Dressage is a form of horse riding that is performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. It is a unique discipline for riding a horse, as unique as Hunter/Jumpers, Tennessee Walkers, Three or Five Gaited Horses, Reining, Endurance, Eventing or any others that come to mind. Dressage is an Olympic discipline, enjoying great international popularity internationally. The word "dressage" is French and evolved from the verb dresseur meaning to train. Dressage is a way of training and riding your horse, and it involves showing off a horse’s training by performing a set of prescribed movements in front of a panel of judges. Dressage tests are the formalized sequence of a number of dressage movements used in competition. Although horses and riders are competing against each other, tests are completed by one horse and rider combination at a time, and horses and riders are judged against a common standard, rather than having their performance scored relative to the other competitors.
The object of the training of a dressage horse is to develop a harmonious and fluid moving horse that performs from almost imperceptible signals from the rider. The horses physique and mind develop as does his ability to perform so that he is confident, attentive, keen and supple. A horse performing the discipline of dressage must have 3 free, elastic and regular gaits, which are the walk, trot, and canter. Dressage is all about the rider working in harmony with their horse, developing suppleness, flexibility, obedience, and athleticism – which ultimately help make a horse more pleasant to ride. Dressage done well is not cruel to horses. The point of dressage is to demonstrate harmony and trust between horse and rider, which is achieved using correct, humane training methods.
