| Dressage |
| Even though there is already a little information about dressage on the Riding Styles page, I don't think that it quite does this sport justice. So, here is more about dressage! Note: If you are using a dial-up connection, the page may load slowly due to animation and video. |
| Below is a video of dressage at the professional level. It is from Google Video. |
| Glossary of Dressage: |
| Dressage can seem very complicated. Let's start out with some basic terms: |
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| At dressage shows, you will ride in a dressage arena. To the right is a preview of how a 60x20 m (standard) dressage arena looks. A small dressage arena is 20x40 m and is used in lower levels of dressage. At the start of a dressage test, the rider enters at A. There is usually one or more judges at C. (In higher dressage levels, judges may be placed at multiple places around the arena.) X is the center of the arena. The letters in the center (or red letters) are not shown in a real dressage arena. |
| Note: This small glossary does not include all the terms of dressage. Only the basic and common terms. |
| Passage- a slow motion trot (right) |
| Piaffe- an approach to trot in place (right, finished piaffe) |
| Pirouettes- a 360-degree circle that is almost in place (right, at the canter) |
| Freestyle- dressage test preformed to music |
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| Two-tempi- Lead changes on every other stride (right) |
| One-tempo- Lead changes on every stride |
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| Animations from Animated Guide to Dressage Netscape 2.0 or Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 required to view animations. |
| Want to Know More About Dressage? Check out these websites: |
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| You can wear a normal english showing outfit for dressage. In higher levels, a formal top hat and spurs are worn. Sometimes, you are allowed to carry a whip and sometimes not. Ask someone working at the show before you ride with one. Your horse must have a snaffle bit for dressage and should not be wearing a martangle. Your horse should be braided and very clean. Hoofblack if often used. The tail is not usually braided. At dressage shows, a dressage saddle is not required. However, you must use and english-style saddle. Dressage saddles usually have a deeper seat. This helps riders keep their place in the saddle. |