Pre-1900: The main thrust of the high school or haute ecole movements, not related to preparation for warfare, were seen in the circus dressage (ringriders, baroque-style) of the old masters. For the purpose of entertainment and competition it lost some of the foundation blocks of training. It evolved into something much better when cross-country riders began using dressage to develop their horses for competition in the 20th century – they realized they needed better movement and strength over the back to create an athlete capable of supple dressage movements and jumping strength/athleticism.
Born of this was the forward seat which was invented in the late 1800s by Caprilli (who paradoxically died falling on his head) who understood that horses needed to land on their forelegs (it was originally thought they should land hindlegs first) and was important not to restrain the neck and head position of the horse over fences. The style of gripping with the knees was the downside of this style of riding but it brought the rider closer to the horse’s center of gravity.
These influences resulted in the evolution of modern classical dressage, which combined the extended gaits necessary for the open field with the collected trot to get an all-around horse that could jump and do much more athletic suppling exercises. This required strength in the hind quarters and upward thrust over the back.
Two world wars in less than 20 years decimated the population of horses. There were no horses left in Europe other than racehorses by 1945, and even the U.S. cavalry butchered over 10,000 horses to feed the troops. This left both the U.S. and Europe bereft of horses to train. Therefore, the loss of training knowledge cannot be underestimated in the post-WWII era. The accumulated understanding of centuries, when the horse was central to the everyday life of nearly everyone who wanted to get from point A to point B without having a lame horse, was lost. In the mid-20th century many books from the masters discussed the high school or haute ecole movements in detail with no mention of how the horse was to be trained to the point where it could perform the movements.
The importance of the first two years of a horse’s training was understood prior to the world wars, but after so many lost their lives or their livelihoods in Europe, this institutional knowledge of breaking and training the young or re-purposed horse was lost. There were pockets of horsemen who maintained the old understandings. In Portugal, Nuno Oliveira and in Germany, Egon von Neindorff were the premier bridges of knowledge. However, both left equestrian sports at the height of their fame (late ‘50s, early ‘60s) because they didn’t like the direction competition dressage was taking, even that early in the history of the modern era (the precursor to what we see now with rollkur and false framing). Unfortunately, due to the loss of these essential bridges of knowledge, competition dressage was able to continue down the road of aberration to this very day. It is the main purpose of the World Dressage Federation to spread an understanding of the correct development and physical training of the dressage and jumping horse, and in fact, the horse in any discipline.
Different European Schools of Training (Germany vs France vs Portugal)
The French were quicker in their application of the stretch (down and out) due to the lighter type of Thoroughbred horses they were riding that needed this work to develop any topline and strength. The German school horses were heavier carriage horses that were bred into a lighter frame over time, so they came to the stretch later as more and more Thoroughbred was introduced to the heavier German Warmblood lines. The horses in Portugal were lighter, high strung/sensitive types that were very quick and athletic, bred for bullfighting and the haute ecole movements. Therefore, the stretch was always practiced in training young horses to keep horses supple and light to the aids for these demanding sports.
In the U.S. after WWII and the industrial revolution, horses were being replaced by motorized vehicles but gaining popularity as a pleasure or sport horse. The ‘Park Horses’ of the ‘50s and ‘60s (valued for their flashy gaits) and the “Plantation” horses (valued for their smooth gaits) were being bred to conform to this trend. The downside we now understand, through the advancement of science and modalities for testing, is the biomechanics of the horse and the importance of engagement, connection and purity of the gaits. They were falsely pulled up into a frame with a double bridle and with long shoeing that created artificial gaits, lifting the front legs high. It was a breed of horse that had a very high headset, and this devolved into the aberrations we see in the Morgan shows, Tennessee Walking Horses, and the Saddlebred. What all these horses have in common is that they are very hollow and cannot sustain work for more than a few years in either the competition arena or on trails. The purpose of the World Dressage Federation training method is to create a horse that can perform whatever job is asked of it for its entire lifespan, with calmness and confidence because it has been shown a patient, step-by-logical-step method to fitness for carrying the rider in any discipline. This includes competition or other work, including racing.
The World Dressage Federation supports modern classical dressage training based on hundreds of years of study in the training and physical development of the horse. The method starts by developing a horse over a two-year period, working effectively with the horse’s structure to create a horse working over its back. The horse will develop self-carriage and full relaxation, as seen in the horses of Nuno Oliveira, Egon von Neindorff, Reiner Klimke, Klaus Balkenhol, Michel Henriquet, and Erik Herbermann.