Dressage – The Mane Event

While most casual onlookers can understand the basic principles of show jumping and cross-country competition, the third component of three-day eventing remains something of a puzzle. Dressage is undoubtedly beautiful to watch, but it is understood and genuinely appreciated by a comparatively small group of people.

A distinction is drawn between competitive dressage that can be seen in the equestrian competition at the Summer Olympics and at venues such as the Badminton Horse Trials, and classical dressage, typified by what is popularly known as “airs above the ground” and famously demonstrated by the Lipizzaner horses in Jerez, Vienna and Johannesburg.

Dressage has a long and noble history, most experts dating its birth to Ancient Greece and the great military tactician Xenophon who wrote The Art of Horsemanship, a groundbreaking treatise on equine training.

Classical dressage developed over more than two thousand years, its characteristic movements established via a succession of experts throughout the centuries. Apart from the famous riding schools, whose Lipizzaner horses thrill the crowds with their dazzling moves, classical dressage can also be seen as a key component of  bullfighting exhibitions.

Competitive dressage has emerged as the most demanding test of a rider’s control over his or her mount. The sport’s key components are structured like a pyramid, with rhythm and regularity at the foundation, this aspect considered the most basic requirement of horse and rider. After this has been mastered, prospective competitors must master relaxation, contact, impulsion, straightness and finally collection, the most demanding skill.

A standard competitive dressage arena is 20 metres by 60 and is divided into 17 areas, each denoted by a letter: A-K-E-H-C-M-B-F around the edges and D-L-X-I-G in the centre. Rumours abound as to why these letters were selected but the explanation most frequently offered is that the German cavalry used to practise dressage in the 20 by 60 metre space between their barracks, which featured the aforementioned letters above the doors.

Whatever its roots, dressage is still one of the most beautiful and dramatic spectacles in the world of equine competition today – even if, for most people, its rules and requirements remain shrouded in mystery.

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New post on at Tuesday, 9 June, 2009, 10:30 am and is archived in International News, Lifestyle. Subscribe to answers with RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or make a trackback from your web.