Dressage is one of the most common words which is used in the equestrian world. People do often wonder what dressage really is and why is it so popular? So, let’s look on what dressage is and what makes it popular.

Dressage is one of the most common types of equestrians under the English style of riding. It is an equestrian art which is played all around the world. Dressage is the art of precisely executing a wide range of maneuvers.

In this article we will go through the meaning of dressage, dressage competitions and the terms associated with dressage.

WHAT DOES DRESSAGE MEANS

Dressage is a form of sport which is performed in competitions or in exhibitions. Dressage is the art of riding a horse in which a rider must master the art of perfection. Even a small wrong step can mess up the entire performance.

The word dressage comes from a French word ‘dresseur’ which means: ‘to train’. Dressage is defined by the International Equestrian Federation as: “Dressage is the highest expression of horse training where horse and its rider are expected to perform a series of predetermined movements.”

The rider has to have a deep connection between himself and his horse because the horse have to precisely carry out the movements by the signals of the rider which are barely receptacle. This requires a strong bond between the horse and the rider. It also requires months if not years of practice to reach to a level where the horse can understand the riders’ commands.

QUALITIES REQUIRED FOR DRESSAGE

There are many qualities required both in the horse and the rider to perform dressage. Some of the qualities which are required for dressage are as below:

1. Balance: There must be a balance between the horse and the rider to execute the movements properly.
2. Suppleness: Both the rider and the horse, especially the horse, are required to be flexible so that their body can easily adapt to the movements taking place.
3. Obedience: The horse must be obedient to the riders so that they can work as a team. On the other hand, the riders must ensure that the movements are not harming the horse in any way.
4. Connection: Each type of horse riding requires a connection between the horse and the rider. But in dressage, there is a special kind of bonding required to be present between the horse and the rider.

DRESSAGE AND INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS

The FEI (Federal Equestrian Internationale) is the organisation which arranges different horse-riding competitions around the globe. Dressage is one of the most played horse-riding sport internationally. Teams from all around the world participate in these competitions.

Dressage is one of the three horse riding events included in the Olympics. Dressage was made a part of the Olympics in 1912 for individuals while teams were allowed to compete in the Olympics since 1928.

WHAT IS A DRESSAGE HORSE

The horse which does dressage is called a dressage horse. There is no typical dressage horse an there is no specific breed that can perform dressage. There is only a trained horse which can perform dressage and an untrained horse which cannot perform dressage. Like any rider who is trained enough can-do dressage similarly any horse that is sufficiently trained can perform dressage. Although any horse can perform dressage if it is trained properly there are certain horse breeds which professionals favor due to their qualities. Among this horse breed the most famous breeds mostly used for dressage are:

1. Andalusians
2. Hanoverians
3. Warmbloods

Warmbloods are the most common horse breed that take part in dressage competition of the Olympics.

DRESSAGE ARENA

There are two sizes of arenas on which dressage can be done: Small and the standard arena. There are different letters marks in the arena as reference points to pinpoint the locations where a movement is to be performed on a dressage test.

The small arena is used for some basic level of dressage or even some basic level of eventing is also done in this type of arenas. The area of the arena is typically 20 meters by 40 meters.

The large sized arena is used for both dressage and eventing. They have a typical size of 20 meters by 60 meters.

The arena sizes may vary according to the competition and the organisation who is organising the competition.

DRESSAGE JUDGES

The registration of judges is dependent on the judges’ training and experience. The judges are strictly observed to follow the rules of marking and for biased opinion towards a participant. Moreover, the scores of each of the judges are required to be within 5 percent of the scores given by other judges.

The judges are required to be professional in their scoring. They observe every step of the participants carefully. Any obstacle which may disturb them are removed. There is even a scribbler present beside them who writes the scores and the comments of the judges.

DRESSAGE TEST AND SCORING

In dressage the participants are required to perform a formalised sequence of several different dressage moves. There is also a freestyle dressage competition in which the participants can perform their own choice of movements but even in freestyle the participants are required to follow a required number of steps.

In Dressage a rider and his horse count as one participant while the horses are competing with each other and the riders are competing with each other. The participants are not compared to each other’s rather individual horses and individual riders receive a score from a common standard.

The test consists of separate movements which flow together in a series. Each movement is scored by a scale from 1 to 10; with 10 being excellent, 5 meaning marginal, 1 meaning very bad and 0 meaning not executed.

CONCLUSION

Dressage is played and enjoyed all over the world. It is a beautiful sport which is pleasing for the audience, the rider as well as the horse itself if it is done properly. One should surely try this form of horse riding.