New!  An amazing example of horse and human in harmony.
I admit I was moved to tears by this performance!
 

At first glance, these two horse and rider teams couldn't seem more different.  Different equipment, different locations, obviously different distractions.  But at their core, both of these hoses and riders are demonstrating the finest Dressage principles.  The horses are relaxed, attentive, willing and ready to respond to their riders aids.  And the riders are balanced, have excellent alignment from shoulder to hip to their heels allowing them full use of their aids to communicate with their partners that they are both relaxed and leading their herd of two.

Pictured left, a Canter Pirouette to the right, pictured right, a Trot Half-Pass to the left.

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I admit I was used to be one of those people who thought that watching, let alone riding the "D" word, "dressage" was like watching paint dry.  Going round and round in circles, all top hats, fancy outfits and even more expensive horses, not for me!

But then it hit me.  No one ever said that dressage was limited to the riding ring, let alone the show ring.  And who hasn't caught a bit of the Dressage Freestyle at the Olympics or at Dressage at Devon (that's the stuff with the music) and thought, "Gee, I wonder what *that* would feel like"? 

Well, I'm here to tell you that it's more fun than a box full of kittens!  And once I discovered that a half-pass and a flying lead change was an excellent way to avoid a swarm of bees on the trail, I was hooked, line and sinker.

Dressage is just a fancy name for good old fashioned riding, and some of the best dressage horses I've ever ridden were working ranch horses that knew that listening to their rider's aids meant that the job got done with less muss and less fuss. 

Description of Dressage at the Olympic Level
From The United States Dressage Federation

Dressage is a French term meaning "training." Although the discipline has its roots in classical Greek horsemanship, 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 is still considered the basis of modern dressage.

The fundamental purpose of dressage is to develop, through standardized progressive training methods, the horse's natural athletic ability and willingness to perform, thereby maximizing its potential as a riding horse. 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 0 to 10-zero being "not executed" and 10 being "excellent." A score of 9 (or "very good") is considered a particularly high mark.

The dressage tests performed at the Olympic Games 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 (almost a sideways movement); passage (a slow-motion trot); piaffe (a "trot in place"); one and two tempi changes (where the horse appears to skip as it changes leads in the canter); canter "zigzags"; and pirouettes (a 360-degree circle, in place, at the canter).

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.