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Could you please investigate the intriguing sport of Dressage? Sarah, QLD
[Warwick McLean] Dressage really means ‘to train’ so it means to train the horse. It’s about teaching the horse to dance, basically training them to do tricks, so it’s really a fine degree of control. The rider is the one guiding the horse, giving the signals to the horse and it’s all about training the horse to respond to really light pressures. You can barely see the rider doing it.
Dressage takes place in an arena, marked at various points with letters, the riders have to perform set moves at set places, the moves and transition between moves are scrutinised by the judges.
[Warwick] They’re looking for the horse to be in harmony and the horse to be travelling along in the right frame with the right expression of movement, the right stride length. They judge it between 1 and 10, it’s judged on the rider’s position in harmony with the horse, the impulsion of the horse.
The word Dressage comes from a French term meaning ‘training’ and it dates back thousands of years. The Greek and Roman soldiers practiced the art to prepare them and their horses for battle.
Before Pete hopped on his stallion for the day, 'Chubby', Warwick refreshed him with some basic moves. Pete then had a go, under Warwick’s expert guidance, and did quite well, although he found that certain body parts may never recover.