“Dressage,” said guest of honour Monty Roberts in his opening speech of the 2007 edition of the Global Dressage Forum, “Dressage is the ultimate in horsemanship.” In theory, that is.
In life, the world of that elusive sport is in constant discordance – riders, trainers and spectators disagree about training methods, and there are as many schools of thought about animal welfare as there are horse owners. Dialogue between the “dressage Ayatollahs,” as Forum host Joep Bartels sometimes calls them, is difficult. Yet he continues to try and inspire communication, and while the seventh edition of the Forum couldn't always provide conclusions, it did at least open the odd door to debate.
“Let's leave our egos outside so we don't get trapped in criticism of a personal nature,” said Roberts, who defined a forum as a round place where information “travels level and respect must travel both ways, too.” In that spirit, this year's GDF was a brave attempt.
Text and photos by Barbara Schnell for Eurodressage.com
Back to the 2007 GDF Index