChampagne

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I wondered about the hocks there too but again I'm clueless. He didn't seem happy at all.

I do agree about Carl's influence and his management of Valegro and training methods for Charlotte and all the team fall nothing short of epic. I hope his influence lasts and lasts in the dressage world because the harsher training methods had put me off the sport.

What was the booing about? Was it that the crowd felt the judges over marked the rounds?
 

Wagtail

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I wondered about the hocks there too but again I'm clueless. He didn't seem happy at all.

I do agree about Carl's influence and his management of Valegro and training methods for Charlotte and all the team fall nothing short of epic. I hope his influence lasts and lasts in the dressage world because the harsher training methods had put me off the sport.

What was the booing about? Was it that the crowd felt the judges over marked the rounds?

I took it as they thought Lorenzo had been marked too low. But I could be wrong. That is what confused me because I thought he didn't look happy and that was reflected in his marks.
 

splashgirl45

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i think the booing was because the crowd thought that lorenzo deserved more...to the general public it would have looked very flashy. i think the pressure must have got to lorenzo's rider as he seemed to have him much more overbent than in other competitions i have seen him in.. if he stays sound and the rider relaxes a bit and allows him to have his nose more forward i think he will be something special in a few years. i can see potential in him and would love to see carl riding him!!!!
 

Asha

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Great post, and agree wholeheartedly.

I'm no dressage fan, but couldn't take my eyes off the Hester Team. What wonderful bonds they have with their horses.

One of my favourite performances from yesterday was the first one , sorry I can't remember the chaps name. Loved his Ice Ice baby track.
 

Cortez

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Well, there were certainly two horses which could have done with a lot more "Hesterisation", and those were the two horses directly behind Valegro in the marking. I think that is also why there was booing; high marks that were not deserved there, and stragely low marks for some very well ridden tests (Verdad in particular). I liked Lorenzo, the hocks wouldn't bother me, that is the way he's conformed; rather camped out behind and with a flat croup. He's sound at ten and performing a complicated routine that may be a smidgen beyond his balance as of yet. His collection was phenominal in the pirouettes.
 

ElectricChampagne

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Well, there were certainly two horses which could have done with a lot more "Hesterisation", and those were the two horses directly behind Valegro in the marking. I think that is also why there was booing; high marks that were not deserved there, and stragely low marks for some very well ridden tests (Verdad in particular). I liked Lorenzo, the hocks wouldn't bother me, that is the way he's conformed; rather camped out behind and with a flat croup. He's sound at ten and performing a complicated routine that may be a smidgen beyond his balance as of yet. His collection was phenominal in the pirouettes.

Thats true he is a very young horse to be competing at that level.

I have to agree too on the two other horses needing hesterisation!
 

Tasha!

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Seems to me that SJ needs the Carl Hester treatment. The amount of riders being disqualified for over use of whip/spurs at the olympics is a disgrace to the sport imo. That Spanish rider just gone was another one to have a strop.
 
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Pebble101

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My friend and I discussed this today and thought he should be Knighted for his services to dressage. He has done as much as Steve Redgrave and Bradley Wiggins although he might not have been as visible winning medals himself.
 

scats

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I think Carl is absolutely fantastic- a true horseman who gets the best out of horses by, first and foremost, allowing them to be horses! They get turnout and down time, they aren't pushed and pushed and over-competed and he often has them back to retire with him, showing just how much he loves the animals for what they are, not just what they can do.

I would have loved Carl to have won an individual medal this time round as he truly deserves one, but totally agree that he should receive some sort of extra recognition for what he has done for British Dressage.
 

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Completely agree with the comments about team Hester and I was very impressed with Fiona's riding and not needing the curb rein.

And to add to the praise, what a competitor to let Charlotte keep the ride on the horse he owns. I suspect there are few who would make the same choice because as good as the bond is between Charlotte and Valegro, I bet he could have been the one taking multiple gold medals if he'd been more selfish.
 

Cortez

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Completely agree with the comments about team Hester and I was very impressed with Fiona's riding and not needing the curb rein.


There is a world of difference between "not needing" and "not being able to" use the curb rein. I would suspect that the majority of well trained GP dressage horses can be ridden without a curb, but a horse which CANNOT be ridden on the curb is not fulfilling the necessary requirements.
 
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