Despite its impressive elegance, dressage hardly seems like a modern sport. The image commonly evoked is that of a formally dressed figure exhibiting total control over his or her horse.
Delightful to watch though it is, dressage has in the past tended to attract a solid core of cognoscenti, capable of analysing and evaluating every move of horse and rider. One thing that it has lacked is a more mainstream audience.
In recent years skiing events have expanded in order to offer casual viewers more interest and excitement, with new disciplines like ‘moguls’ and ‘skateboarding’ entering official competition. These initiatives have had the intended rejuvenating effect. Similarly, dressage has felt the need to move beyond its classical roots and embrace modernity.
These days freestyle dressage is becoming increasingly popular. First seen at Goodwood Concours de Dressage International in 1979, kür (i.e. dressage to music) took the world by storm and has become increasingly popular. While this new discipline requires all the skill and precision of classical dressage, the musical aspect has opened it up to a wider audience.
Kür is judged in a different way to traditional dressage, with attention being paid to two key areas: the technical and the artistic. There are a number of mandatory movements and paces, although the performer is allowed the freedom to arrange these in his or her own style.
Kür is now a part of the dressage competition at the Olympic and the World Equestrian Games. Some companies even specialise in producing CDs specifically for musical dressage events since the movements, like the components of a figure skating programme, demand a mixture of tempos. A minimum of three is needed to accompany the walk, the trot and the canter. It is also important to match the music to the movements of the horse, rather than the reverse.
The best freestyle programmes are those that combine the beauty and formality of classic competitive dressage with a sense of fun. However, this light-hearted quality can obscure the hard work that goes into ensuring the seamless connection between horse and rider. Like ballet, kür is a lot more difficult than the casual observer might imagine!
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