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Dressage
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dressage (a French term meaning
"training") is a path and destination of competitive horse training,
with competitions held at all levels from amateur to the Olympics. Its
fundamental purpose is to develop, through standardized progressive training
methods, a horse's natural athletic ability and willingness to perform, thereby
maximizing its potential as a riding horse. At the peak of a dressage horse's
gymnastic development, it can smoothly respond to a skilled rider's minimal
aids by performing the requested movement while remaining relaxed and appearing
effortless. For this reason, dressage is occasionally referred to as "Horse
Ballet." Although the discipline has its roots in classical Greek
horsemanship, mainly through the influence of Xenophon, dressage was first
recognized as an important equestrian pursuit during the Renaissance in Western
Europe. The great European riding masters of that period developed a sequential
training system that has changed little since then and classical dressage is
still considered the basis of trained modern dressage.
Early European aristocrats
displayed their horses' training in equestrian pageants, but in modern dressage
competition, successful training at the various levels is demonstrated through the
performance of "tests," or prescribed series of movements within a
standard arena. Judges evaluate each movement on the basis of an objective
standard appropriate to the level of the test and assign each movement a score
from zero to ten - zero being "not executed" and 10 being
"excellent." A score of 9 (or "very good") is considered a
particularly high mark.
Dressage horsesAny riding horse can
benefit from use of Dressage principles and training techniques. However, horse
breeds most often seen at the Olympics and other international FEI competitions
are in the Warmblood horse breeds category. In the non-competitive performances
of Classical dressage that involve the "Airs above the ground"
described below, the "Baroque" breeds of horses, most notably
the Lipizzan, are most often seen. However, Dressage is an egalitarian sport in
which all breeds are given an opportunity to successfully compete. Therefore,
many other breeds are seen at various levels of competition.
The
arena
60x20
letter arrangement
There are two sizes of
arenas: small and standard. Each has letters assigned to positions around the
arena for dressage tests to specify where movements are to be performed.
The small arena is 20 m
by 40 m, and is used for the lower levels of dressage and three-day eventing
dressage. Its letters around the outside edge, starting from the point of entry
and moving clockwise, are A-K-E-H-C-M-B-F. Letters also mark locations in the
middle of the arena: Moving down the center line, they are D-X-G, with X in the
center. Since the combination of Canadian Equestrian Federation (CEF) and United
States Dressage Federation (USDF) tests in 2003, the small size arena is no
longer utilized in rated shows in North America.
The standard arena is
20 m by 60 m, and is used for tests in both dressage and eventing. The
standard dressage arena letters are A-K-V-E-S-H-C-M-R-B-P-F. (It is unknown who
began the lettering system or why the arrangement was chosen.) The letters on
the long sides of the arena nearest the corners are 6 m in from the
corners, and are 12 m apart from each other. The letters in the middle of
the arena are D-L-X-I-G, with X marking the center.
At the start of the test,
the horse enters at A. There is always a judge sitting at C (although for
upper-level competition, there are up to five judges at different places around
the arena).
The dressage arena also has
a centerline (from A to C, going through X in the middle), as well as two
quarter-lines (halfway between the centerline and long sides of each arena).
Competition
Dressage competitions may
begin in local communities with Introductory level classes where riders
need only walk and trot. Horses and riders advance through a graduated series
of levels, with tests of increasing difficulty at each level, until the most
accomplished horse and rider teams compete at the Grand Prix levels and
international competition, such as the Olympic games.
Apart from competition,
there is a tradition of Classical Dressage, in which the tradition of dressage
is pursued as an art form. The traditions of the Old Masters who originated
Dressage are kept alive by the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria and the
Cadre Noir in Saumur, France.This type of schooling is also a part of the Portuguese
and Spanish bullfighting exhibitions. l
Olympic
level
The dressage tests
performed at the Olympic Games, which were accepted as sport in 1912, are those
of the highest level-Grand Prix. This level of test demands the most skill and
concentration from both horse and rider.
Gaits and movements
performed at this level include collected and extended walk, trot, and canter;
trot and canter half-pass (a movement where the horse travels on a diagonal
line keeping its body almost parallel with the arena wall while making both
forward and sideways steps in each stride); passage (a slow-motion trot); piaffe
(an approach to "trot in place"); one and two tempi changes (where
the horse changes from one lead to the other in the canter); and pirouettes (a
360-degree circle that is almost in place).
