Dressage

There are many different types of riding that horse people participate in. One of them is dressage. Dressage is the art of training a horse in obediance and precision of movement. This discipline is meant to show of a horse's athleticism and ease in motion. It is sometimes to referred to as "horse ballet".

Horses are judged on each movement they make, and it is scored from 0 (not executed) to 10 (excellent). There are many different levels they riders are able to show at that range from amateur to professional. When a competitor achieves 6's or higher in their movements, they should conside moving up to the next level.

A standard dressage arena is 20 meters by 60 meters, and letters are placed around out perimeter of the arena that are used to mark the lines that the horse needs to take. The horse enters at A and there is always a judge sitting at C.

Dressage is one of the few riding styles that compete at the olympic level. It was first accepted as a sport in 1912. The dressage tests that are performed are at the highest riding level: grand prix. Each horse is judged by five international judges using the scale mentioned above. After each horse is graded, the totals are added up and then converted to a percentage. The higher the percent, the higher your standing