Equestrian Sports - Dressage

Dressage is simply the training of the horse - training him to use his body with the suppleness and control of a gymnast, the grace and lightness of a ballet dancer. The rider must learn to control and master the techniques to supple and develop the muscles the horse needs to perform the increasingly difficult movements. The rider has to win the horse's co-operation and respect so that they can work together in harmony.

Dressage's history

For three hundred years the aristocrats of Europe spent most of their time on horseback, learning how to make horses go sideways, to leap in the air on command and to show off these activities in extravagant equestrian pageants and carousels. Riding Masters on the Continent, especially in France, many of whom became court favourites, gradually evolved a logical series of steps for converting the untrained horse into an equine gymnast over a period of three or four years. Fortunately they discovered, too, that any reluctance to perform the complicated movements was not due to truculence and disobedience, which they would attempt to cure with sharp spurs, a long whip and atrociously severe bits, but to a lack of ability, muscle development, confusion and a failure to understand. Gradually the horsemasters found ways of training horses by encouraging co-operation rather than threatening punishment. These humane methods of training have changed little over the last hundred years, but what has changed is the outlet for training and improvement. Whereas the end products of dressage training were used in public displays, including the circus, they are now, in line with the modern fashion, used to compete against others. Although there are hundreds if not thousands of small dressage competitions being held all over the world the standards of riding and training took and great leap forward with the introduction of dressage in the 1912 Stockholm Olympic games. Dressage is now an integral part of the horse competition scene along with show jumping, one and three day event riding (military) and carriage driving.

As with other sports, participation at the Olympic Games became such an all-consuming goal for athletes that standards rose rapidly; the dressage tests became more and more difficult (piaffe and passage were first asked for at the 1936 Games). Today it has been recognised that a good grounding and preparation in both training and competition must be encouraged at grass roots level to produce the Olympic superstars of the future. It has also been recognised, especially in the last fifty years, that many riders who have no aspirations to join the elite at the Olympic Games still want to enjoy dressage. They like to compete just for the sake of competing, and training their horses up to the standards that they can afford bearing in mind both time and money.

In most countries in the world there is a local organisation controlling the administration of dressage helped and guided by the F.E.I. And in most countries there are local clubs and associations holding training sessions and competitions for their members. Each and every organisation has its own rules and guidelines but the basic premise is there - to improve the levels of training and performance in competition. Its has also been found in recent years that young horses destined for a career in show jumping or eventing will benefit from a grounding in dressage training and dressage competition.

Each country has its own titles for the different levels in its national competitions but the International including the Olympic competitions are controlled by the world wide controlling authority, the FEI. Each and every movement (for example piaffe, passage or even working trot or free walk on a long rein) is defined by the FEI so that dressage movements can be performed across national barriers and be judged fairly in each and every country. We must not forget the increasing popularity of dressage to music. These movements are the same as in normal competition, trot, canter, piaffe, passage etc but must be set to a musical score that hopefully reflects the beauty and harmony of the horse and rider. Object and general principles The object of dressage is the harmonious development of the physique and the ability of the horse. As a result, it makes the horse calm, supple, and keen, thus achieving perfect understanding with its rider. These qualities are revealed by the freedom and regularity of the paces; the harmony, lightness, and ease of the movements; the lightening of the forehand, and the engagement of the hindquarters; the horse remaining absolutely straight in any movement along a straight line, and bending accordingly when moving on curved lines. The horse thus gives the impression of doing of his own account what is required of him. Confident and attentive, he submits generously to the control of his rider. Campagne is the term used for elementary but thorough training, including work on the longeing rein. This long rein, also used for training young or difficult horses, is attached to a headpiece with a noseband called a cavesson. The horse is bitted and saddled and is schooled in circles at the end of the rein. It is an accessory to training from the saddle, which is always best. Basic to campagne is collection: teaching the horse to arch its neck, to shift its weight backward onto its hindquarters, and to move in a showy, animated manner. Other elements of campagne include riding in a straight line, turns, and lateral movements. Haute ecole is the most elaborate and specialized form of dressage, reaching its ultimate development at the Vienna school in its traditional white Lippizaner horses. Some characteristic haute ecole airs, or movements, are the pirouettes, which are turns on the haunches at the walk and the canter; the piaffe, in which the horse trots without moving forward, backward, or sideways, the impulse being upward; the passage, high-stepping trot in which the impulse is more upward than forward; the levade, in which the horse stands balanced on its hindlegs, its forelegs drawn in; the courvet, which is a jump forward in the levade position; and the croupade, ballotade, and capriole, a variety of spectacular airs in which the horse jumps and lands again in the same spot. All of these movements are based, perhaps remotely in some instances, on those that the horse performs naturally.

