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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.
Higher levels require the horse to lengthen and shorten strides (extension and collection), to turn on very tight circles, to back up, and to go along the centre of the arena in an S-shaped line called a Serpentine. In time, going on a diagonal with the feet crossing each other (half pass) is added, as is trotting on the spot (piaffe), changing leads at each stride (one-tempi) so that the horse appears to be skipping, and a high-stepping very collected trot (passage).
In Dressage competitions, each horse/rider combination performs a set test before a judge. The competitor with the best marks wins. At the lower levels, there is one judge. At the highest level, there are three to five judges, with the scores being averaged.
A very popular feature of Dressage competitions is the Kur. In the Kur, horse and rider perform the required movements to music, in a pattern choreographed to fit both the horse's best features and the music. The horses often seem to enjoy performing Kurs, coming to life and really sparkling as if they were dancing.
At the early levels, riders can ask someone to read the test to them as they perform. As they go up the ladder of difficulty, they are expected to memorize the tests.
Dressage competitions are held in rings of regulation sizes: 20x40 metres for the lowest levels, rising to 20x60 for the higher classes. The outside limits of the ring are marked, and letters are placed at standard positions on the outside.
Riders always enter at "A", and have to halt at a required spot on the long (centre) line to salute the judge. This spot does not have a letter present...the rider must eyeball this one. The test will require the rider to do one thing...say, trot, from one letter to another, then change what is to be done at that letter, say, to canter. Circles must be round, not square, and of a required size, usually 20 or 15, or 10 metres, and the rider must ride these "by eye". The test will say, "Canter 20 metre circle at E" for example.
In addition to marking on how accurately the horse and rider performed the test, the judge(s) will give marks on the paces of the horse, the obedience of the horse, and the position and seat of the rider. Success in Dressage requires a lot of practice, discipline and sound training, as well as talent.
The one exception to the "all on the flat" is the Prix Caprilli test, where the test includes jumping Cavaletti (very small jumps).
Adult riders take note: The oldest Olympic competitor on record was a Dressage rider, aged 72! So keep on truckin'.
Beginning in 1997, the Pony Club provides both Eastern Canadian and Western Canadian Championship competitions. For this purpose, the East/West dividing line is the Ontario/Manitoba border. There are currently no plans for an overall National Championship competition.
Riders are selected to attend the Eastern or Western Canadian Championships by somewhat different methods in each Region so please check your own Region's page for specifics in your area.
The official Canadian Pony Club Dressage Rules are available for free downloading. Most people with a laser or inkjet printer should be able to print them out so make sure you or your branch have the most up to date information.
Specific details about how each Region runs their Dressage competitions is available for the following Regions:
Western Ontario