Dressage notes

If you're new to horses, or even if you've been riding all your life, you just might be wondering "so what's dressage?" Dressage is a french term that literally means "the training of the horse". You're probably thinking whoopdy-doo, right?

But in reality "dressage" is used to describe a progressive method of riding and training that teaches the horse to use his body with the fine control of a ballet dancer. In fact, dressage at the highest levels is analogous to ballet on horseback. It is very beautiful to watch even for the layman who doesn't know a half-pass from a pirouette. In fact, dressage is often performed to music with the horses truly dancing!

Dressage movements help horses develop their overall strength and flexibility. Horses naturally carry about 60% of their weight on their forehand which puts extreme strain on their front legs. Dressage helps teach the horse to actually lift their back and shift their weight to their hind legs, essentially their motor.

Dressage is taught to horses by using exercises that help them develop balance. Horse learn not only to go forward, but to move sideways away from the rider's leg. Dressage is truly an art and requires discipline and patience to perform well. The rider must "listen" very closely to what the horse is communicating and make adjustments in their aids to make requests of the horse.

Dressage probably looks very boring to the innocent bystander since the rider spends much of her time riding in circles. There's not the excitement of jumping with its thrill of victory and agony of defeat. However, dressage is an extremely important part of the horse's education if it is going to be a successful jumper, eventer, or even a hunter.

Riders that use dressage as part of their weekly training routines reap the benefits of horses that are more supple, responsive, and athletic. They're often the horses that really stand out at the horse shows!

Dressage is an olympic sport and there are dressage shows all over the country that riders compete in to test their horse's training. Dressage shows have levels with specific requirements that prove the horse is being trained correctly. With dressage there is very little room for subjectivity .

Each level consists of four dressage test patterns. The patterns are the same at every show so the rider has a chance to practice them. The patterns, however, are designed to prove the quality of the horse's training and test if he or she is ready to move on to the next level. Each movement in the pattern is scored 1-10, with 10 being the highest score. The rider receives the actual test along with the judges comments that can then be used to analyze how the horse is performing in the eyes of an educated dressage judge.

You can learn more about dressage at www.usdf.org or www.pvda.org.