We take a look at the equestrian sport of dressage, which earned the nickname ‘sport of the dancing horses’ in 2012 <\/p>
Dressage is an equestrian sport that tests a horse’s suppleness, obedience, accuracy and paces \u2013 think of it as ballet or gymnastics on horseback. According to British Dressage, it developed as a sport in the 19th century<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p> “The concept of producing obedient, supple and responsive mounts was essentially a military idea – the better schooled your horse, the better he would be in battle,” says British Dressage<\/a>.<\/p> “However, this was also combined with a desire by the nobility to be seen ‘about town’ on magnificent steeds with exaggerated movement, which clearly demonstrated their ability as horsemen. And so ‘dressage’ was born.”<\/p> Horse and rider usually perform a dressage test (series of movements) in a dressage arena, which for the beginner levels measures 20×40 metres and for the more advanced 20×60 metres. Each movement is marked out of ten by the judges.<\/p> Dressage levels range from preliminary to Grand Prix. At the beginner\/preliminary level, horse and rider are just tested on simple movements within the three paces of walk, trot and canter – for example, a 20-metre circle at trot or transitions between the paces.<\/p> But at the higher levels dressage can get much more demanding as riders have to ask horses to perform more complicated movements, such as moving sideways (half pass) or a rein back.<\/p> At the top grand prix level of dressage it is even more exacting. Here, horses are asked to trot on the spot (piaffe), do a very slow, elevated trot (passage), do one-time changes in canter (when the horse looks like it is skipping), and even a pirouette \u2013 a turn on the spot at speed, more or less where the horse’s front legs move round its hind limbs at canter.<\/p> One of the most popular dressage classes is when riders have to set the required moves to music.<\/p>