Tests ridden at the Olympic
Games are scored by a panel of five international judges. Each movement in each
test receives a numeric score and the resulting final score is then converted
into a percentage, which is carried out to three decimal points. The higher the
percentage, the higher the score.
Olympic team medals are won
by the teams with the highest, second highest, and third highest total
percentage from their best three rides in the Grand Prix test.
Once the team medals are
determined, horses and riders compete for individual medals. The team competition
serves as the first individual qualifier, in that the top 25 horse/rider
combinations from the Grand Prix test move on to the next round. The second
individual qualifier is the Grand Prix Special test, which consists of Grand
Prix movements arranged in a different pattern. For those 25 riders, the scores
from the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Special are then combined and the
resulting top 15 horse/rider combinations move on to the individual medal
competition-the crowd-pleasing Grand Prix Freestyle.
For their freestyles,
riders and horses perform specially choreographed patterns to music. At this
level, the freestyle tests may contain all the Grand Prix movements, as well as
double canter pirouettes, pirouettes in piaffe, and half-pass in passage. For
the freestyle, judges award technical marks for the various movements, as well
as artistic marks. In the case of a tie, the ride with the higher artistic
marks wins. [1]
The
Training Scale
The dressage training scale
is arranged in a pyramid fashion, with “rhythm and regularity” at the bottom of
the pyramid and “collection” at the top. The training scale is used as a guide
for the training of the dressage horse (or any horse, for that matter). Despite
its appearance, the training scale is not meant to be a rigid format. Instead,
each level is built on as the horse progresses in his training: so a Grand Prix
horse would work on the refinement of the bottom levels of the pyramid, instead
of focusing on only the highest level: “collection.” The levels are also
interconnected. For example, a crooked horse is unable to develop impulsion,
and a horse that is not relaxed will be less likely to travel with a rhythmic
gait.
Rhythm
and Regularity (Takt)
Rhythm, gait, tempo, and
regularity should be the same on straight and bending lines, through lateral
work, and through transitions. Rhythm refers to the sequence of the footfalls,
which should only include the pure walk, pure trot, and pure canter. The regularity,
or purity, of the gait includes the evenness and levelness of the stride. Once
a rider can obtain pure gaits, they are ready to learn difficult movements such
as the piaffe, when the horse trots in place raising the front legs to where
the hooves are level with the cannon bone.
Relaxation
(Losgelassenheit)
The second level of the
pyramid is relaxation (looseness). Signs of looseness in the horse may be seen
by an even stride that is swinging through the back and causing the tail to
swing like a pendulum, looseness at the poll, a soft chewing of the bit, and a
relaxed blowing through the nose. The horse will make smooth transitions, be
easy to position from side to side, and will willingly reach down into the
contact as the reins are lengthened.
Contact
(Anlehnung)
Contact—the third level of
the pyramid—is the result of the horse’s pushing power, and should never be
achieved by the pulling of the rider’s hands. The rider drives the horse into
soft hands that allow the horse to come up into the bridle, and should always
follow the natural motion of the animal’s head. The horse should have equal
contact in both reins.
Impulsion
(Schwung)
The pushing power (thrust)
of the horse is called “impulsion,” and is the fourth level of the training
pyramid. Impulsion is created by storing the energy of engagement (the forward
reaching of the hind legs under the body). It is a result of:
• Correct driving aids of
the rider
• Relaxation of the horse
• Throughness (durchlässigkeit):
the flow of energy through the horse from front to back and back to front. The
musculature of the horse is connected, supple, elastic, and unblocked, and the
rider’s aids go freely through the horse.
Impulsion only occurs in
the trot and canter—not the walk—because it is associated with the moment of
suspension found in these two gaits.
Straightness
(Geraderichtung)
A horse is straight when
his hind legs follow the path of his front legs, on both straight lines and on
bending lines, and his body is parallel to the line of travel. Straightness
causes the horse to channel his impulsion directly toward his center of
balance, and allows the rider’s hand aids to have a connection to the hind end.
Collection
(Versammlung)
At the apex of the training
scale, collection may be used occasionally to supplement less vigorous work,
but is only focused on (through the collected gaits and more difficult
movements, such as flying changes) in more advanced horses. Collection requires
greater muscular strength, so must be developed slowly.
