Dressage at Devon

110 ©Hoofprints.com Dressage at Devon 2016 • Performance Division Classical dressage represents the ballet of the equestrian world. Like superbly trained ballet dancers, dressage riders strive to make physically demanding equestrian feats look effortless, natural, graceful. Don't let them fool you. Those beautiful moments in the dressage arena come only after years of backbreaking work by both horse and rider, countless tears of frustration or elation and a dedication to regular exercise that would credit a gymnast. The skills you see on display form the foundation for all other equestrian disciplines, the ultimate partnership between horse and rider. Newcomers to the sport of dressage often find themselves bewildered. Around them, more experienced spectators silently follow each movement and applaud appreciatively after each test. What do they find so engrossing? Why an encouraging whisper one moment, and a rueful shake of the head the next? They simply know what to look for, and so can you. Here is a brief, illustrated explanation of the paces and movements that make up dressage riding and a description of the dressage arena as well as a step-by- step outline of the Federation Equestre International (FEI) tests that competitors must perform. Read on, and enjoy the show! 2,400 Years of History Dressage, a French word that means "training," describes a rider's gradual and harmonious development of the horse in both body and mind to increase suppleness, obedience and strength. This demanding art form, although a global sport, has been part of the U.S. equestrian world for less than 50 years. The roots of dressage go back to the year 380 BC when the Greek general Xenophon, author of the oldest existing book on horsemanship, quoted an even earlier horseman, Simon: "If a dancer was forced to dance by whip and spikes he would be no more beautiful than a horse trained under similar conditions." In dressage the horse should be a calm, willing participant, eager to do its rider's bidding. Dressage competition is open to horses of every size, sex, shape, color andBreed. In the Breed Show, the horse's physical characteristics are judged, but in the ridden tests each horse is scored solely on performance. Dressage riders are not always professional riders and trainers. Some are part-time equestrians, enjoying the relationship between the horse and its owner. In its purest form, dressage is the team of horse and rider competing against perfection, rather than against other competitors. However, in the horse show atmosphere, competition does dominate - allowing the rider to compare his progress with others. Dressage competitions in the United States are based on ten progressive levels - six national and four international - encompassing some 25 different tests starting at the Training Level and advancing to Grand Prix. Each test leads the horse in its training toward the ultimate level of competition, equal to Olympic and World Championship standards. The rider memorizes his test for competition. The horse is not taught a dressage test, per se, but is schooled in the various skills appropriate to that level. The object of the test is not to repeat a pattern, but to evaluate a stage of development. It is in the higher level classes that one sees the more spectacular movements: Piaffe, Passage, Pirouette, Half Pass and Flying Changes of lead at the canter every third, every second, and finally every single stride. It is important to understand that none of the graceful movements you see exhibited today are showman's tricks or acrobatics. All are based on natural equine actions, often those made spontaneously by the unridden horse at play. The rider has patiently trained the horse to perform these specific, carefully controlled versions of natural movements in response to invisible aids or body motions. The result is poetry in motion, classical horsemanship in competition. Aids to Communication How does the dressage rider communicate with the horse? Through a series of aids that, in theory, should be all but invisible to the spectator and the judges. The aids are directed toward the horse's senses of sight, hearing and responsiveness to touch. Of these, sight plays the smallest role, serving mainly to convert the horse's natural fear of strange objects or of human beings into confidence. Hearing is more important, because horses are extremely receptive to sound. The bulk of the aids, however, depend on the horse's responsiveness to touch - specifically, to the bit and reins at its mouth and to the rider's legs and weight on its back. Aids serve three major purposes: pushing, or urging the horse forward; stopping the horse; and preventing the horse from taking undesired action. These aids make up a subtle, nonverbal language. Pushing aids include leg pressure and position, shift in body weight, clicks of the tongue, touches with spurs and, in certain conditions, the riding whip and the long whip. Stopping aids include the reins and the position of the rider's weight on the horse's back. Preventing (or steering) aids include leg movements and unilateral action with the reins Although the aids are called "invisible," the spectator can recognize many of them simply by watching the way the rider holds his or her body. The simple aids, for instance, are used diagonally. To turn right, the rider looks to the right, placing more weight in that direction, while positioning the right leg at the girth and the left leg behind the girth. The right rein signals the horse to bend to the right while the left rein gives enough to allow the horse to turn to the right. All you may notice of this at first is the concentrated look in the direction of the turn. d a n c e S W i T h h o r S e S . . . a S p e c T a T o r ' S g u i d e T o d r e S S a g e

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