Basic Dressage Movements

The halt
At the halt, the horse should stand attentive, engaged, motionless and straight, with the weight evenly distributed over all four legs, being by pairs abreast with each other. The neck should be raised, the poll high and the head slightly in front of the vertical. While remaining “on the bit” and maintaining a light and soft contact with the rider's hand, the horse may quietly champ the bit and should be ready to move off at the slightest indication of the rider. The halt is obtained by the displacement of the horse's weight to the quarters by a properly increased action of the seat and legs of the rider, driving the horse towards a more and more restraining but allowing hand, causing an almost instantaneous but not abrupt halt at a previously fixed place.

The rein back
The rein back is a rearwards movement in diagonal steps. The feet should be well raised and the hind feet remain well in line. At the preceding halt as well as during the rein back the horse, although standing motionless and moving backwards respectively, should remain “on the bit”, maintaining his desire to move forward. Anticipation or precipitation of the movement, resistance to or evasion of the hand, deviation of the quarters from the straight line, spreading or inactive hind legs and dragging fore feet are serious faults. If in a dressage test a trot or canter is required after a rein back, the horse should move off immediately into this pace, without a halt or an intermediate step.

The transitions
The changes of pace and speed should be clearly shown at the prescribed marker; they should be quickly made, yet must be smooth and not abrupt. The cadence of a pace should be maintained up to the moment when the pace is changed or the horse halts. The horse should remain light in hand, calm and maintain a correct position. The same applies to transitions from one movement to another, for instance from the passage to the piaffe and vice versa.

More Difficult Dressage Movements and Dressage Figures

The half-halt
The half-halt is a hardly visible, almost simultaneous, coordinated action of the seat, the legs and the hand of the rider, with the object of increasing the attention and balance of the horse before the execution of several movements or transitions to lower and higher paces. In shifting slightly more weight onto the horse's quarters, the engagement of the hind legs and the balance on the haunches are facilitated, for the benefit of the lightness of the forehand and the horse's balance as a whole.

Volte
The Volte is a circle of 6, 8 or 10 meters diameter. If larger than 10 meters, one uses the term Circle stating the diameter.

Serpentine
The serpentine consists of half circles connected by a straight line. When crossing the centre line the horse should be parallel to the short side. Depending on the size of the half-circles the straight connection varies in length.

Figure of eight
This figure consists of two exact voltes or circles of equal size as prescribed in the test, joined at the centre of the eight. The rider should make his horse straight an instant before changing direction at the centre of the figure.

Shoulder-in
The horse is slightly bent round the inside leg of the rider. The horse's inside foreleg passes and crosses in front of the outside leg; the inside hind leg is placed in front of the outside leg. The horse is looking away from the direction in which he is moving. Shoulder-in, if performed in the right way, with the horse slightly bent round the inside leg of the rider, and on the correct tracking, is not only a suppling movement but also a collecting movement, because the horse at every step must move his inside hind leg underneath his body and place it in front of the outside, with a lowering of his inside hip.

Travers
The horse is slightly bent round the inside leg of the rider. The horse's outside legs pass and cross in front of the inside legs. The horse is looking in the direction in which he is moving.