When a horse collects, he
naturally takes more of his weight onto his hindquarters. The joints of the
hind limbs have greater flexion, allowing the horse to lower his hindquarters,
bring his hind legs further under his body, and lighten the forehand. A
collected horse is able to move more freely. When collected, the stride length
should shorten, and increase in energy and activity.
Airs
above the ground
These are a series of
higher-level dressage maneuvers where the horse leaps above the ground. These
include the capriole, courbette, croupade, and levade. None are typically seen
in modern competitive dressage, but are performed by horses of various riding
academies, including the Spanish Riding School in Vienna and the Cadre Noir in Saumur.
Horses such as the Andalusian, Lusitano and Lipizzan are the breeds most often
trained to perform the "airs" today, in part due to their
powerfully-conformed hindquarters, which allow them the strength to perform
these difficult movements. There were originally seven airs, many of which were
used to build into the movements performed today.
In the capriole
(meaning leap of a goat), the horse jumps from a raised position of the
forehand straight up into the air, kicks out with the hind legs, and lands more
or less on all four legs at the same time. It requires an enormously powerful
horse to perform correctly. Video of the Capriole
In the courbette,
the horse raises his forehand off the ground, tucks up his forelegs evenly, and
then jumps forward, never allowing the forelegs to touch down, in a series of
"hops". Extremely strong and talented horses can perform five or more
leaps forward before having to touch down with the forelegs. It is more usual
to see a series of three or four leaps. Video of the Courbette
The levade.
In the levade, the
horse rises on his haunches to an angle of approximately 35 degrees from the
ground, with both forelegs tucked up evenly, and balances in that position. At
the beginning of the movement, the hind feet come under the horse's center of
gravity with the hocks coming lower to the ground, so that the horse appears to
sink down in back and rise in front. The position is held for a number of
seconds, and then the horse quietly puts the forelegs back on the ground and
proceeds at the walk, or stands at the halt. It is also a transition movement
between work on the ground and the airs above the ground, and it requires
enormous strength of the horse — not many horses are capable of a good quality
levade. Video of the Levade
The croupade is
similar to the capriole, but the horse does not kick out at the height of
elevation, but keeps his hind legs tucked tightly under.
The ballotade is
similar to the croupade, but the horse's hind hooves are positioned so one can
see its shoes if watching from behind. It appears as if the horse is ready to
kick. The back of the horse is almost parallel to the ground. This is a
transition movement to the more difficult capriole.
In the mezair, the
horse rears up and strikes out with its forelegs. It is similar to a series of
levades with a forward motion (not in place), with the horse gradually bringing
its legs further under himself in each successive movement and lightly touching
the ground with his front legs before pushing up again.
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dressage&action=history
http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html
Any riding horse can
benefit from use of Dressage principles and training techniques. However, horse
breeds most often seen at the Olympics and other international FEI competitions
are in the Warmblood horse breeds category. In the non-competitive performances
of Classical dressage that involve the "Airs above the ground"
described below, the "Baroque" breeds of horses, most notably
the Lipizzan, are most often seen. However, Dressage is an egalitarian sport in
which all breeds are given an opportunity to successfully compete. Therefore,
many other breeds are seen at various levels of competition.
The
arena
60x20
letter arrangement
There are two sizes of
arenas: small and standard. Each has letters assigned to positions around the
arena for dressage tests to specify where movements are to be performed.
The small arena is 20 m
by 40 m, and is used for the lower levels of dressage and three-day eventing
dressage. Its letters around the outside edge, starting from the point of entry
and moving clockwise, are A-K-E-H-C-M-B-F. Letters also mark locations in the
middle of the arena: Moving down the center line, they are D-X-G, with X in the
center. Since the combination of Canadian Equestrian Federation (CEF) and United
States Dressage Federation (USDF) tests in 2003, the small size arena is no
longer utilized in rated shows in North America.
The standard arena is
20 m by 60 m, and is used for tests in both dressage and eventing. The
standard dressage arena letters are A-K-V-E-S-H-C-M-R-B-P-F. (It is unknown who
began the lettering system or why the arrangement was chosen.) The letters on
the long sides of the arena nearest the corners are 6 m in from the
corners, and are 12 m apart from each other. The letters in the middle of
the arena are D-L-X-I-G, with X marking the center.
