Dressage delight

Equestrian coach and trainer Oliver Walter is putting horse and pony riders in the kingdom through their paces with the aim of harnessing a demand for the discipline of dressage.

As defined by the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), dressage is the highest expression of training in which the horse and its rider are expected to perform from memory a series of predetermined movements including pirouettes and trotting in place - piaffe.

Oliver, 28, a dressage coach and trainer, said: “Dressage is the base of all equestrian disciplines and is very important to help improve the horse’s performance. You have to demonstrate harmony between horse and rider when doing different movements.

“I hope riders will get into the dressage scene as it is the foundation of all equestrian sports. You have to be able to walk, trot and canter and succeed in any discipline. It is really good for the horses and riders and it’s fun.”

Before turning to dressage, Oliver prepared a sting of show jumpers that were also jumping at International level.

He fell in love with the equine world when his mum, Michelle Jarvis, 50, purchased an equestrian centre in the UK called Cobham Manor. In fact, he ended up running it with her for 12 years. After conducting dressage sessions on the invitation of a British client he moved his operation to Bahrain.

Having ridden and trained horses to Prix St George (PSG) level in both the UK and France, the entry dressage level recognised by the FEI, developing the discipline on the island was too good an opportunity to miss.

Oliver has horses in France competing with his teenage sister, Grace, who he has trained. The 17-year-old is riding them for him at Junior FEI level. Oliver is also a UKCC-qualified coach in horse-care and management.

He has undergone coaching with UK Paralympic trainers Michel and Mette Assouline, Gareth Hughes who competed at the World Equestrian Games, as well as other international riders and trainers, including Isobel Wessles.

Although he loves horse riding and dressage in particular, Oliver has to be careful how often he competes as he suffers from chronic Crohns disease, a inflammatory bowel condition that affects the gastrointestinal tract. However, despite his health issues, Oliver took the lead recently by participating in the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (BREEF) Dressage National Show at the Bahrain Endurance Village in Sakhir, sponsored by Al Fursan Stables.

He kick-started a series of dressage contests this year with BREEF and was the senior judge and organiser at the two-day event.

Oliver said: “It went extremely well and it was great to see so many people enjoying the activity.”

Local and expatriate riders from various stables in Bahrain participated in the competition, which was split into various class levels and categories including Intro, Prelim, Novice, Elementary and Medium.

The competitors had to perform a freestyle test where the horses’ paces were set to music to create a dance. uring the event, riders were offered a bit-less class, which, according to Oliver, is a recent addition to dressage.

The contestants were judged on training, the harmony between the horse and rider and how well they managed each movement. An expert arbitrator flew in from the UAE to assist in the judging.

Well known riders such as former Too Hot To Trot columnist Jerri Taylor, teenager Amiee Keen and Pippa Fourie were among those to take first places in the competition.

Some of the moves performed included the Passage, which is a measured and collected trot, the Piaffe, a more ‘springy’ offering and the Pirouette, which is executed on a very small circle and can be performed in walk, piaffe or canter.

Oliver added: “I hope that this competition will generate further interest and encourage more people to enter next season. I also want to develop more understanding of the importance of dressage and flatwork and develop greater knowledge within the local equestrian community.”