Straton Sporthorses

One of the most important shifts a rider can make is realizing that progress doesn't come from collecting exercises. It comes from developing understanding.

Exercises are simply tools. The real goal is learning to recognize what the horse needs, why they need it, and how to help them.

Classical dressage gives us a framework for that learning. It teaches us to look beyond individual movements and focus on the principles that improve every horse: connection, balance, straightness, suppleness, and confidence.

No one can learn these things for us. Trainers, books, videos, and clinics can guide us, but ultimately the responsibility for our education belongs to us.

The riders who continue to grow are the ones who never stop asking questions, never stop observing, and never stop learning from their horses.



📷Richard Malmgren
🐴Romeo

One of the biggest shifts between simply “riding the test” and consistently scoring 70%+ is understanding what the judges are truly looking for. Let's use First Level.

It is not about flashy movement or forcing the horse into a frame.

It is about correct basics: balance, harmony, and rideability.

At First Level, judges want to see that the horse is beginning to carry more weight behind, stay connected from back to front, and maintain balance through transitions and lateral work.

They are looking for:

✔ pure, consistent rhythm
✔ relaxation and suppleness
✔ steady elastic contact
✔ straightness and correct bend
✔ balanced transitions
✔ engagement from the hindquarters
✔ accuracy in geometry
✔ adjustability within the gait

One of the most overlooked parts of scoring well is actually reading the directives on the scoresheet — not just memorizing the pattern.

The pattern tells you WHERE to go.

The directives tell you WHAT the judge is evaluating.

For example, movements may specifically ask for:
▪️balance
▪️quality of transition
▪️bend
▪️straightness
▪️regularity
▪️engagement
▪️submission
▪️accuracy

Riders consistently scoring well are usually thinking:
“How do I show the qualities the directive is asking for?”

—not simply—
“How do I get from one letter to the next?”

The directives are essentially the judge’s checklist.
They tell you exactly where the points come from.

The ideal frame is not created by pulling the head in.

A horse that is truly “together” should:
▪️lift through the withers
▪️swing through the back
▪️step actively underneath with the hind legs
▪️seek the contact forward
▪️stay light and elastic in the rider’s hand

The poll is generally the highest point, with the nose close to or slightly in front of the vertical — but the frame itself should be the RESULT of balance and connection, not something manufactured by the reins.

A horse can look round without actually being connected biomechanically.

True connection comes from:
hind leg → swinging back → elastic contact.

If you want to ride for 70%+, focus on making the basics exceptional:

• ride accurate geometry
• prepare transitions early
• maintain consistent rhythm
• keep the horse mentally relaxed
• ride every corner intentionally
• prioritize balance over flashiness
• create impulsion without rushing

Many scores are won or lost in the “simple” things:
the halt, the free walk, the centerline, transitions, circles, and straightness.

The best 70% tests usually do not look dramatic.
They look organized, supple, balanced, and harmonious.

Correct basics always scale upward into higher level work and your move up to Second Level and beyond.
Without them, the rest eventually falls apart.

A great start to Maybelline’s show career!
Daily Dose Equine LLC
Trilogy Performance Saddlery
Courtney Peiffer - Trilogy Saddles
The Distinguished Rider

In 2019, the USDF issued a revision to the Dressage Training Pyramid, changing “relaxation” to “suppleness," Brenner Klenzman writes. The pyramid is a translation from the original German, where the word in question is Losgelassenheit, a term that does not directly translate to “suppleness.”

I majored in German in college, studied in Graz, Austria, and am a “new” rider, having started in my fifties. As I learn more about how to ride, this incorrect translation made me wonder: Have we in the U.S. gotten off track with the overall intent of the pyramid? Did we translate it incorrectly, and then revise that translation in a way that moved us even further from the original meaning?

Losgelassenheit literally translates to “being in a state of having let go.”

- Losgelassen is the past tense of loslassen, meaning “to let go.”
- The suffix -heit means “a state or condition of being.”
- The entire word literally means “being in a state or condition of having let go.”

Does this sound like “relaxed”? It actually feels closer to “relaxed” than “supple,” but even “relaxed” isn’t quite right. It describes a mental state of non-grasping, of letting go. It’s the absence of external anxiety, a state in which learning and performance can happen freely.

What stands out when comparing the correct translation of Losgelassenheit with “suppleness”? The original meaning is psychological, not physical. “Relaxation” was closer to the intended meaning, while “suppleness” moves even further away. “Supple” is purely physical.

The purpose of the pyramid, as described in German, is:

Basis der Skala ist die Zwanglosigkeit – die physische und psychische Entspannung –, die in jedem Stand der Ausbildung erhalten bleiben muss, um die volle Leistungsbereitschaft und Leistungsfähigkeit des Pferdes zu erhalten. Ein Verlust der Zwanglosigkeit hat meist auch einen Verlust des Taktes, immer den Verlust der Losgelassenheit zur Folge.

This translates to:

The basis of the scale is Zwanglosigkeit (freedom from tension)—both physical and mental—which must be maintained at every stage of training in order to preserve the horse’s full willingness and ability to perform. A loss of Zwanglosigkeit usually results in a loss of rhythm and always results in a loss of Losgelassenheit.

A literal breakdown of Zwanglosigkeit is also informative:

Zwang: force, compulsion, coercion
-los: without
-keit: state or condition of being
Zwanglosigkeit describes a state free from force, compulsion, or coercion.

While the USDF interpretation of the scale leans heavily toward the physical, the original intent clearly carries a psychological component. Looking more closely at the first three steps of the scale reveals a very different, and arguably more complete and humane, understanding of the pyramid.

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2026/04/16/what-losgelassenheit-really-means-and-why-it-matters-for-the-training-pyramid/
📸 © Olivia Danielle Photography