The pros and cons of the schoolmaster

More often than not, there are pros and cons to any perceived benefit - and surprisingly, this also applies to the dressage schoolmaster. - As seen in Equest Hub Magazine

Marian Hutchings sand dancing with her Medium schoolmaster, Bianko (Image Sue Crockett).

A dressage schoolmaster is an experienced teacher, a horse who is trained to a certain level and can give confidence to a nervous and/or inexperienced rider. Riders new to dressage can either learn with their existing horse (green rider/green horse); or if the budget permits, they can learn from a horse who knows what to do (green rider/gold horse).

One of the ‘pros’ of having a schoolmaster is that it’s a safer way of learning to ride. They are generally tolerant of mistakes and can help fast track riders understanding of difficult concepts like the half-halt, helping to more quickly and efficiently reduce the gap between what is unknown and what must be learned.

But this doesn’t necessarily make them easy to ride. Riders still need to be correct in their aids, or they will simply be ignored. Indeed, without the engagement of the rider’s core, most schoolmasters will not even go from trot to canter. And absolutely, they might know how to do a flying change - but good luck cantering down the long side on a single lead, because if you shift your weight, they may go into tempi changes. In short, the schoolmaster can give their rider the reality check they weren’t looking for!

There are schoolmasters at the lower and upper levels, and they are helpful in exposing gaps in understanding and any weakness in rider posture, providing a steeper learning curve than the rider with a green horse will experience. With a schoolmaster, hard work and coaching, riders can get where they want to be faster, because progress is more linear.

On an untrained horse, even when the rider is correct, it is highly likely the horse won’t at first respond correctly. With a green horse, the rider must work their way through a myriad of corrections over wrong choices, their horse’s response to aids, and positive reinforcement of the correct response. This requires coaching, good timing and confidence in the aids.

What the schoolmaster gives the rider is this: if the rider asks correctly, they respond correctly, providing the appropriate feeling to help train rider proprioception (feel), the hardest thing to learn. When the rider is riding well, their horse goes well - hence the joy of learning on a schoolmaster. These horses accelerate rider learning by helping them to break down and navigate the gross mechanics of a movement, as well as to fine tune its feel and timing.

On the ‘con’ side, an older/wiser dressage horse brings with them the imprinting and training of their previous rider. Although they might have a certain level of adjustability, they may not be receptive to learning how to do something differently. They have been taught how to complete a movement correctly, and might look less than favourably on approaching it another way. So, when riders take on a schoolmaster, they may have to accept a certain lack of adjustability, as well as learning to deal with any pressure they may be feeling around the success of the previous partnership.

Taking on young, green and/or challenging horses gives riders the opportunity to break down problems and think of multiple methods of approach. These horses teach us how to address weaknesses and develop patience on a maximum scale. Progress in less linear, and is often marred with large detours and the occasional pot hole.

But the good news is that there is value learning on a green or challenging horse, and there is value in learning from a ‘been there, done that’ horse - we can benefit from both. And importantly, a schoolmaster doesn’t teach a rider how to train young or uneducated horses. This can only be learned through sometimes hard-won experience.

And finally, on the controversial subject of down grading a schoolmaster. These often 14-year-old plus horses have earnt their stripes. By the time an FEI dressage horse is aged 14 or older, they have probably executed thousands of transitions, circles, half passes, flying changes and centre lines. But there are a finite number of extended trot steps in our wonderful steeds.

There is such a thing as wear and tear on joints, and horses, like people, do deteriorate physically from years of training. As our beautiful horses learn more, develop, and get stronger, they also get older and eventually stiffer, at which point their immense value lies in their ability to be downgraded and to offer a new or young rider purpose and education. From a welfare perspective, it is the kind approach to our older FEI horses, and this must be paramount in all decisions concerning them.

If you aren’t lucky enough to be on a schoolmaster, try not to begrudge riders who are. Let our grading system do its job. The system will push your horse up soon enough when, and if, they are ready. At the end of the day, no matter what, the more we ride, the better we become.

Karin Gordon training with her Grand Prix schoolmaster Diamond Dancer (Image by Flash Pony).