Communication processes in dressage coaching.

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis was to study the communication processes in the equestrian sport dressage. Phase One was a descriptive, qualitative study examining the pathways of communication. This involved interviewing one coach and two dressage riders. From the results, we made a preliminary model of communication that included three actors (coach, rider, and horse) and different pathways of communication (auditory, kinesthetic, verbal, visual). In Phase Two, we interviewed a second coach and two more riders. We decided to look at their definition of dressage as well as the culture within which we could study communication, as it would bring a deeper understanding of the participant's environment. Here, the role of the horse was more important than we initially thought, and the kinesthetic pathway was key to successful dressage riding and training. Phase Three was a detailed study looking at different levels of riders and horses and how the process of communication differed within each context. The roles of each actor were also studied. A cross context analysis was done and a detailed look between the six different contexts revealed several interesting similarities and differences.