The Tools to Win!
in a new Conrad Schumacher DVD
by
Rhegan White
(this article was
published in Equine, Canine & Country Life,
May 2008)
We are always busy with a new project at Aderro Dressage and our latest endeavour is production of Conrad Schumacher's new DVD:
Conrad Schumacher's Dressage Training Systems ... Prepare to Win!
The DVD will be released in the UK and the USA in September.
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We will
have a website from which you can purchase the product directly which
will be live in August – this will have a 3 minute preview clip for
buyers to view before purchasing. The DVD will also be available through
some tack stores and catalogues. In the U.S.A. Aderro will be working
directly with Trafalgar House publishing, who will promote and
distribute the product throughout the United States and Canada.
Here is a sneak preview ...
It has always been my belief that classical dressage is like an intricate art form that one never can know enough about. I have long been fascinated with this beautiful sport, which has evolved from movements performed in ancient warfare to the Olympic competition we see today.
As many of you know, Aderro has been a centre for classical dressage training since its inception 3 years ago with the excellent input of World Class trainer, Conrad Schumacher. Each clinic we have held at Aderro has drawn many enthusiasts to watch this master at work and all have raved about how much they have learnt and how inspired they were. Oh that I could bottle that feeling for them!
The Preparing to Win Seminar (PTW) last November was the beginning of a long term plan that the Conrad Schumacher and I have been working towards. We agreed that there was a need in the market for a pragmatic approach to training confidence in combination with basic principles for dressage riders, with the ultimate goal of winning. The big question then: “What does it take to win?”
The questionnaires filled out by the more than 400 attendees at the PTW seminar all responded with how clear and conceptual Herr Schumacher's philosophies on the art of “winning” were. The common theme was how simple yet ingenious his training methods are for both horse and rider.
The idea to create a training tool on a DVD came when we decided before the PTW seminar to film the entire day. In reading the many inspired comments viewers of the seminar had written, I concluded that, in order to get Herr Schumacher's message out to the many more fans and enthusiasts he has around the world, a training- specific DVD would help to explain his philosophies more clearly. And so was born the DVDL:
Conrad Schumacher's Dressage Training Systems.... Prepare to Win, Volume I
The basic content: Pre-requisites and Working Patterns for the Novice level with further volumes to follow through to elementary, medium and Prix St. Georges. His simple but clear and understandable techniques will be available for all to learn and I promise you, they are so valuable!
The Prerequisites: Conrad has a number of Prerequisites that he insists must be in place before you are really in position to win. To give you an example of one ...The Neck Position. How many of us struggle with the correct neck - actually wondering if we have the correct neck (is it hollow or is it over bent...) and if we have it how do we know we have it? How do we keep it, without holding our breath for the entire duration of the test! Ensuring the neck is in the correct position and understanding what the correct position is and how to get that position ... AND KEEP IT ... is examined in the DVD. Conrad is adamant that, without the correct neck position, the horse is not working correctly through his body and the rider will struggle to maintain connection and elasticity throughout the test.
How does this all-important neck position affect our mental fitness? How does this fit into the big picture of winning - do we clam up and panic before the test, riding around in circles, stiff in our backs and hands as we try to get the correct outline? How can we stop worrying so ... ?
Many of the students I teach have the same story to tell of “I panic and freeze before I go into a test because I am so busy comparing how well the other competitors are riding that I forget how to ride my own horse!” This is a theme for many competitors - and the common denominator in calming the nerves and riding confidently, according to Herr Schumacher, is preparation. This leads into his philosophy of Working Patterns and how effective they are in good test preparation.
Herr Schumacher has numerous working patterns applicable for all levels. Repeating intricate exercises several times without stopping to analyse or worry will help the rider and horse work through so many issues just by doing it! “Do it, do it again then do it again” he insists, “ until the rider has the feel that the horse is gliding through each movement effortlessly”. These working patterns are designed to have the rider working outside their comfort zone so that the movements in the test which had seemed difficult before the exercise will seem easy afterwards.
Preparation plays a key role in the Schumacher theory: correct long-term, mid-term and short-term preparation before a test will ensure the best results on the day. This, in combination with obtaining the correct way of going through applying his pre-requisites, and working diligently on specific working patterns, in turn leads the rider to a higher degree of confidence and on the day of the show, to feeling more focused and relaxed.
Will this DVD help you to win? It will certainly help you to ride more sympathetically and with an improved knowledge of what it takes to make you and your horse perform at a higher level. It will give you new tools to improve all aspects of your training at home, and work towards better results in the competition ring. It may help you to define what winning really means for you – perhaps it is as simple as riding at your optimum on the day. At the very least, this DVD will help you to Prepare to Win!
This exciting DVD will be released on 20 September.
If you wish to pre-order a copy, please to email Rhegan