American Olympic rider Steffen Peters won the hearts of his New Zealand audience, following his role as key presenter at the FEI Regional Forum.
Dressage NZ and Massey University formed a partnership to bring world class equestrian experts in a range of topics to the Manfeild Agri-Stadium, Feilding on Sat & Sun 12/13 Sept 2009.
2009 FEI World Cup winner Steffen Peters encouraged New Zealand riders to raise their expectations and to see mistakes as a training opportunity.
Presenting alongside FEI Director of Dressage Trond Asymr at the FEI Regional Forum in New Zealand this week, the pair made a definite impression, leaving the enthralled 350-strong audience with plenty of fresh ideas and encouragement.
With such a clear understanding of the physical and mental demands placed on the competition horse, Peters keeps his riding basics concise and straightforward.
“It should never be complicated,” he said, “We should always work towards doing as little as possible, making our aids simple but constantly testing the horse’s reaction to that aid. Can we make that aid lighter each time we give it? Work towards that.
“I want to ride into the dressage arena with life as uncomplicated as it can be. I need my aids to be clean and simple and the horse to respond to the aids in that way.”
Preparation is a pivotal part of Peters success. Since making a course error in his first international competition as an 18-year-old, he has never repeated that mistake.
“I cannot emphasise enough how important it is to be prepared, have your horse and yourself as ready as you can be to do your best.”
Joined by FEI Director of Dressage Trond Asymr, the pair provided concise and simple explanations on what judges and riders expect internationally. Peters touched on personal and horse fitness, competition readiness, sports psychology and offered invaluable training tools for riders of all levels.
“Don’t be afraid to be very clear about what your aid is and what you want,” said Peters. “Be straight to the point and get an immediate reaction. Too often around the world, not just here in New Zealand, we see riders giving an aid five or six times, for minimal or even no reaction.
“Raise your standards – horses need to respect each and every input and riders need to check that they are clear in what they are asking the horse.”
He also encouraged riders to discuss and negotiate with the horse. “Of course the horse is entitled to have an opinion, but he does not need to argue about it!”
Peters advocated adjusting the horse to keep it supple and soft. “Too often riders get tricked into being like show riders and sitting pretty but not being completely effective. It is important not to be afraid of mistakes – who cares if you make a mistake? Then we can fix it and take care of business and the horse learns and progresses from that mistake.”
“Correcting our horses within their comfort zone is so important. We need to challenge them and test their responses, it is so important to ensure that everything you do receives a reaction. A bad reaction is better than no reaction!”
All of this is of course done with the utmost care and consideration for the horse’s physical ability and its mental attitude.
“It was a really amazing weekend,” said New Zealand Grand Prix rider Charlott Bayliss. “Steffen was extremely generous with his knowledge and it was amazing how just a few small tweaks substantially changed the horses way of going. He was an absolute inspiration and an excellent example of sportsmanship.”
In his first trip to New Zealand, Peters was enthusiastic about the experience and said he particularly enjoyed working with Trond Asmyr and the team from Massey University, who presented a diverse range of recent research results, including on feed supplements, dressage horse management and developing the horses as athletes.
“It’s been a really enjoyable experience. I was happily surprised at the quality of horses and riders here and look forward to seeing some of them compete internationally,” said Peters.
Text and Photo by Lisa Potter
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