For many spectators, it’s the highlight of watching dressage: that moment when the horse opens up and seems to fly across the diagonal or down the long side in a spectacular extended trot. Like everything else in dressage, however, nailing that single “wow” moment begins long before you enter the ring at A.
Three-time Pan Am Games competitor Esther Mortimer operates M2 Dressage in Millgrove, Ontario, with her husband Harper Mackenzie, a top-rated coach and FEI dressage competitor himself. With experience helping riders at all levels from training to grand prix, the pair knows that “wow” moments in the ring begin with a solid foundation at home.
“The rider must have a good independent seat, quiet hand, and a strong core to help the horse and not interfere with its movement,” says Mortimer. “The horse should have good-quality gaits naturally, especially the walk and canter, and must have the appropriate strength, balance, and suppleness for the level. For the lower levels, we want to see that the horse can show clear transitions into and back from a lengthened stride, that he wants to go forward, and that he stays in front of the rider’s leg. As horses move up from third level into prix St. Georges and beyond, the gaits need to be more uphill, balanced, and not rushing, light and in self-carriage.”