Posted on Friday, 5th August 2011 by admin
You may be under the impression that dressage is meant for expensive, imported, European-bred warmbloods. This is a common misconception about dressage that is absolutely not true! Any horse can do dressage, and will benefit from the discipline.
Dressage is a French word that simply means “training.” Think of dressage as yoga for the horse. Just like yoga, it encourages balance, strength and flexibility. The horse learns to move on a circle without collapsing to the inside. He will learn to engage his hindquarters by stepping under himself. He will also build muscle in his topline as he uses his body equally on both sides and pushes from his hindquarters.I was looking for more information and found it here. The result is a horse that is fit, balanced, and less prone to injury because he is working correctly and not over-using certain muscles while under-using others.
Whatever discipline you ride, dressage can improve your performance. Whether you’re running barrels or jumping 3’6, dressage will make your horse a better athlete. A horse that is stronger and more fit will naturally perform better than one who is sluggish and out of shape.
Dressage is organized into tests, beginning with Intro Level, that help you understand what you should work on. Intro Level includes walk, trot and 20 meter circles. The idea is to get your horse moving calmly at a consistent pace at the walk and trot. The circles teach the horse to bend correctly and to balance himself. That may sound simple and even boring, but this level is the foundation of the beautiful and exciting work to come.
Dressage is for horses of every breed and discipline. It will make your horse a better, more athletic version of himself and give him a competitive edge. Dressage isn’t just for warmbloods; don’t be afraid to give it a try!