At the start of the test,
the horse enters at A. There is always a judge sitting at C (although for
upper-level competition, there are up to five judges at different places around
the arena).
The dressage arena also has
a centerline (from A to C, going through X in the middle), as well as two
quarter-lines (halfway between the centerline and long sides of each arena).
Competition
Dressage competitions may
begin in local communities with Introductory level classes where riders
need only walk and trot. Horses and riders advance through a graduated series
of levels, with tests of increasing difficulty at each level, until the most
accomplished horse and rider teams compete at the Grand Prix levels and
international competition, such as the Olympic games.
Apart from competition,
there is a tradition of Classical Dressage, in which the tradition of dressage
is pursued as an art form. The traditions of the Old Masters who originated
Dressage are kept alive by the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria and the
Cadre Noir in Saumur, France.This type of schooling is also a part of the Portuguese
and Spanish bullfighting exhibitions. l
Olympic
level
The dressage tests
performed at the Olympic Games, which were accepted as sport in 1912, are those
of the highest level-Grand Prix. This level of test demands the most skill and
concentration from both horse and rider.
Gaits and movements
performed at this level include collected and extended walk, trot, and canter;
trot and canter half-pass (a movement where the horse travels on a diagonal
line keeping its body almost parallel with the arena wall while making both
forward and sideways steps in each stride); passage (a slow-motion trot); piaffe
(an approach to "trot in place"); one and two tempi changes (where
the horse changes from one lead to the other in the canter); and pirouettes (a
360-degree circle that is almost in place).
Tests ridden at the Olympic
Games are scored by a panel of five international judges. Each movement in each
test receives a numeric score and the resulting final score is then converted
into a percentage, which is carried out to three decimal points. The higher the
percentage, the higher the score.
Olympic team medals are won
by the teams with the highest, second highest, and third highest total
percentage from their best three rides in the Grand Prix test.
Once the team medals are
determined, horses and riders compete for individual medals. The team competition
serves as the first individual qualifier, in that the top 25 horse/rider
combinations from the Grand Prix test move on to the next round. The second
individual qualifier is the Grand Prix Special test, which consists of Grand
Prix movements arranged in a different pattern. For those 25 riders, the scores
from the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Special are then combined and the
resulting top 15 horse/rider combinations move on to the individual medal
competition-the crowd-pleasing Grand Prix Freestyle.
For their freestyles,
riders and horses perform specially choreographed patterns to music. At this
level, the freestyle tests may contain all the Grand Prix movements, as well as
double canter pirouettes, pirouettes in piaffe, and half-pass in passage. For
the freestyle, judges award technical marks for the various movements, as well
as artistic marks. In the case of a tie, the ride with the higher artistic
marks wins. [1]
The
Training Scale
The dressage training scale
is arranged in a pyramid fashion, with “rhythm and regularity” at the bottom of
the pyramid and “collection” at the top. The training scale is used as a guide
for the training of the dressage horse (or any horse, for that matter). Despite
its appearance, the training scale is not meant to be a rigid format. Instead,
each level is built on as the horse progresses in his training: so a Grand Prix
horse would work on the refinement of the bottom levels of the pyramid, instead
of focusing on only the highest level: “collection.” The levels are also
interconnected. For example, a crooked horse is unable to develop impulsion,
and a horse that is not relaxed will be less likely to travel with a rhythmic
gait.
Rhythm
and Regularity (Takt)
Rhythm, gait, tempo, and
regularity should be the same on straight and bending lines, through lateral
work, and through transitions. Rhythm refers to the sequence of the footfalls,
which should only include the pure walk, pure trot, and pure canter. The regularity,
or purity, of the gait includes the evenness and levelness of the stride. Once
a rider can obtain pure gaits, they are ready to learn difficult movements such
as the piaffe, when the horse trots in place raising the front legs to where
the hooves are level with the cannon bone.
Relaxation
(Losgelassenheit)
The second level of the
pyramid is relaxation (looseness). Signs of looseness in the horse may be seen
by an even stride that is swinging through the back and causing the tail to
swing like a pendulum, looseness at the poll, a soft chewing of the bit, and a
relaxed blowing through the nose. The horse will make smooth transitions, be
easy to position from side to side, and will willingly reach down into the
contact as the reins are lengthened.
