Amateur Dressage

    I appreciated the effort of Scott Hassler in his recent (July 11, 2008) Between Rounds column in the Chronicle of the Horse to address the importance of the amateur rider in the sport. The title of his article, “Amateurs Form the Backbone of Our Sport,” suggests a real and true appreciation on Hassler’s part for amateur riders and their contributions to the sport. He identified situations and sentiments that are common for amateur riders, such as the challenge of riding confidently when one rides and trains primarily alone. He also described how amateurs might sometimes feel like second-class citizens behind the big names and professionals.

    It was, for this amateur rider, very reassuring to see an article with this title and subject in a major magazine by a figure so prominent in the dressage world as Hassler. The audience for the article was clearly the professionals whom Hassler was encouraging to be more consistently inclusive in their dealings with amateurs. He encouraged professionals to keep amateurs involved in every part of the sport.

    The challenge when one talks about addressing the needs of amateurs is that there really is no single “class” of amateurs. My situation and the time, resources, and energy I devote to riding and learning about dressage might be quite different from many other amateurs. Even amongst my own group of riding friends, I think we would agree that we share a love of our horses and learning dressage, but also recognize that we have different situations, time and family commitments, and a whole host of other differences in our daily lives that affects how we “train” or ride dressage.

    Our motivation for riding and learning dressage might also come from different directions and will therefore lead us in slightly different directions (in terms of our progress and what areas we choose to focus on in our dressage education). For those of us amateurs who are very competitive, we might be most satisfied by training regularly and competing in shows. For those of us who find the most satisfaction in building and developing a relationship with our equine partner, competing at shows and year-end awards might not be a high priority or even very fulfilling. And so on…

    Like any sport or hobby, dressage can offer the amateur numerous ways to participate in a manner that is enjoyable and fulfilling for him or herself. For myself, I can even say that I go through phases where my motivation or goal might change. For example, one year I might focus on showing and developing my competitive skills and practices. Another year, like this one, I spend more time riding in and auditing clinics and trying to learn by reading, watching other riders, and developing other areas of my horsemanship. Sometimes the official dressage organizations like the USDF or our group member organizations will have events that match my area of interest, and sometimes they might not.

    With the great variety of amateurs who have different motivations and who might also have very different goals for their riding, it must be quite a challenge for the professional to know how to include amateurs in “every part of the sport” like Hassler recommends. I don’t necessarily feel like I’ve been slighted or left out by being an amateur. Being able to recognize and define my personal riding and training goals has helped me in that regard, I think. Understanding and accepting that my riding goals and motivations are unique and that they may be different from other amateurs in my barn and in my circle of friends helps too.

    Keeping in mind that “amateur” is not a one-size-fits-all designation is the only little suggestion I would add to Hassler’s message to professionals. Hassler’s concluding statement encourages professionals to “remember to keep amateurs inspired, to value the time that they contribute and appreciate what they bring to the sport.” I appreciate Hassler’s opinion and am interested to read any feedback his article generates from professionals and amateurs.