Three days of meetings, lectures, awards, demonstrations, shopping, and catching up with old friends – those were just some of the highlights at the 2007 California Dressage Society Annual Meeting and Symposium with Ingrid Klimke and Dr. Ina Gosmeier held Jan. 19-21 at the Pomona Fairplex in Southern California.
CDS Annual Meeting
Friday’s CDS Annual Meeting demonstrated the growth of this 40-year-old organization and the sport it supports and promotes. Outgoing president Sandra Labrucherie set the stage with a 2006 recap: CDS is the United States Dressage Federation’s largest GMO (Group Member Organization) with over 5,000 members; CDS has the largest junior championships of all USDF GMOs; 150 CDS-recognized dressage shows were held in 2006; the World Equestrian Games dressage team was comprised exclusively of CDS members: and more.
CDS Central Office Manager Paula Langan expanded on that picture when she reported that there were 398 days of shows on the CDS calendar (obviously, concurrent shows ran in multiple locations!) with 13,000+ scores entered into the CDS database. Junior Committee Chair Mary Schrader reported that 12 percent of CDS members are juniors, and at the Junior Championships, the average age of the kids was 15.6 years, and of the horses, 10.8 years.
Growth goes hand-in-hand with growing pains, however, and the growth of dressage around the country impacts CDS members in myriad ways. Terry Wilson, Region 7 USDF Director, reported that the USDF Strategic Planning Committee is defining where USDF is going and how to get there, and that word is that it won’t be business as usual. One example is the head-to-head National Championships planned for 2009 in Lexington, Kentucky, new home of the USDF at the Kentucky Horse Park, instead of Horse Of The Year based on scores earned in one’s region. Kentucky is an ideal location for many on the eastern seaboard, but it’s a long way for Californians. Will it mean that due to the time and expense of equine cross-country travel, our future national dressage champions will be determined not on performance alone, but on performance and depth of pockets? It may be an inevitable outcome of the growth and maturation of our sport, but it substantially changes the character of our sport.
Connie Davenport’s report on the USEF Annual Meeting in Louisville contained other examples of similar changes – four new dressage championships have been announced, two of them to be at Gladstone – as well as a hotly-debated rule change that is expected next year. Currently, there are no requirements to move from one level to another at USEF-recognized dressage shows, but planning is underway for a rule change that will require certain scores at Second Level, or other qualifications, before a rider can show at Third Level. There are presently more questions than answers, and much heated debate. Will these requirements serve to encourage dressage sport, or discourage participation? Will it drive more competitors from “3-star” CDS/USDF/USEF shows to “1-star” CDS-recognized shows? Would that be a good thing, or a bad thing? Opinions abound, so stay tuned.
CDS is renowned for its large and exciting Championships held each fall, alternating annually between Northern and Southern California locations. Show manager Glenda McElroy of Cornerstone Event Management announced that this year, the Championships will be held for the first time at The Horse Park at Woodside. With its easy-access location on the San Francisco Peninsula, extensive arenas, great footing, and growing use as a magnet for high-caliber competition in all equestrian sports, this opens a new era for the CDS Championships.
Other reports included chapter activities, given at two-minute intervals by the chapter chairs during lunch, and ably kept to schedule by new CDS President Carol Tice. Extensive discussions centered on insurance procedures, CDS scholarships, amateur clinic program, by-laws, standing rules, and more.
Acknowledging longtime CDS Secretary Connie Davenport’s years of dedication, upon her resignation this year, Connie was presented with a Lifetime CDS Membership and gift, along with a heartfelt ovation. Recognizing outgoing president Sandra Labrucherie’s many hours of hard work, countless tasks professionally performed, and years of service behind the scenes and on the front lines when necessary, she was named Volunteer of the Year.
CDS Symposium
Ingrid Klimke and Dr. Ina Gosmeier brought together their complementary areas of expertise in a series of lectures and demonstrations throughout the weekend that focused attention on training and healthcare techniques that produce happy horses.
Ingrid is a national German dressage champion and has won the German Eventing Championships three times. Recently, Ingrid won the 6-year-old finals at the 2006 World Championships with the Westphalian Damon Hill. Using the classical training she learned from her father, Olympic gold medalist Reiner Klimke, and her own expertise developed from competing in eventing and showjumping as well as dressage, Ingrid brought a high standard of expertise and expectations, tempered with a realistic outlook and good-natured humor.
