Not Going Back Because We Never Left

Every time I post something about working on the basics with TC, I get a comment or two about how nice it is to see that even we/I/whatever need to go back to basics sometimes. But I'd like to disagree with this premise. There is no going "back" to basics, since you can't go back to a place you never left. We've been working on them the whole time. There has never been a moment in my dressage career where I said "okay, basics done, phew! Never gotta do those again."

Rico and I perfected walking long ago, so therefore we just
scamper everywhere (thanks, Nicole)

I think this idea of back to basics has kind of a negative connotation, or at least that's how I interpret it. I always feel kinda like the wind leaves my sails when someone says that comment since it feels like they might have expected that I'd be a better rider and not need to work on such things. I know, logically, that even Steffen Peters works on getting his horse better into the bridle or works on getting his canter circles to be a bit rounder or more balanced. But the phrasing sounds a little bit like a retreat, like something was done wrong the first time around and now we have to drag ourselves downward, backward, to the dregs of dressage to fix something.

But it's not so. The "basics" can always get better and as you climb the levels, they should get better. Not working on them at every single level means that you're going backwards. The throughness should get better with each level, the roundness, the straightness, the collection. Even your ability to ride a twenty meter circle or leg yield should get better. The moment you stop working on them regularly is when things start falling apart.

Always working on the basics, we need it!

I think it may lead to people kind of avoiding the basics after a while (or looking forward to the moment that they can avoid it) because having an entire ride on a twenty meter circle working on bend seems like something you do when you're at a lower level. Or becoming frustrated having yet another lesson on improving the connection. As if it's some kind of failure to be still working on these things and that dressage doesn't really start until you get through this boring part.

But this IS dressage. All of that work is what dressage is. Through all the levels. The movements should be the result of good basics, and as the basics improve through the horse's entire dressage career, the movements will come on relatively easily. If the only time dressage is fun is when you're doing half pass or tempi changes or piaffe or passage, this is absolutely the wrong sport for you. Most of dressage is improving the throughness, improving the connection, making the horse sharper off the aids, getting the horse to push better from behind or carry more weight behind. That's the whole thing. The movements should be the icing.

I mean if I could just piaffe and passage all day I totally would

I know TC isn't anywhere near being an upper level horse, but I'd say that probably 90% of the time I spend in the saddle is working on something that could be considered "the basics" with the other 10% of the time dedicated to actually schooling movements for the sake of schooling them for shows or to teach him new movements or to just randomly go "weeee" in a lengthened trot because it's fun.

We spend a lot of time working on circles and figure 8s and riding in straight lines off the rail and across the diagonal. We do a lot of transitions that we redo if he isn't pressing into the bridle enough or sharp enough off my leg. We do a lot of just... cantering... in straight lines and on circles, improving the connection and getting him even more in front of my leg. I didn't skip any steps or make any mistakes (okay I made a TON of mistakes, but we all do) to have to work on these things, this is just what dressage is.

Even when riding Rico at the upper levels, it wasn't just all piaffe and passage all the time. More than half of my rides were spent working on the connection, getting him in front of my leg, getting him more supple. It wasn't because we had skipped all those things in the past (I mean we skipped some things), it's because they can always get better and they should get better. The connection shouldn't feel the same on a Third level dressage horse as on an Intermediare I dressage horse, it should be better. The straightness should be better. The suppleness should be better. There is no stopping with the basics.

Like, this pirouette got a 7 but it could be rounder, just saying

So can we change the negative association with "back to basics" and turn it into something more positive? And can we stop pretending like upper level riders are so far up on a pedestal that they don't have to work on improving the connection or improving suppleness? And can we stop acting like it's a retreat or a mistake if you "have" to work on basics? Because if it is, then I'll be making mistakes for the rest of my dressage career (which I mean, I will, but not because we're still working on making our walk-trot transitions better).