Dressage is one of the three Olympic-level equestrian sports. Many dressage riders describe it to those outside the sport as “ballet on horseback”, but what is this equestrian sport?
Dressage is when a horse and rider perform a prescribed series of movements around an arena, using the arena letters as markers for the start and end of each movement. It tests the harmony between horse and rider. The further you progress up the levels, the more complex the tests and movements become.
Dressage is the art of horseback riding at its most elegant. Learn more about this thrilling and beautiful equestrian sport by continuing below.
History of Dressage
Dressage comes from the French word for training. Modern dressage comes from the training used to ready horses for battle. The earliest account of this training comes from Greek horsemanship through the writings of Xenophon. The current sport takes inspiration from the techniques and principles used by the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria.
The sport joined the Olympics for the first time in 1912 and is a staple of the event. The United States Dressage Federation, established in 1973, is one of the national governing bodies for the sport, along with the United States Equestrian Federation.
Modern Sport
There are different levels of the sport, increasing in difficulty from Introductory to Grand Prix. Each level increases in difficulty and asks more complex things of the horse and rider pair. Many dressage trainers use the scales of training to guide the development of their horses through the levels.
Each level within the sport has a series of tests or prescribed patterns of movement that the horse and rider must work through. Three judges standing at different points around the arena judge the tests. The judges score each movement in a test from 1-10, and some movements are multiplied by a coefficient of 2. These movements have a greater impact on the overall score. The judges also give points for collective marks, including geometry and accuracy, the rider’s position, and the quality of the gaits.
Test scores are percentages that range from 0-100%. 60% is an acceptable score. Riders want to aim for scores above it to advance to the next test and move up the levels. Any score below 50% will not count towards the scores to advance.
The following video is an example of a Grand Prix test, which is the highest level of the sport that looks the most like dancing.
Isn’t the quality of the movement just amazing?
Stress In Dressage Horses
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