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Anky Van
Grunsven Cinic – Saturday 5th November, 2005
as part of Equitana Asia Pacific
Melbourne Exhibition Centre, Southbank, Melbourne.
Story and Pictures by Berni Saunders - Page 2
6 YO Welcome by Weltmeyer.
This ‘sharp’ chestnut is owned by Jim and Emmie Schmul and was ridden by
Tristan Tucker, who trained in Europe with Morten Thompson for a year.
While Tristan was trotting around to warm up, Rozzie Ryan asked Anky to
talk about the low neck for warm up? We are all interested to hear
what Anky has to say as one of our well known equestrian
publications has published much negative and critical comment regarding
Anky's controversial deep warm-up. Anky said, “All horses are
different and I respond to the feeling that the horse gives me.” “The
horse needs to be on his own legs!” (self carriage) “I do not push too much and then I
do not have to use much rein.” “You should never pull with the reins.”
“I like to feel that most of the horse is in front of me and not too
much behind me." "The horse should not go on the forehand, but this has
nothing to do with how deep he is!”
Tristan Tucker and HP Welcome - a talented
combination.
“The aids must always be as light as possible.” Anky confirmed.
Anky asked Tristan not to push the horse out, she felt that Welcome was in
a shoulder-in movement on the straight lines and she wanted him to be
straighter on the circle.
Another question, “When do you start to teach the flying changes?”
“When the horse is balanced at the canter.” “Some horses are balanced
when they are 2 ½ years old and some take much longer to get the balance
that is needed for the changes.” “I like to make the counter canter
first. If the horse knows the change first, he may not be so good at the
counter canter!”
Anky now talks to Tristan. “For me he is too high, feel that he really
needs to relax!” “People feel that the nose always should be in front of
the vertical. It does not HAVE to be in front of the vertical, but you
must feel that you COULD get it in front of the vertical!”
“Slow him down and give the rein - I do not care if he loses the rhythm.”
“I do not like that you ride circles so much, as he is not straight. I
would like to see a few straight lines. Keep him low, you do not need him
in a competition frame now.” “There you go; here the horse starts to
relax. This is all very good!” “Be careful in the circle right he wants
to go in a Shoulder In frame.”
“Now let’s canter, left canter first. Forward and downward, make him
rounder until you feel that he is starting to give. Not just in the hand,
feel that he is getting softer in the back.” “Make him deeper, but always
feel that your horse stays in balance, with his back up!” Anky’s lesson
was full of encouragement and gestures to help the riders to understand
her meaning.
“Play with the higher and lower frame and make the horse relaxed and
soft!” “Lengthen a little, do not bend him so much, ride the whole horse
forward and straight … now you do what I want … that is good!” “He is
straighter to the left. You do not want to keep pushing the horse away
from the leg all the time!”
Tristan Tucker and HP Welcome by Weltmeyer.
“Do the same exercise in the canter, leg yield for a couple of strides and
when you feel that he can go straight, and then you can go forward." He
looks nice now, loose, very good … Ya!”
“See if you can stretch the neck a little, this is very important!” “Very
nice Tristan… Questions about this?”
Now we will go into some leg yield. “Do you not ride corners in
Australia?”
“Go into the flowers – this is the corners!” (The training arena was
marked out by potted yellow flowers) “It is very important to use the
whole arena … you have 6 more meters if you use the corners!” “The horse
will be more concentrated if you ride the corners.” “Feel that he does
not want to run away, do one to the other side. Make a lot of little
transitions so that you do not feel that your horse is running away!”
“Now a half pass.” Anky asked Tristan if he always did the half passes
like this. “They are very nice half passes, but I would never do them
from the same place, as, next time he will do the half pass even if you do
not want one!” “Now I would like you to make little transitions and when
you feel that he is good, AND THEN ride the half pass!” I just want to
play with the exercise and wait until the horse feels ready!”
Anky was taking Tristan and Welcome away from the traditional lines for
the various exercises. She urged, “Do not make it boring for you or the
horse, keep it interesting.” “What can I do to make it difficult???”
“Walk in the half pass, this is good for his training, it will give the
horse and rider the opportunity for some’ training’ to keep the work
interesting and varied.”
Sunbury
Lodge Toronto and Fleur Dawkins
came into the arena as Tristan and Welcome finished their session.
Fleur has
been riding for 12 years and has the horse since he was young. He is
just starting out at Prix St Georges and doing quite well in Victoria.
Fleur and Sunbury Lodge Toronto competing at
Werribee Park at the Victorian Dressage Festival.
Anky gave the
new combination some time to relax and become used to the atmosphere.
“Questions?”
“Do horses
have to have the poll at the highest point?”
“I feel that
some horses do not have their poll at the highest point, but I think that
in training we should try to ride it like this. We have to try to train
our horses to have enough fitness and muscle tone to do the work. They
get muscle sore so you have to do different exercises to develop the horse
for the job. Try to have as much variety as possible!” was Anky’s
response.
Anky added,
“Make little transitions not big ones, so that the young horse enjoys the
work. Be careful that you do not work the young horse so much, that he
does not want to work any more. It is ok for you to ride more, but the
must enjoy it too!”
Fleur has
done some trot work and Anky wants to help her with the canter pirouettes
which she is finding difficult. “Make sure that the canter is in front of
the leg!” “If he slows down too much, make him go forward and then slow
down a again without losing the rhythm and impulsion.” “Go for some
extended canter, the jump is getting better, forget about dressage and
make him go more forward.” “GO Fleur.” Anky felt that her extended
canter had again slowed down. “You need to think about going fast, the
horse starts very good and when you ask for the extended canter, he is
slowing down and I want your horse to think forward!”
Anky really
worked on getting the energy in the canter before she made any attempt to
try a pirouette. She said that Pirouettes are very hard to watch … and
also for the judges as well.
Anky felt
that some of Fleur’s pirouettes were too much with the haunches in and
this causes the horse to lose the flow and jump. Anky said, “If you get
too much haunches in, carry both hand a little bit to the inside to help
straighten the horse. Keep the rhythm and again, smaller, the quarters
are a little in “keep both hands a little to the inside. Play with the
forehand take them a little to the right and then to the left. By
training like this you can get control of the forehand. If you lose it
immediately go straight out and get back the rhythm.
When the
horse was straight Anky asked for both hands to be carried a little to the
outside to control the horse’s shoulders in the turn and this would
control the turn and prevent the horse from over-rotating. She said,
“When the horse starts the turn, I keep both hands a little to the
outside. When I feel that he does not try to make the turn, I do not have
to take so much control of the shoulder.” “Everyone has trouble to
control the shoulder.”
Roger Fitzhardinge helps with the loud speaker
so that most
people could hear the questions that were addressed to Anky.
“Keep YOUR
nose in between his ears to keep him straight. Hands a little to the
outside in the pirouette control the straightness and turns.” When Fleur
applied Anky’s rules the pirouettes were great.
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