Dressage - The Highest Expression of Horse Training

Dressage in Action Photo: Just Chaos

Many of you may have already been glued to the screen last year to watch the London 2012 Olympics, and in particular the equestrian eventing. But although most people are familiar with show jumping and horse racing in the UK, there are many viewers and sports fans unaware of some of the other fantastic traditional horse-led events, in particular 'Dressage'. 

Now, if you're already investigating us here at The Equestrian Blogger, you'll likely have some idea of what Dressage is, but for anyone new to the sport, or for tips on how to explain it to confused loved ones who want to learn more about horses, here's a brief look at the wonderful world of Dressage!

Occasionally referred to as "Horse Ballet", Dressage is a competitive equestrian sport, defined by the International Equestrian Federation as: "the highest expression of horse training", where "horse and rider are expected to perform from memory a series of predetermined movements." 

The rider, dressed in smart, formal eventing apparel, will usually be relaxed and appear effort-free while the horse willingly performs a requested movement. Although the discipline has ancient roots in Europe, dressage was first recognized as an important equestrian pursuit during the Renaissance. The great riding masters of that period, particularly in Europe, developed a sequential training system that has changed little since then, and this method of 'Classical dressage' is still considered to form the basis of modern dressage.

In modern dressage competition, successful training at the various levels is demonstrated through the performance of "tests" - a prescribed series of movements ridden within a standard arena. A panel of Judges evaluate each movement and assign each movement a score from zero to ten – zero being "not executed" and 10 being "excellent". A score of 9 is very good and is a high mark, while a competitor achieving all 6s (or 60% overall) should be considering moving on to the next level.


For more information on Dressage, feel free to visit the official British Dressage website.


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