Creek Ranch, because it is symbolic of the best aspect of true horse people: the urge to help others become better riders. To the child that listened closely to Garn Walker’s advice, being a better rider meant, in that moment, having a better chance at not making a fool of myself in the ring. It also meant, more broadly, being able to do new things with my horse, being safe (falling off was a recurrent danger when I was twelve), and eventually being able to compete successfully.
Sometimes it can feel like being competitive in the show arena is the primary goal, along with being a better sportswoman or man; we can lose sight of the fact that being a better rider means first communicating more effectively with your horse. It means being a responsible member of a community of riders and helping others reach their riding goals to the extent you are able.
There are many different ways to help others develop and meet their riding goals. What then, is so unique about Cowboy Dressage? What has made it such big news in the last twenty years? What has made it the springboard for so many local, national, and international organizations, each following their own special interpretation of Eitan’s dream for horses and riders?
Accessibility
Anyone can learn to do Cowboy Dressage if he or she is interested and willing. When I asked Deb why they had originally gone beyond training individual horses to start on the long road that would lead to Cowboy Dressage, she paused, thought a bit, and then said, “We wanted to generate an outlet. There were all these people who saw what Eitan was doing with his horses, particularly Compadre,” she told me, “and they wanted to do similar things, but there was no guidance, no path for them to follow.”
Deb and Eitan realized that it was time to start giving back to the community that had given them so much, and they wanted to include as many people as possible. It was difficult at first, because Eitan had never envisioned himself as a teacher, but he felt the imperative to share his knowledge, and with Debbie’s insistence and help, he took the plunge. “I got smarter,” Eitan says; he was learning, but he did his best to form a new community that was open to everyone (fig. 1.2).
1.2 – Anyone can do Cowboy Dressage with any horse (or mule or pony!) anywhere. Cowboy Dressage shows include youth and amateur divisions, as well as the Welcome Arena, an opportunity offered during one day of a show for youth and amateur riders to ride and be scored by learner judges and scribes. In this picture, Debby Miller caresses Indie after a successful test at the Cowboy Dressage World Finals in November of 2014. Debby is over 80 years old, and like many older people doing Cowboy Dressage, enjoys the relaxed atmosphere and focus on self-improvement of the Cowboy Dressage shows.
You can do Cowboy Dressage with any horse, anywhere. What Debbie and Eitan had wanted was not just to show what could be done with a horse, but to give other people the means to do it. Perhaps they could not do everything Eitan was doing with his horses, but with his guidance, they could work together toward cementing the kind of relationship with their horses that Eitan had with his.
Not everyone has enough room for a traditional dressage ring. Many horse owners cannot afford to travel across the country to show, and they may not be members of the pertinent organizations. Others do not have the time to ride their horse every day. Some may not even have a horse they can ride, but groundwork is an important aspect of Cowboy Dressage that can be done with ponies and miniature horses, or larger breeds that for some reason cannot be ridden. Eitan and Deb, and all of the people who have advocated some form of Cowboy Dressage over the years, provide a blueprint for progressing toward the goal of a better relationship, anywhere, and at the speed that suits both horse and rider.
Focus on the Relationship
Because Cowboy Dressage is open to all breeds and all levels of riders, there is no set frame for overall look, head carriage, or action. Each horse is assessed with reference to his type and conformation: a perfect working jog for an Arabian is not going to look the same as a perfect working jog for a Quarter Horse, and neither is going to look much like the Saddlebred’s perfect jog (fig. 1.3).
1.3 – Julie Chan embraces her mule Cheapseat at a show. Cowboy Dressage emphasizes the relationship between horse and rider above all else.
When building your own Cowboy Dressage horse, you will want to consider the horse’s potential at all times, and ask only of him what that horse is capable of giving at that time. This emphasis on the needs of the horse can be seen at all levels of Cowboy Dressage, from trail rides to the show ring. At all times, what the horse does (for example, a transition from walk to jog versus a flying lead change) is never as important as how the horse does it. The goal of Cowboy Dressage is the harmonious, subtle, and relaxed flow of information between horse and rider.
Soft Feel
This harmonious flow of information is best explained with reference to Soft Feel, an approach to communication between horse and rider that is evocative of the soft feel taught by the great horsemen, Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt. Cowboy Dressage Soft Feel has four steps: Preparation, Execution, Release, and Relaxation.
Preparation: This refers to the rider’s subtle use of aids and cues to signal to the horse a request, such as a change of gait or direction. This should be evident to the observer, if at all, only in small shifts of weight or changes of rein. An important aspect of this essential first part of Soft Feel is Fresh Rein. This means the slight adjustment of the reins with the rider’s hand(s) that informs the horse that a change is expected. If there is no change of position, there can be no subsequent release or reward.
Execution: This refers to the horse’s completion of the requested maneuver, for example, a transition into a lope, or a turn-on-the-haunches.
Release: The execution must be immediately followed by Release, the third step. The release of pressure, from the rider’s leg, seat, or rein, is the horse’s reward for having performed the desired behavior.
Relaxation: Finally, after the maneuver has been completed, the horse and rider must show the Relaxation that comes from complete understanding and harmony between partners.
The distinguishing feature of Soft Feel is its two-way nature: any rider can send a message to a horse, but the true Cowboy Dressage partnership can only happen when the rider feels the horse send a message back. We will come back to Soft Feel many times in this book, once the importance of each step has been explained with reference to the nature of the horse and his relationship with the rider.
Soft Feel is introduced here because of its essential contribution, not only to building the Cowboy Dressage horse at home, but also to its importance in the fast growing world of Cowboy Dressage competitions. Soft Feel is the guiding principle for competitors and judges. When a clinician or judge looks at an entry or participant, he or she assesses the communication between horse and rider, with specific reference to the aspects of Soft Feel mentioned here. If followed, these ensure that it is not just about completing the pattern; it is about completing it smoothly, willingly, and kindly.
Emphasis on Kindness
Cowboy Dressage does not yet have a complete rulebook because it has grown naturally out of Eitan’s knowledge and the effort to base everything on the guiding principle of kindness. In order to meet the needs of an increasingly large community that demands more Cowboy Dressage divisions and tests every
