COCHRANE— Dancing in the arena for the first time since 2019, the Cochrane Dressage Show was back for the weekend of July 24 and 25 at the Cochrane and District Ag Society.
Show secretary Andrea Jackson said it was exciting to reunite and celebrate the intricate art of dressage. The weekend marked the first show in two years, she said, and had a slightly smaller attendance compared to past events.
“It’s a pretty good number for the first show back after COVID,” Jackson said.
Dressage is a popular form of horsemanship training looking to build teams skills and confidence through training patterns requiring finesse, rhythm and strength.
The Cochrane Dressage Show is a schooling show and an emphasis is placed on working with judges who are encouraging and provide helpful feedback to competitors.
Jackson said they are hoping to see the show grow in 2022 as everyone becomes more comfortable with the lifting of COVID-19 public health measures. The horse show had been seeing a steady increase in popularity before the global health crisis and they are hoping to build on this trend as people adjust to a post-COVID world.
She added it was thrilling pulling out the horse gear and getting back in the saddle to compete and meet up with new and old friends.
The Cochrane Dressage Show saw 21 riders complete 56 tests over Saturday (July 24) and Sunday (July 25). Riders ranged from local competitors from Cochrane to others hailing from as far away as Sherwood Park.
Jackson said they had about six weeks to prepare for the 2021 show as they were waiting to ensure COVID-19 public health measures were lifted and the competition would be able to adhere to any protocols in place.
A bright side to the tighter competition is it served as the perfect opportunity to ease back into dressage, while also allowing horses new to the sport to wet their hooves.
Jackson said the horses competing in the event marked a new era for the Cochrane Dressage Show as many were younger competitors, and a number of the competing teams were new partnerships. She added some horses just came along to get exposed to the experience of visiting new places and interacting with fresh faces at the Ag grounds.
Jackson was not competing this year as her horse Huey was injured, but she enjoyed seeing and catching up with friends.
She said during a show judges look at the obedience of the horse, meaning the rider must carefully train the horse so it understands what it is doing. It also serves as a test for the rider and the timing of asking the horse to complete an action, along with the ability to ride an accurate pattern.
“The nice thing is when you are competing in dressage you are technically competing again yourself,” Jackson said. “You can look at the test that you’ve done, look at the patterns, and say, ‘I did better this week than last weekend.'”
Teams will compete against other riders completing the same pattern, but due to the nature of the sport, Jackson said, it is more of a personal journey than a direct competition again others.
Sheri Dumonceaux, owner and trainer of Cochrane-based Horizon Equestrian Centre, appeared at the show with her Dutch Warmblood horses Dennis the Menace, 5 and her Blue Sky Warmbloods sponsored horse Mayfair.
“This is the first time on the property for them,” Dumonceaux said. “It’s perfect from my perspective because it’s not too busy.”
Dumonceaux described dressage as dancing, explaining you need a horse that is built for the sport.
“They’re [warmbloods] bred for the sport. Most horses are warmblood, or warmblood crosses, although honestly dressage can be ridden by any breed of horse. We have lots at the show that are not warmbloods,” Dumonceaux said. “They [warmbloods] tend to be better for the sport because they come with a natural rhythm and they have more movement.”
In preparation for a show, teams will receive a published pattern of the actions they will be expected to perform in front of judges.
“It really is in a way horse dancing,” Dumonceaux said. “I think of dressage as a combination of bodybuilding and dancing in the sense that they have to be really strong but really supple.”
Mastering the sport can take years. She explained a strong relationship between horse and rider is essential if one is looking to find success at the sport. Dumonceaux added more submissive horses make for the best teammates as they are eager and willing to listen to directions.
“It’s a beautiful sport,” Dumonceaux said. “It’s a wonderful sport, but it’s a very long-term sport.”
Every competition is a different experience with unique competitors, Dumonceaux said, so the main focus of dressage is personal improvement.
She said dressage can benefit any horse team and plays a fundamental role in building one’s horsemanship abilities and confidence.
It felt strange to be getting back into a competition, she said, even though she has been competing in dressage for many years.
Dumonceaux said it was more of a mental challenge getting ready for the 2021 Cochrane Dressage Show after two years of waiting for the end of COVID-19.
“These are both new horses that I hadn’t shown before,” Dumonceaux said. “It was getting your head back into the game about riding through tests and warming up. I’ve shown my whole life and after a while, it just becomes no problem.”
For more information on competing in or learning dressage visit the cochranedressageshow.com or kadans.ca.
