Maggie McLeod-Taylor was only 5 when she sat on her first horse, but it was at the age of 13 when she was introduced to dressage that she found her real love of riding.
Dressage is the competitive equestrian sport that is becoming more and more popular among young adults every year.
Dressage is a French term that is commonly translated to training. The primary purpose of dressage is to develop, through standardized progressive training methods, a horse's natural athletic ability and willingness to perform, thereby maximizing its potential as a riding horse. The goal is for a horse to respond smoothly to a skilled rider's minimal aids and the rider to look as if the task at hand is effortless.
Owner and resident dressage trainer at Gatewood Farms Sporthorses Trae Laporte defined dressage as the systematic training of the horse to develop obedience, flexibility and balance.
Dressage competitions are held at all levels from amateur basic training level all the way up to World Equestrian Games where the highest level, the Grand Prix level horses, competes. Within each level, with a goal to move up, a horse and rider will go to a horse show to test and compete. Scoring ranks from 0 to 10, zero being "not executed" and 10 being "excellent.” If a horse and rider score a six and higher on the whole test, then they are capable of moving up in a level. Dressage tests are the formalized series of a number of dressage movements used in competition. At the upper levels, tests for International competitions, including the Olympics, are issued under the auspices of the Federation Equestrian International. At the lower levels, and as part of dressage training, each country authorizes its own set of tests.
The breed of the horse in dressage is very important though all horses can expand from use of dressage principles and training techniques. Breeds most often seen at the Olympics and other international competitions are in the warmblood category. It is more common to see other breeds at various levels of competition.
At Gatewood Farms Sporthorses, there are two dressage horses that were ridden on July 22, 2012. The first horse was ridden by LaPorte and is a Grand Prix horse. His registered name is Davino 8 and is 14 years old. Davino 8 is a warmblood. Laporte performed a series of different dressage combinations. The first was a ten pace change every third stride, second stride and every stride. The second was a canter pirouette to the left and to the right. The third was a passage and piaffe. The second horse was ridden by his employees and students, Taylor. Dark Prince is 6 years old and is a Hanoverian imported from Germany. Talyor performed a basic walk and trot with Dark Prince. He is a second level horse and is “very green,” says LaPorte.
Training of a horse and rider is important within the sport and can take years. LaPorte as a rider did not make his dreams come true overnight.
LaPorte started riding at the age of 7. He was strictly hunter/jumper until at the age of 16 he discovered his passion for dressage. At 17 he moved to Wellington, Fla., to apprentice with Danish Olympian Bent Jensen. Under the guidance of Jensen, LaPorte qualified for the 2003 North American Young Riders held in Bromont Canada, where he helped Region III win gold medal.
“In this sport there is always room for improvement and that is why I love it,” says LaPorte.
In 2004, LaPorte worked with head trainer of the Spanish Riding School, Ernst Hoyos, in Mepen, Germany. From 2005-06 he studied with six time U.S. Olympian Robert Dover in Wellington, Fla. and in the Hamptons of Long Island, N.Y. Since 2006, LaPorte has been training and competing dressage horses of all levels at his farm, Gatewood Farms Sporthorses and continues to work with his mentor, Jensen.
“I get to do what I love every day,” says LaPorte of owning his own farm.
Dressage is not a sport a person steps into lightly because it requires a commitment of time and money.
“You don’t go into this sport for the money because there is none in it. If you want to compete for money, hunter/jumper is where you need to be,” says LaPorte.
One of Laporte’s students, Taylor has made a commitment to dressage for the past 7 years. Taylor was first introduced to dressage by her very first trainer and when she realized that dressage was something she wanted to be more serious about, she knew she had to move on and find a trainer who could take her to the next level.
Laporte’s name was given to her at a hunter/jumper show by a mutual acquaintance. Based on Laporte’s reputation within the dressage community and proximity of his farm to her hometown of Americus, Ga., it was almost destiny.
Taylor started training with Laporte when she was 15 years old and she is now 20 years old. Laporte and Taylor have had such a good trainer rider relationship because Laporte trains based on each individual horse and rider and have expectation for her that she wants to meet. Not only does she train five to six days a week but she is at the present time a full time employee where she helps with the riding of horses, chores at the farm, and show preparation.
The challenge within the sport is what keeps her going.
“My favorite thing is (to) strive for perfection and constantly building to be perfect,” she says.
Taylor rides and helps work out all the horses at the barn but is in the process of looking for a new horse that can continue to grow with her experience level. Her current horse of five years, Charley, a Holsteiner warmblood, has not been successful in furthering his training past a certain point.
One of her favorite aspects of dressage is the actual show. All the work that is put into practice will “hopefully” pay off.
“She is a great rider and if she stays focused she is going to go far,” says LaPorte of Taylor.
Taylor has a love of riding and will always ride in some form but within dressage “my ultimate goal is to continue to be a competitive rider and have a sense of self-satisfaction,” says Taylor.
She fell in love with dressage and instantly like a moth to a flame, it was something she knew she would do for the rest of her life in some form.
LaPorte is always encouraging people towards the sport because of what sense of self-gratification that the sport offers. Dressage is a rewarding sport at any age if one has the proper dedication towards it.
