Frequently Asked Dressage Questions

Ann Van Neste D'Ieteren
Residence: Deerlijk, Horse: Iguazu

What is dressage?

Dressage is literally translated from French as "training." Legend has it that dressage was developed to prepare war-horses for battle. Using lateral (side-to-side) movements as well as forward and backward movements, cavalry soldiers trained their horses to be sure-footed, agile mounts that could easily maneuver out of difficult situations. Many people like to characterize dressage as a type of "ballet on horseback." This is an apt description-if executed correctly, many dressage movements look like dances with the horse and rider totally in synchrony with each other. Modern dressage is performed on the flat (without jumps) in arenas that measure 20 x 60 or 20 x 40 meters and have letters in specific locations to assist the rider in starting and finishing movements in the correct locations.

What are dressage shows like?

Dressage shows are built around tests. (more on that in a moment). Entries are sent in weeks before the show, with the rider selecting which tests she wishes to ride. Days before the show, the rider finds out when she is expected to ride each of the tests chosen, as each class is completely scheduled in advance, to the minute.

At the show the test is performed with just one rider in the ring at a time. The tests may be memorized, but readers may be used to call out the movements, until the higher levels (FEI levels) are reached, or for the dressage phase of a combined training competition. (combined training is dressage, plus cross country jumping, plus stadium jumping). As the rider performs the test, the judge evaluates each movement, giving it a score from 0 to 10, plus comments, written down by a scribe next to the judge. After the test is complete, the results are tabulated by a scorer, and expressed as a percentage. The class is pinned on the basis of highest percentage.

What are dressage tests?

Tests are a series of movements with a designed level of difficulty used to evaluate the training of the horse (not the skill of the rider). Tests are published, changing every few years. In the U.S., there are about two dozen tests of increasing difficulty created by our national federation, the American Horse Shows Association (AHSA); above that, there are tests created by the international governing body on equestrian competition, the FEI (Federation Equestrian Internationale). There are some tests also created by the U.S. Dressage Federation - the Introductory tests, for example.

The tests are asking questions about the degree of achievement of the goals of a horse's training - suppleness, balance, roundness, softness, etc. As the difficulty increases, circles become smaller, movements more difficult, and the flow from movement to movement more challenging.

What are the different levels of individual dressage?

The most basic level, seldom offered at large competitions, is Introductory Level. The two introductory tests call for only walking and trotting movements. From there, the levels increase steadily in difficulty. Note: not all tests at a level include all the movements 
indicated on this list.

* Training Level- 4 tests: medium & free walk, working trot, & working canter
* First Level- 4 tests: all above plus lengthenings & leg yields
* Second Level- 4 tests: all above plus collections, rein backs, countercanter, medium gaits, shoulder-ins, travers (haunches-in) turns on the haunches, & simple changes of lead
* Third Level- 3 tests: all above plus half-passes, extensions & flying lead changes
* Fourth Level- 3 tests: all above plus half pirouettes at walk & canter and 3 flying changes of lead every 3rd & 4th strides
* Fifth Level- 4 tests: equivalent to Prix St. Georges, Intermediate I, Intermediate II, and Grand Prix
* FEI Young Riders: 3 tests (Preliminary, team, & individual) equivalent to 4th level or Prix St. Georges

The F.E.I.-sanctioned international levels each consist of one test, with the exception of Grand Prix.

* Prix Saint Georges: all above plus 5 changes of lead every 3rd & 4th strides
* Intermediate I: all above plus trotting half-pass "zig-zags," full canter pirouettes, and 7 flying changes of lead every 2nd stride
* Intermediate II: all above plus passage, piaffe (slight forward motion permitted), cantering zig-zags, 9 flying changes of lead every 2nd stride, and 9 flying changes of lead every stride
* Grand Prix- 2 tests (Grand Prix & Grand Prix Special): all above plus piaffe with no forward motion allowed and 15 flying changes of lead every stride

How is dressage scored?

Individual dressage tests and quadrilles are scored using a numerical system from 0 through 10. Scores in the 5-8 range are most frequently seen. Scores higher than 9 or lower than 4 are seldom given. Each individual movement is scored using the numerical system, and some are given coefficients, which multiply the numerical score by two or three. Overall impressions are scored in the section entitled "Collective Marks." The number of points possible is divided the number of points received, yielding a percentage that is used to rank the horse & rider combinations in the class.

What are musical freestyles?

Simply put, musical freestyles (aka krs) are dressage movements set to music in a manner similar to figure skating routines. Riders or, in some cases, professional choreographers, devise rides according to U.S.D.F. freestyle guidelines. Freestyles are scored on technical execution and artistic merit and given percentage scores like regular dressage tests.

What are quadrilles, pas de deux, and pas de trois?

Quadrilles, pas de deux, and pas de trois are the only classes in competitive dressage where more than one horse is in the arena at a time. Pas de deux teams consist of two horses and two riders, pas de trois teams consist of three horses and three riders, and quadrille teams consist of four horses and four riders. In each, semblance as a team, performance as a team & individually, and the quality of the movements are stressed and scored. In quadrilles, unlike pas de deux and pas de trois, teams perform U.S.D.F.-sanctioned tests. Pas de deux and pas de trois teams invent their own tests.

Is dressage only for warmbloods?

Not in any way, shape, or form! With the successes of many great non-warmbloods such as Keen (Thoroughbred), Last Scene (Thoroughbred/Connemara), and J.B. Andrew (Mustang), dressage rings are becoming host to just about every kind of horse and pony imaginable. Dressage judges, once thought to be hostile towards anything without a branded rump, are now very accepting and complimentary toward less 'conventional' mounts.

Who can benefit from dressage?

Absolutely anybody. Who doesn't want to learn how to better control, be in harmony with, and work better with his or her equine partner? The same goes for horses. The basic principles of suppleness, good manners, solid training on the flat, elasticity, and fitness are beneficial to any animal. Jumping horses and riders are especially helped by a foundation built on harmony, communication, and other such techniques learned through dressage training.

Why dressage?

Books have been written to try to answer this question; two that come to mind are Charles de Kunffy's "Ethics and Passions of Dressage", and Mairinger's "Horses are Made to Be Horses".

There is no one answer. For each rider and horse, the answer differs, and changes over time.

Dressage is good for the horse; it is difficult to argue with training that aspires to produce a balanced, supple, strong, athletic partner. This extends across equestrian disciplines: many of the better jumper riders employ dressage approaches in their training program.

The challenge of dressage as a sport appeals to many. Jumper rounds rarely exceed a minute in duration; dressage tests usually are 4 or 5 minutes long, with full concentration demanded for every fraction of a second. As one progresses up the levels, new things are introduced and new skills required.

One facet of the jewel of dressage is the focus on harmony between horse and rider; not compulsion, but two-way communication. It is a glorious feeling when that harmony is present. Transitions are telepathic; it all flows, clearly, softly. Dressage becomes t'ai chi for the horse and rider. 

The appeal of tradition should not be overlooked. Working a horse in the context of dressage partakes of a rich heritage; when one hears the phrase "classical horsemanship", the accompanying images are those of dressage. The Spanish Riding School of Vienna, with its dancing white Lippizaner stallions, is a shrine to the traditions, virtues and values of dressage.

Ultimately, dressage is about beauty. Equine muscle molded by the rider's soft determination; living sculpture conquering space and defying time. It is a dance of horse and rider, following in hoof prints centuries old, unique to that pairing, to that moment in eternity.

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