Clinic Ilse Schwarz
Ocala, Florida September 5th, 2017 - It was an exciting two days for riders and trainers
that represented all ends of the spectrum who participated in the Ilse Schwarz
clinic. With such a fantastic representation from the Dressage world, Mrs. Schwarz
is a great asset to have around. Thanks to the owners of Crane Hill Farm and their
exceptional facility, those just auditing were in for a treat. As the morning of the first
day broke riders started to arrive and the high humidity was not friendly to anyone,
nor was the amount of impending homework that most riders went home with.
Adult Amateur rider Colby Smith was there with her 12 year old, Trakehner/Thoroughbred
gelding that was coming back from time off. As a 1st level rider she was
there to get help in figuring out the mechanics of her horse. Having explained that
she can’t get the horse to move forward in a fluent rhythm is where Ilse started her
teachings. At the walk the horse wanted to wiggle around causing crookedness in
every step which also contributed to his hollowness in the back. This left the horses
body looking very long and disunited. The goal was to work on exercises that would
bring the horse more together and to accept that it was better to carry himself balanced.
Using haunches in at the walk the rider was able to control the horses falling
ribcage which helped him come up underneath himself. His walk not only started to
become more balanced but it became more energetic with rhythm. At this point Ilse
took the time to really tackle rider position becoming effective, rather then passive
or aggressive. The trot was another challenge that left the rider feeling ineffective,
the same exercises where given to correct the crookedness that hindered the
horses movement. Another issue that needed to be looked at and figured out was
his canter on the right, which he has difficulty picking up. Keeping a shoulder in
frame and a looser connection on the outside rein the horse was able to pickup the
canter with much more ease. The lesson had started out very rough for horse and
rider, but with dedication and using all the tools learned. The horse over time will
become balanced, round and happy.
Adult Amateur Sheila Gibson brought her 6 year old Clydesdale gelding that is
currently showing training level. Her gelding was the complete opposite than
Colby’s gelding in the respect that his draft breeding makes for a very solid horse.
The goal for the day was to mobilize the shoulders and break up the body into parts,
making him more supple from head to tail. Serpentines were introduced to help
with bending his mid section, freeing up his denseness. If the horse got quick she
instructed the rider to regroup by coming back down to a walk to halt, wait and then
pickup tempo again. Walk to halt transitions were a must for rider and horse. This
exercise helped with balance because the horse was becoming hollow. Ilse helped
with rider aids, instructing that the leg must be used to bring the horse up into the
bridle when asking for the halt. The rider being so small in comparison to the horse
was causing a handicap in controlling the trot tempo, which allowed the horse to
plow through. Establishing control by using the proper aids such as regulating riders
core with half halts, and gripping the knees at times to stop propulsion, made for a
big difference. The rider was also given a better understanding of the importance of
the outside rein, by using it to create a slight bend to the outside and then bringing
both reins back together which gave equal contact on both reins. This fundamental
basic combined with core strength helped with establishing a lighter, up, and forward
impulsion. These same exercises were used for the canter to trot transitions,
which came together very nicely.
Local trainer/competitor Judy Oliver was riding Susan Street Peterson’s Third level,
Hanoverian mare. This combo will be heading to USDF Region 3 Championships in
Wellington Florida, October 6-9, 2017 to compete at Third Level. They were there
to perfect upper level balance, so the horse could move with more swing while
performing upper level movements in the test. Ilse wanted to create an accordion
how the ride should go. Ilse helped by tackling rider position, explaining that core
strength will help with a lot of what was going on. With a more effective riding
position the horse can be controlled with good connection, where at times the connection
was being lost and the horse would become hollow and quick. Finesse was
worked on, which gave the rider better contact with the horse. Working on shoulder
in down the center line to correct the horses hind leg from falling out, and maintain
impulsion into the half pass helped with the horse not becoming dull. The walk to
canter was worked on in a 20 meter circle. Transitions were at first disorganized
causing the rider to throw away reins and horse to launch into the canter unbalanced.
Patience and balance was reiterated to the rider, so the canter wasn’t
rushed. Ilse made it appoint to explain forward is not wrong but rushing is incorrect,
ultimately throwing off balance. Staying effective in the saddle the rider was able to
accomplish some fantastic walk to canter transitions that will be beneficial as the
pair move forward up the levels.
Crane Hill’s Trainer Eline Eckroth was riding Prize, a 14 year old Hanoverian
gelding. This pair will also be showing at USDF Region 3 Championships, competing
in the Grand Prix Freestyle and Intermediate II. Warming up at the trot with a
long rein connection, creating a three loop serpentine suppled up the horse and
rider rather nicely. When the rider gathered up more rein or added a degree of
significance the horse had a tendency to stiffen up just a little. Ilse recommended
that the rider work on softening the inside rein, allowing the horse to move more
freely. At the canter down the long side the horse had a tendency to go haunches
in. This was corrected each time with the rider leg as well as coming across the
diagonal to X, adding the leg yield over to the rail. Flying changes across the
diagonal were next on the list. The horse has a tendency to not use himself equally,
so Ilse suggested that the rider make a conscious effort to breath consistent with
the rhythm, which corrected it immediately. To correct head tilt during the half pass
at the canter. Zig Zags down the quarter line were used to keep horse and rider on
the same page with half halts. The pirouettes were also practiced for perfection,
because the horse had a tendency to throw his shoulder. Ilse had them practice this
movement in sections, showing the rider how to turn the shoulders without having
the horse spin, and how to get the shoulders to jump up without taking steps out. By
the end of the lesson both horse and rider had perfected their goals and are quite
an impressive pair to watch.
Ilse Schwarz is an Australian native that has come state side and is currently
based in Wellington, Florida where she and her husband, photographer Kenneth
Braddock run both their business’s. With a long list of accolades Mrs. Schwarz has
made quite a name for herself. She trains with Steffen Peters, George Morris and
has represented Team Australia in the Nations Cup, Wellington, CDI 3*.
74 www.EliteEquestrian.us
feeling throughout the horses body. Changing up tempo between the
working trot to collected to extended helped with this accordion feeling
and incorporating leg yield brought the horse more up right. Half passes
were also worked on to get changes in carriage. These accordion
exercises helped a great deal with controlling the mares anxiety of
opening her mouth during movements. One of the biggest hurdles that
rider and horse were able to over come were lead changes. The horse
wanted to launch into each change with anticipation. This caused
the frame to become stiff. Softening was key and to combat this. Ilse
had them practice changes in a 20 meter circle. The horse couldn’t
anticipate something it had never done, so the rider was able to teach
the horse the mechanics of the proper change without having to worry
about fixing franticness. Both horse and rider by the end of the lesson
had made tremendous adjustments which showed in their demeanor.
They were now riding together as a pair that really understood each
other with accurate confidence.
Owner of Crane Hill Farm, Adult Amateur Connie Wise rode the
morning of the second day on her Dutch Warmblood gelding Zen. Both
horse and rider are also going to USDF Region 3 Championships,
riding at Third Level. The biggest hurdle for both of them was finding
rhythm within one another. Horse and rider had two different views on