Contact
(Anlehnung)
Contact—the third level of
the pyramid—is the result of the horse’s pushing power, and should never be
achieved by the pulling of the rider’s hands. The rider drives the horse into
soft hands that allow the horse to come up into the bridle, and should always
follow the natural motion of the animal’s head. The horse should have equal
contact in both reins.
Impulsion
(Schwung)
The pushing power (thrust)
of the horse is called “impulsion,” and is the fourth level of the training
pyramid. Impulsion is created by storing the energy of engagement (the forward
reaching of the hind legs under the body). It is a result of:
• Correct driving aids of
the rider
• Relaxation of the horse
• Throughness (durchlässigkeit):
the flow of energy through the horse from front to back and back to front. The
musculature of the horse is connected, supple, elastic, and unblocked, and the
rider’s aids go freely through the horse.
Impulsion only occurs in
the trot and canter—not the walk—because it is associated with the moment of
suspension found in these two gaits.
Straightness
(Geraderichtung)
A horse is straight when
his hind legs follow the path of his front legs, on both straight lines and on
bending lines, and his body is parallel to the line of travel. Straightness
causes the horse to channel his impulsion directly toward his center of
balance, and allows the rider’s hand aids to have a connection to the hind end.
Collection
(Versammlung)
At the apex of the training
scale, collection may be used occasionally to supplement less vigorous work,
but is only focused on (through the collected gaits and more difficult
movements, such as flying changes) in more advanced horses. Collection requires
greater muscular strength, so must be developed slowly.
When a horse collects, he
naturally takes more of his weight onto his hindquarters. The joints of the
hind limbs have greater flexion, allowing the horse to lower his hindquarters,
bring his hind legs further under his body, and lighten the forehand. A
collected horse is able to move more freely. When collected, the stride length
should shorten, and increase in energy and activity.
Airs
above the ground
These are a series of
higher-level dressage maneuvers where the horse leaps above the ground. These
include the capriole, courbette, croupade, and levade. None are typically seen
in modern competitive dressage, but are performed by horses of various riding
academies, including the Spanish Riding School in Vienna and the Cadre Noir in Saumur.
Horses such as the Andalusian, Lusitano and Lipizzan are the breeds most often
trained to perform the "airs" today, in part due to their
powerfully-conformed hindquarters, which allow them the strength to perform
these difficult movements. There were originally seven airs, many of which were
used to build into the movements performed today.
In the capriole
(meaning leap of a goat), the horse jumps from a raised position of the
forehand straight up into the air, kicks out with the hind legs, and lands more
or less on all four legs at the same time. It requires an enormously powerful
horse to perform correctly. Video of the Capriole
In the courbette,
the horse raises his forehand off the ground, tucks up his forelegs evenly, and
then jumps forward, never allowing the forelegs to touch down, in a series of
"hops". Extremely strong and talented horses can perform five or more
leaps forward before having to touch down with the forelegs. It is more usual
to see a series of three or four leaps. Video of the Courbette
The levade.
In the levade, the
horse rises on his haunches to an angle of approximately 35 degrees from the
ground, with both forelegs tucked up evenly, and balances in that position. At
the beginning of the movement, the hind feet come under the horse's center of
gravity with the hocks coming lower to the ground, so that the horse appears to
sink down in back and rise in front. The position is held for a number of
seconds, and then the horse quietly puts the forelegs back on the ground and
proceeds at the walk, or stands at the halt. It is also a transition movement
between work on the ground and the airs above the ground, and it requires
enormous strength of the horse — not many horses are capable of a good quality
levade. Video of the Levade
The croupade is
similar to the capriole, but the horse does not kick out at the height of
elevation, but keeps his hind legs tucked tightly under.
The ballotade is
similar to the croupade, but the horse's hind hooves are positioned so one can
see its shoes if watching from behind. It appears as if the horse is ready to
kick. The back of the horse is almost parallel to the ground. This is a
transition movement to the more difficult capriole.
In the mezair, the
horse rears up and strikes out with its forelegs. It is similar to a series of
levades with a forward motion (not in place), with the horse gradually bringing
its legs further under himself in each successive movement and lightly touching
the ground with his front legs before pushing up again.
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dressage&action=history
http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html