Thursday, April 24, 2008

Dressage

Most of my equestrian experience involves jumping, but there is another style of English riding that deserves recognition. The type of riding that I am referring to is called dressage. The essential purpose of dressage is to develop a horse's natural athletic ability and willingness to perform. This process involves a high degree of dedication and training methods between a horse, rider, and trainer. Dressage is sometimes called horse ballet. A perfect dressage horse appears relaxed and effortless while responding to the rider with amazing finesse and grace.

The video that is included in this post is absolutely breathtaking. Make sure to watch it with the sound turned on. Even though it appears that the rider is not doing anything, I assure you he is performing dozens of slight and invisible commands to his horse. A few of the ways that he is communicating to his horse include: a small amount of leg pressure encouraging the horse to move a certain way, a shift in his weight causing the horse to bend, and a steady pull on the rein allowing the horse to change his gait in an instant.

Watch this video and be amazed...

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