“This is real life,” Ingrid said at times when a horse misbehaved. “Be patient and try again.” That was Ingrid’s approach to riders who didn’t understand or couldn’t execute her instructions. Patiently, Ingrid insisted, and repeatedly asked for the requirement, until the rider did as instructed.
Dr. Ina is a veterinarian who includes natural therapies in her equine practice, which includes supporting the German teams at international competitions such as the Olympics and World Equestrian Games, as well as caring for beloved ponies and “old friends,” among other equine patients. A Grand Prix rider herself, Dr. Ina’s love of horses and sense of humor shone through every discussion.
“Listen to your horse,” she told the audience. “Your horse is your friend, listen to him, and believe in what he’s telling you. You are the advocate for your horse!”
Ingrid Klimke
There’s no classical vs. competitive dressage argument here – “The Basics of Training Sport Horses According to Classical Principles” was the first topic addressed by this international competitor.
Saturday’s demonstration focused on the use of cavalletti for horses at every level of training, from 5-year-olds who were ridden straight across a series of four cavalletti, to FEI-level competitive stars who could be ridden over cavalletti placed on a 20-meter circle. First at walk, with the cavalletti at the setting closest to the ground, then at trot, with the cavalletti at the next-lowest height, then some horses were cantered over the cavalletti.
Ingrid recommends that the cavalletti be fixed to the standards, and prefers wooden poles for their solidity, even if the standards are made of plastic. Four cavalletti were used for the straight line exercises, and four cavalletti were used for the circle. Spacing depends upon the horse’s stride, which she showed how to measure from striding the horse’s hoofprints. Numerous exercises combined transitions between gaits and change of direction with the work over cavalletti, and all resulted in horses with better movement and swing in their back.
Sunday’s demonstrations focused on test riding. After a few minutes of warm up, each rider rode a test (from First Level to Grand Prix) then worked with Ingrid on the movements that needed improvement. For the audience, it was a wonderful opportunity to see how even the most gorgeous, well-trained horse can be improved with dressage exercises.
Dr. Ina Gosmeier
Dr. Ina called her many techniques “natural therapies,” not “alternative therapies,” because they are not an alternative to conventional veterinary medicine. On the contrary, both types of medicine work together. They include acupuncture, acupressure, pain release, Bach flower essences, chiropractic, kinesiology, herbs, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Eighteen years ago, Dr. Ina traveled to China to study their methods, and brought back an invaluable experience. Since then, she has integrated those practices into her own, and today finds that an increasing number of clients want that integration.
One of the most intriguing ideas Dr. Ina brought to the symposium was her classification system for different types of horses. She identified five different personality types, each of which has its own unique characteristics, which in turn can point to the best training approach for each horse. A horse can be a mixture of types, but one usually predominates. It’s a large subject, fascinating to explore, and the book will be published in the near future.
Sunday afternoon, Dr. Ina spoke about optimizing the horse’s preparation for competition and the various therapies she uses. Demonstrating on two patient horses, Dr. Ina used sticky dots to show the location of acupuncture points, and later demonstrated the Yin-Yang Harmony points, and the acupressure points near the horse’s eyes, which can be used to relax him.
Remember: Love Your Horse!
When asked during the question and answer session how she balances her personal and professional lives, Ingrid replied, “It’s all one! I love my work, and I love teaching. I enjoy being with horses and horse people. We all have the same virus!”
Dr. Ina summed up the weekend’s underlying theme: “Remember, love your horse. Your horse is your friend!”

For more information about CDS, visit www.California-dressage.org. For more information about Ingrid Klimke, visit www.klimke.org. For more information about Dr. Ina Gosmeier, visit www.goesmeier.de. Dr. Ina has three books in print in German, with one being translated into English for availability by the end of this year. For more reading from Ingrid: Cavalletti, The Schooling of Horse and Rider over Ground Poles, by Ingrid & Reiner Klimke, recently released in an updated version, Basic Training of the Young Horse, and the new video/DVD, Success Through Fitness.