Saddle up for USDF Education
By Jayne Ayers for the Region 2 Education Committee
Have you ever wished you could find a clear explanation of a confusing dressage term or see a video of a correct rein back or know more about equine nutrition?
Members of the United States Dressage Federation (USDF) have access to a wealth of dressage education. Whether you are new to the sport or an experienced professional, USDF offers many opportunities for you to expand your knowledge. You can learn more about training theory, improve your eye, learn what the judge is looking for, get training tips, explore freestyle design, and much more.
There are in-person clinics and seminars, online programs, and a huge library of videos, articles, and podcasts. A program to recognize your educational efforts is called USDF University, which offers credit for each thing you do. USDF University also approves and promotes programs designed by other organizations, with topics pertaining to things like veterinary issues, horse management, tack choices, and rider fitness. Links to all these are on the USDF website, USDF.org
The biggest challenge might be to get comfortable with navigating the website. When you go exploring, some things can be accessed by anyone. If you want full access, you will need to login. For the educational offerings on the site, the general search engine might not be your best next step. Instead, go to the Education tab. Then click on “Education Library” under “USDF University”, to get a new search engine, targeted to educational resources. (Click HERE for a jump where you will need to login)
For instance, if you type in “Turn on the Haunches” you will get more than a dozen articles, podcasts, and videos on the subject. A few are full manuals, available for a charge from the USDF Store. The rest are free for you to enjoy right away. And you even get USDF education credits for those you view or listen to, automatically entered to your account! It’s a quick, easy way to get targeted information on whatever aspects of dressage are new or challenging for you.
There are 26 Short Courses under another tab, with topics from flying changes to foal basics and scribe training, all under 20 minutes to complete, with education credit available if you choose to take a quiz or survey. Over a dozen longer Online Courses are also available, with more extensive topics like Lungeing, the Aids of the Rider, Materiale Classes, and Sports Psychology.
For in depth learning, USDF has quite of number of online webinars and in-person programs which need to be organized by a GMO or Region and require advance sign up. Some are an hour long, some several full days. A few are national in scope, like the annual Trainer’s Conference and the Sport Horse Prospect Development Forum. Others are put on by Group Member Organizations (GMO), the local dressage clubs. The in-person ones may be held locally, but often are open to those willing to travel from other areas. If it is an online program, like the one on freestyle, it is often open to USDF members outside the sponsoring club. Checking in regularly with the USDF Website or with your Regional Newsletter or Facebook page is a great way to keep up with what is scheduled.
One example is the L Education Program, which is required of those wanting to become judges, but is even more popular with riders, trainers, and anyone else interested in knowing what the judge is looking for and how judging is done. It includes classroom sessions with hundreds of video examples, as well as live horse demonstrations. Any GMO can put one on. If three full weekends seems like too much to tackle, an online program, consisting of three one-hour sessions, called Taste of the L Program, is also available. That and the new remote access Musical Freestyle Program can be found HERE.
Whether you are completely new to dressage or an experienced instructor, the educational opportunities available from USDF might be just the thing to help you on your way to success.
Members of the United States Dressage Federation (USDF) have access to a wealth of dressage education. Whether you are new to the sport or an experienced professional, USDF offers many opportunities for you to expand your knowledge. You can learn more about training theory, improve your eye, learn what the judge is looking for, get training tips, explore freestyle design, and much more.
There are in-person clinics and seminars, online programs, and a huge library of videos, articles, and podcasts. A program to recognize your educational efforts is called USDF University, which offers credit for each thing you do. USDF University also approves and promotes programs designed by other organizations, with topics pertaining to things like veterinary issues, horse management, tack choices, and rider fitness. Links to all these are on the USDF website, USDF.org
The biggest challenge might be to get comfortable with navigating the website. When you go exploring, some things can be accessed by anyone. If you want full access, you will need to login. For the educational offerings on the site, the general search engine might not be your best next step. Instead, go to the Education tab. Then click on “Education Library” under “USDF University”, to get a new search engine, targeted to educational resources. (Click HERE for a jump where you will need to login)
For instance, if you type in “Turn on the Haunches” you will get more than a dozen articles, podcasts, and videos on the subject. A few are full manuals, available for a charge from the USDF Store. The rest are free for you to enjoy right away. And you even get USDF education credits for those you view or listen to, automatically entered to your account! It’s a quick, easy way to get targeted information on whatever aspects of dressage are new or challenging for you.
There are 26 Short Courses under another tab, with topics from flying changes to foal basics and scribe training, all under 20 minutes to complete, with education credit available if you choose to take a quiz or survey. Over a dozen longer Online Courses are also available, with more extensive topics like Lungeing, the Aids of the Rider, Materiale Classes, and Sports Psychology.
For in depth learning, USDF has quite of number of online webinars and in-person programs which need to be organized by a GMO or Region and require advance sign up. Some are an hour long, some several full days. A few are national in scope, like the annual Trainer’s Conference and the Sport Horse Prospect Development Forum. Others are put on by Group Member Organizations (GMO), the local dressage clubs. The in-person ones may be held locally, but often are open to those willing to travel from other areas. If it is an online program, like the one on freestyle, it is often open to USDF members outside the sponsoring club. Checking in regularly with the USDF Website or with your Regional Newsletter or Facebook page is a great way to keep up with what is scheduled.
One example is the L Education Program, which is required of those wanting to become judges, but is even more popular with riders, trainers, and anyone else interested in knowing what the judge is looking for and how judging is done. It includes classroom sessions with hundreds of video examples, as well as live horse demonstrations. Any GMO can put one on. If three full weekends seems like too much to tackle, an online program, consisting of three one-hour sessions, called Taste of the L Program, is also available. That and the new remote access Musical Freestyle Program can be found HERE.
Whether you are completely new to dressage or an experienced instructor, the educational opportunities available from USDF might be just the thing to help you on your way to success.