The Basic Dressage Principles

Dressage, a French term, is fundamentally the schooling or education of the horse. Therefore, dressage principles are for every horse. The primary aim of dressage is to create a riding horse that is a calm, obedient and willing partner athletically capable of meeting the rider's demands. It is based on a systematic process of training that began with the ancient Greeks, continued through the Renaissance, and remains today as both a classical art for maximizing the capabilities of all riding horses and as a form of competition in itself.

In 1912 a scale of training was established which has been streamlined into a globally recognized schematic to demonstrate the subsequent stages of development in the training of a horse. The United States Dressage Federation calls it the Pyramid of Training. The steps of the training scale are Rhythm, Suppleness, Contact, Impulsion, Straightness, and Collection. However, these basic dressage principles can be succinctly categorized by the enduring axiom that a horse should be ridden, "calm, forward, and straight." This is quintessentially the dressage principle by which all horses are ridden and trained. Without them, no other aspect of the training scale can be effectively developed. Horses performing without adherence to dressage principles are merely performing parlor tricks. Additionally, their physical and mental well-being is not being tended to.

A horse that has been trained and ridden according to basic dressage principles is characterized by a balanced way of going. It will demonstrate cadenced light steps and a relative elevation of the forehand in relation to the haunches which will be more flexed and lowered. Horses that are ridden freely forward will step with the hind legs further under their mass, closer to the center of gravity. This quality is called engagement. As the horse becomes more engaged, the hind quarters will flex and lower on each step creating an undulating swing to the horse's back so long as he has been kept calm in the process. Riding transitions and circles in thoughtful patterns allows a rider to both energize and quiet a horse as needed to create engagement without sacrificing the quality of calm while achieving a forward way of going. Typically, riding bent lines, like circles, figure eights and spirals have a calming effect on a horse. Straight lines on the other hand tend to energize a horse. Mixing them appropriately allows a rider to develop the forward motion of the horse needed for good engagement while also keeping the horse relaxed.

However, all horses have a stronger and weaker side much as humans do. For a horse, this means one side of the body is slightly hollow or concave in relation to the other which will feel bulging and stiff to the rider. This innate crookedness has the effect causing the horse to appear stiff during turns and sideward movements as well as lose its balance. A straightened horse will turn and execute bending and lateral movements with equal grace in both directions. The remedy is also the cure, and that is to ride bending lines and corners with attention to the horse using its whole body to bend from the poll to the tail as well to the left as it does to the right. Through practice, the horse will become more "straight" or evenly skilled from left to right.

An onlooker watching a horse ridden and trained according to the basic principles of dressage, would see that a horse so well balanced would maintain nearly perfect rhythm and cadence as it performed the compulsory gaits and figures. Further, the horse by compassionate training would trust the rider and feel comfortable in the demands remaining calm. Gentle champing at the bit, a swinging tail, and a soft expression with the ears flicking curiously to the rider are key indicators of a calm horse that enjoys its partnership. Ultimately, the horse will become more beautiful by being ridden calm, forward, and straight than when it was still untrained and un-ridden.

To this day, dressage tests are judged by criteria which seek to measure the degree to which the horse exhibits these qualities. In a dressage test, riders at sequential levels of increasing difficulty, each ride the same compulsory pattern as an individual. A twenty by sixty meter arena is marked with letters in specific locations establishing points where transitions between gaits or geometric figures must be placed. Riders are judged on a scale from zero to ten for each individual movement or transition within the test, with zero reflecting that the movement was not performed and a score of ten declaring that it was excellent. Marks are totaled and divided by the number of possible points should all elements have received a ten. The percentage is figured and this score is used to rank the competitors for the purpose of awards. A score in the range of the sixtieth percentile is considered adequate for the given level; however, riders seek to achieve scores into the seventieth percentile. Scores over 80% are rare and generally seen in freely composed rides to music for which there is an artistic component to the score. Only at the Olympic and World Class level are scores routinely over 80% in the highest placements. Riders find that paying close attention to the most basic principles of dressage through the whole test, they score higher than focusing on a few flashy movements while losing the quality of their basics in between.

Many riders enjoy the fact that by riding the same compulsory pattern at a series of events and under different panels of judges, they can see a trend of progression. On any given day, the winner has in reality shown the lesser of evils as a perfect score is virtually impossible. Therefore, the trend of scores an individual receives over a season is more indicative of success than the individual placing at any one event.

Dressage is as much about the process as it is the destination. For many enthusiasts dressage is a path of achieving unity with the horse. Keeping the essential principles in mind anyone training a horse for any purpose can maximize its potential. Even a prospect for jumping or endurance racing will be easier to ride, more obedient, and maintain better physical health through the demands of sport if it is trained and ridden according the dressage principles of calm, forward and straight.