This week’s letter is D. If you missed last week’s Friday Feature, take a look at Course Design.
Dressage is a form of riding that has its roots in military training. Being able to get a horse to perform a particular movement when it is asked in spite of what is going on around it, is a sign of a well trained and responsive horse.
These days, many may describe dressage as a form of demonstrating a horse’s obedience whilst also showing off it’s incredible movement. Dressage competitions start at local shows and Pony Club level competitions and work their way up to Olympic level and other high level events.
For someone who is looking to compete in dressage events for a living, there are a few options:
- train and ride your own horses
- be paid to ride for other people
- be taken on as a working pupil and gain experience whilst riding anothers’ horses
A willingness to ride any horse at the start (as a catch rider) may be what is required to gain the attention of others – as being someone who can ride anything, or as being someone who produces results with horses in the show ring. Results and sponsorship will be the main forms of income for dressage riding.
For some posts that relate to this topic on Equus-Blog, take a look at:
“If training has not made a horse more beautiful, nobler in carriage, more attentive in his behavior, revealing pleasure in his own accomplishment…then he has not truly been schooled in dressage.” – Col. Handler