Renvers
This is the inverse movement in relation to travers, with the tail instead of the head to the wall. Otherwise the same principles and conditions are applicable as at the travers.

Half-pass
This is a variation of travers, executed “on the diagonal” instead of “along the wall”. The horse should be slightly bent round the inside leg of the rider in order to give more freedom and mobility to the shoulders, thus adding ease and grace to the movement, although the forehand should be slightly in advance of the quarters. The outside legs pass and cross in front of the inside legs. The horse is looking in the direction in which he is moving. He should maintain the same cadence and balance throughout the whole movement. In order to give more freedom and mobility to the shoulders, which adds to the ease and grace of the movement, it is of great importance, not only that the leg.

Turn on the haunches from halt to halt
At the beginning of the turn a few forward steps are permitted. During the turn the horse moves around a point whereby the inner hind leg remains close to that point whilst stepping around the point in a clear fourbeat. The front legs and the outside hind leg move around the inner hind leg which is lifted and lowered in rhythm clearly in the direction of the centre of gravity and meets the ground in the same spot or only slightly in front thereof. After the completion of the turn the horse is brought back to the track in a forward sideward manner before the second halt. The horse returns to the track without the hind legs crossing. When executing the turn, the horse should be flexed in the direction of the turn.

Turn on the haunches from walk
The same criteria apply as for the turn on the haunches from halt to halt. The only difference is that the horse does not come to a halt before and after the turn. Before starting the turn, the steps of the walk should be shortened.

Difficult Dressage Movements

The pirouette (half-pirouette) is a circle (half-circle)
executed on two tracks, with a radius equal to the length of the horse, the forehand moving round the haunches.

Pirouettes (half-pirouettes)
are usually carried out at collected walk or canter, but can also be executed at piaffe.

The passage
This is a measured, very collected, very elevated and very cadenced trot. It is characterised by a pronounced engagement of the quarters, a more accentuated flexion of the knees and hocks, and the graceful elasticity of the movement. Each diagonal pair of feet is raised and returned to the ground alternately, with cadence and a prolonged suspension. In principle, the height of the toe of the raised foreleg should be level with the middle of the cannon bone of the other foreleg. The toe of the raised hind leg should be slightly above the fetlock joint of the other hind leg. The neck should be raised and gracefully arched with the poll as the highest point and the head close to the vertical. The horse should remain light and soft “on the bit” and be able to go smoothly from the passage to the piaffe and vice-versa, without apparent effort and without altering the cadence, the impulsion being always lively and pronounced. Irregular steps with the hind legs, swinging the forehand or the quarters from one side to the other as well as jerky movements of the forelegs or the hind legs or dragging the hind legs are serious faults.

The piaffe
The piaffe is a highly collected, cadenced, elevated diagonal movement giving the impression of being in place. The horse's back is supple and elastic. The quarters are slightly lowered, the haunches with active hocks are well engaged, giving great freedom, lightness and mobility to the shoulders and forehand. Each diagonal pair of feet is raised and returned to the ground alternately, with an even cadence. In principle, the height of the toe of the raised foreleg should be level with the middle of the cannon bone of the other foreleg. The toe of the raised hind leg should reach just above the fetlock joint of the other hind leg. The neck should be raised and arched, the head vertical. The horse should remain light “on the bit” with a supple poll, maintaining a light and soft contact on a taut rein. The body of the horse should move up and down in a supple, cadenced and harmonious movement. The piaffe must always be animated by a lively impulsion and characterised by a perfect balance. While giving the impression of being in place there may be a visible inclination to advance, this being displayed by the horse's eager acceptance to move forward as soon as he is asked. Moving even slightly backwards, irregular steps with the hind legs, crossing either the fore - or hind legs or swinging either the forehand or the quarters from one side to the other are serious faults. A movement with hurried and unlevel or irregular steps without cadence, or spring cannot be called a true piaffe.

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