What better way to spend the few days between Christmas and New Years than at Callum Park near Canberra at a clinic with the delightful Natasja Van Den Bogeart?  Many fellow keen dressage riders agreed and the clinic was absolutely full to the rafters.   

 We were really pleased with the response, as although Natasja has represented her country of Belgium several times, she is not one of the “big names” instantly recognised by the majority of Australian dressage riders…yet.  But what she does bring is an unrelenting commitment to the basics, the ability to work out each horse as an individual, and to produce happy, forward, and supple horses.

Natasja is a professional rider, trainer and coach who has represented her home country of Belgium several times in both dressage and eventing, and was also a top National level showjumper.  She was Stefan Van Ingelgems bereiter for 5 years, then was the Head Rider at the prestigious QC Stables, training with the likes of Anky Van Grunsven, Andreas Helgstraad and Anne Van Olst, basically the Dutch A Team.  She represented her country at World Young Horse Championships last year with not one but three horses and is aiming to take one or two this year.  With young horse qualifying scores of 8.7 or 87% with her delightful mare Athena below it would seem she’s on the right track.   

Working with a diverse range of horses and riders, Natasja focussed firstly on getting the horses soft and over the back by spending a lot of time in the walk and then a gentle warming up trot using many transitions until the horses listened to the seat and gave softly to a light connection and flexion.   When the horse was soft and responsive she then requested a more forward warming up canter whilst seeking a good inside flexion, this made it clear to the horse that they needed to push with the hind legs into a contact and relax and give the neck, hence better using their back.   

Once the horses softened they were taken back to the outside rein and very quickly all that was required to ‘unlock’ the horses backs was a subtle inside flexion.  Riders found that once the blockages disappeared the horses worked truly from back to front, without stiffness and with a correct, living contact to the bit.  Once the horse understood to soften immediately, lots of transitions were a key theme here, with emphasis on changes in gait as well as within the gait to engage the hind legs.   

A really interesting aspect of Nat’s training method was that it worked with horses that were at the opposite ends of the divide in that both sticky, lazy types as well as the sharp and spooky horses quickly improved, the riders gaining submission and obedience from the horses through transitions and gymnastic exercises, without force, keeping them thinking and active, but also giving them lots to think about and do, instead of worrying about monsters!   

It was great to see that by the last day the majority of horses and riders had mastered these techniques well and could then work on movements with a much improved ability to quickly ‘adjust’ the horse, whether it was softening them, making them sit more, improving the frame or enhancing the forward button with often astonishing results.  Nat would then take everyone back to revisit the basics, reiterating the importance of correctly warming up the horse, using flexions to soften and ensuring the contact was soft but definitely consistent.  

“When you get the horse soft but flexing and then taking back to the outside rein you MUST keep the contact, otherwise how can the horse draw into your hand and then channel the power you’ve created?” says Natasja, “you need a soft living contact that the horse can rely on, and then using transitions, mainly ridden from your seat, without a backward hand, the horse develops strength to push as well as to sit, and also learns to wait for his rider.”   

As is often to be expected when a European trainer comes to visit us Aussies, the words “RIDE FORWARD!!!” was heard quite often throughout the clinic, we seem to like to set our horses on cruise control a little (though it was that sleepy time between Christmas and New Years ..!) and Nat was having none of it.   “He needs to learn to push a little, then come back, then push again, always stretching the hindleg under then coming back and asking to sit, then GO again!”  With the spooky horses she was adamant about them going from the riders leg, “make him pay more attention to your leg than the monster behind the mirror, giving him something to think about so he gets on with his job instead of you waiting for him to settle.  Then transition, and then go again!  He needs your leadership, how do you think I got some of those scared to death and opinionated young stallions into the arena at Verden?  They didn’t get a chance to see the monsters!”   

It was interesting to discuss different systems with someone who has studied and trained both the German as well as Dutch systems.   “There is much controversy about the Dutch way of riding and there was a lot of negativity about it a while back but we need to look at the good points of the system when doneproperly instead of when its done badly, and realise that the kind of training that produced Totilas when he broke the world record with his incredible scores under Edward Gal can hardly be called forced or cruel.  On the contrary, it produces arguably some of the most beautiful dressage performances ever seen.”   

“The systems have the same basic premises anyway and I just weave together what works from my experiences with a range of styles and horses, even the Spanish horses I train.  The system I use prioritises suppling and gymnasticing the horses, making them responsive to the lightest of aids, as well as keeping true to the basics of the training scale.  An added bonus is that it helps keep the horses sounder for longer and very positive in their work attitude.”   All the horses she rode seemed to agree with the simple methodology.  They were very clear on what was required and Nat just waited for them to come along with her program, then they were rewarded and it was made obvious they’d done the right thing.

Nat’s final words were positive and reminded us of Edward Gal’s recent comments at Equitana of keeping it simple, “Whatever system you want to call it just keep it simple: forward, stretch, come back, sit, contact, suppleness, rhythm… just keep adjusting and keep it clear for the horse.  I find it easier to keep it simple because I’m too blonde to make it complex!”  Although as she’s finishing her Masters degree this year and is fluent in 5 languages, her claims of being a dizzy blonde may not be quite accurate.