"Dressage is the art of teaching the horse to carry you. Riding is the art of learning to be a good load to carry."
–Richard Weiss
What is Dressage?
And how do we teach it?
It is important for the soundness and long-term health of a horse to use their bodies in a symmetric balanced way. When using 'The pyramid of Dressage', training benefits the overall health and condition of the horse while also preparing them for a successful Show Career.
Tiffany Uses the classical approach to Dressage training starting at the bottom of the Dressage Pyramid, with Rhythm and relaxation. This means making sure you have a soft hand and independent seat, and making sure tour horse is relaxed and focused before moving on to the more complicated skills of higher levels. This includes connection and impulsion through difficult skills, making sure the training progresses smoothly. "Every single skill and task is an art in itself, and will be treated as such"
Dressage achieves balance, suppleness, and obedience with the purpose of improving and facilitating the horse's performance of normal tasks. If the advanced training stage in reached, dressage may become an adjective in itself. As an equestrian sport defined by the International Equestrian Federation, dressage is described as, by definition "the highest expression of horse training" where "horse an rider are expected to perform memory a series of predetermined movements"
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"Most horses enjoy dressage schooling when they are fit, healthy and trained sympathetically. There are also those that love showing off when out competing, proving that their work is beneficial"
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Western Dressage
In 2016, Tiffany won the 2016 Western Dressage World Championship in Oklahoma.
While the Western Dressage Association is still in its infancy stage, it is gaining real popularity nationally. Due to a need for the classical benefits of dressage training on the more average type of horse most can ride, and still use skills both in and out of the arena, rather than the big-moving warmbloods of traditional dressage competition.
Tiffany follows the classical training approach aiming for delicacy, suppleness, and impulsion for all breed types, simply including change of saddle equipment, and has had plenty of success in the Western arenas with this step-by-step approach. So if you have a Quarter Horse, Paint, Appaloosa, Gypsy Vanner that you believe has show potential, or simply prefer to ride in a western structure while building fundemtal skills, training and showing western dressage can be both a fun and greatly rewarding experience for horse and rider.
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"Travelers to Guthrie included Mary and her dressage trainer Tiffany Beck Dressage with two horses in tow — Mary’s gelding Rio Hondo and his barn buddy Whiskey, Bob's Quarter Horse, traveling along as moral support. Mary had found herself facing knee replacement surgery awhile ago. Rather than let Hondo sit idle while she recovered, Mary arranged with Tiffany, her trainer of 10 years, to ride Hondo regularly to keep him fit.
Competing in a few Western Dressage shows earlier this year resulted in Hondo getting consistently good scores. In fact, Horse Talk reported that the “Rio Hondo-Beck” team received high point in Western Dressage at the Equestrian Trails Inc. World Show in Burbank last June 25 2016.
“We set a goal of going to the Western Dressage World show,” Mary said. “For me it was a daunting goal, having never hauled horses across the country, but my husband Bob was very supportive.”
In Level 1 with 37 competitors, Tiffany Beck Dressage won the class with a score of 69 percent, Mary said. “She won a beautifully embroidered World Championship jacket.” Tiffany repeated with a win in the Level 2 championship class with a 72.2 percent, a score that made the team the “California High Scoring Horse.” In addition to earning a second embroidered jacket — this one for Mary — Tiffany won a set of etched silver stirrups donated by the state affiliate, California Western Dressage Association, CAWDA."
- Story by Daily Press a newspaper in Apple Valley Calif.