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Olympic disciplines
Dressage shows how precisely, smoothly and beautifully a horse responds to its rider. It is sometimes called "horse ballet".
| Group | Olympic disciplines |
|---|---|
| Also called | dressage riding, haute école |
| Olympic | yes |
| Governing body | FEI |
| Where it is popular | Dressage is practised worldwide, with the strongest traditions in Germany, the Netherlands and the rest of Europe. Classical riding is preserved by the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, the Cadre Noir in Saumur and the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art in Lisbon. |
The rider performs a memorised test, a set sequence of movements in a 20 x 60 m arena (20 x 40 m at lower levels) marked with letters. Judges, up to seven at top level, mark each movement from 0 to 10, and the total becomes a percentage: the highest score wins. The hardest tests are the Grand Prix and the Freestyle to music (Kur), with piaffe (trot on the spot), passage and pirouettes. Olympic teams have three riders.
Most are warmbloods bred for dressage, with elastic, springy gaits and a calm temperament. Iberian breeds such as the Andalusian and Lusitano are increasingly popular.
Since 2021 all riders at FEI events must wear protective helmets instead of top hats; top-level riders wear a tailcoat, white or pale breeches and spurs. The horse has a long-flapped dressage saddle and, at upper levels, a double bridle.
The top events are the Olympic Games (dressage has been Olympic since 1912), the FEI World Championships, the FEI Dressage World Cup Final and CHIO Aachen.
Russian equestrian sports schools accept children from age 7, with the youngest on ponies. Dressage is the foundation of all riding, so everyone benefits from it: start with position, walk and trot on a calm horse, in a helmet and with a coach.
Hobby horsing has its own dressage, where the rider performs a test of figures at different gaits and is judged on accuracy and style. What is hobby horsing →
Some of the oldest surviving texts on systematic horse training were written by the Greek general Xenophon in the 4th century BC.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org, dressage-news.com, fcpsr.ru, en.wikipedia.org