Dressage means conditioning of the horse's mind, timing his responses giving the impression that horse and rider are a pair working as one. It is the foundation from which all of the riding disciplines within Pony Club evolve. At the lower levels of Pony Club, dressage relates to basic flat work.

Dressage is a system for training horse and rider that has its roots in ancient Greece. The first known manual of horsemanship was written by Xenophon, for ancient Greek cavalrymen, and has much in common with modern texts on Dressage.

Almost all work is done on the flat. The rider learns proper use of the natural aids - hands, legs, and seat to guide and control the horse. The horse learns balance, straightness, rhythm, impulsion, extension and collection.

Dressage is, at its lower levels, basic training for horse and rider. At its highest levels, it is art. (Just watch Grand Prix riders on their top level horses to see what this means.) Dressage builds flexibility, obedience and gymnastic ability in the horse...very important for later jumping as well as for Dressage competition. In the days when wars were fought on horseback, those qualities could mean the difference between life and death for the mounted soldier.

Back then, the highest level of Dressage was the "Airs Above the Ground", where horses were trained to rear, leap, kick and turn on command as fighting strategies. "Airs Above the Ground" are now seen only in very specialized riding schools such as the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, where the beautiful grey Lippizan stallions demonstrate their skills for visiting crowds.

Early levels emphasize walk, trot, and canter on a straight line and in circles. Horses also learn to halt on command with the four feet placed squarely, and remain immobile for four seconds.