What do you (dis)like about dressage?

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Steorra

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I don't want to re-open any incivilities ;) but I thought there were some interesting points made about dressage in a recent thread. So I was wondering: what do you like and dislike about it?

Are you a dressage diva? Have you been watching the Kur at Olympia with awe? Or does watching dressage leave you cold or bore you to tears?

What do you think the benefits of dressage are? At what point does it stop being an art and become a circus act?

Discuss :)
 
Disadvantages - my wife hogged the telly so I couldn't watch V. :mad:

Advantages
- nice duck dinner and fancy Icecream / choclate as she wanted to make an evening of it.
- I got more sleep than usual as I fell asleep on the sofa after Mr President
- I can now hog the telly to watch the SJ
 
I love classical dressage, not so sure about the largely robotic display we were treated to last night. Horse and rider in harmony, horse performing technical movements with almost invisible direction from the rider, is what it's about for me.

Take the difference between Richard Davison's test and Edward Gal's test. Richard's horse was relaxed, happy, flowing and forward. They looked like a partnership. Edward's test was a spectacle of spurs, curb rein, jabbing, pulling and force.

Sadly, I think the latter is what dressage is about nowadays. And i know that Richard's horse lacked the flashy movement and scope of Edward's and others, but to me it still made for more pleasant viewing.
 
Agree with MMP - dressage which is truely about harnessing the horse's natural carriage, grace, elegance and power looks amazing. When it is forced, there is very little that looks worse.
 
Personally I use dressage tests to help me school. I HATE schooling and therefore find having a test to focus on makes me do at least 30 mins work and means the horse is moving in all paces and having to work properly. If I allowed myself to just 'school' we'd end up doing 5 mins and getting bored so it's extreamly useful for me!

I have done a few small local shows, enjoyed learning the tests but the actual test itself usually ended up with me forgetting everything or my lad deciding now was the time for wall of death gallop round the school or alternatively to attempt his new impression of a riding school plod...he likes to keep me guessing that one!!!!:rolleyes:

So in short..I wouldn't watch dressage cos I find it boring, I enjoy having tests to learn and focus on but have no urge to actually compete. Pretty much sums up most competitive area's of riding for me...I enjoy learning how and doing at home or while out hacking (OMG a hacker who can and will jump ditches, hedges and anything that looks safe enough to throw a horse over!!:eek:) but I'm not competitive and rather spend my time and money on other things.
 
Some of the dressage I have watched courtesy of youtube is truly amazing - the type where people are bareback and bridleless and doing all the typical movements (passage, priouette) etc are incredible.

I am not a fan of kick kick pull pull style riding though :)
 
I really dislike dressage I find it boring and unnatural to the horse.

A nice well schooled horse nicely balanced is a pleasure to ride, but an over bent tight in the back horse is not my cup of tea.


I would not go to see a dressage competition.
 
I'm not sure there's anything I'd rather watch than the grace and power that is shown at Grand prix dressage, especially musical displays. Richard Davison rides beautifully.
 
Boring;but once saw a spanish horse being schooled for the bull ring,and controlled only by light reins attached to the riders toes..now that was enthralling.
 
I love watching dressage low level to Kur. I cant wait it for hours and hours but enjoy watching the odd hour or so.
I dont like watching a tense/tight horse but a loose and well balanced is beautiful.

I used to be anti dressage as my horse hated schooling. I changed trainers and found a dressage one and she help me teach my horse the basics and one he got his and my head round it we found he actually have lovely paces. I feel a lot of hard work has to go into dressage before a test and the satifaction once you recieve a good score is the best feeling.
 
A well balanced horse at one with the rider and happy in its work is sheer pleasure to watch.

Anything even verging on rolkur is totally and utterly distasteful.
 
I LOVE LOVE LOVE dressage. Total dressage freak!

The harmony between horse and rider. The movements are difficult and fabulous. To get high(er), you need one hell of a connection with your horse, and that makes it so special!
 
I used to really hate it, jumping was my thing and I just didn't 'get' dressage. Then I ended up working at a classical dressage centre and fell in love with it. It's so technical and when you get it right hell does it feel amazing. However it is very different to mainstream dressage where the majority of horses seem to be overbent with nothing behind, and winning like this! That I don't like.
 
I love watching dressage but I can see why it takes quite a bit of technical knowledge to be able to see the differences, etc. and it would appear very boring otherwise.

I really dislike the ignorant rubbish people say about it, often with very little experience of having ridden well schooled dressage horses and little feel as a rider.
 
I showjump to Grade A level and can think of nothing more boring than watching Dressage, I do however enjoy competing in it which is something I'd never thought I'd say! It is a definate bonus that you can make a mistake and still come back and win something if the rest is good! It does give some focus to your flatwork though I tend to work my 'proper' jumpers a little differently.
 
Dressage is lovely to watch when the horses are working correctly, are relaxed and seem to be enjoying themselves. I am a strong believer that if a horse is going to be any good at Dressage it has to enjoy it. One of my boys quite enjoys working in the school, the other one hates it but can work nicely if you insist. Needless to say, the one who enjoys it scores better marks in a test as the overall picture is much nicer.

Also, if you are ever lucky enough to get the chance to ride a properly schooled horse, it is amazing to feel how lovely they are to ride and how easily they carry themselves. I am currently riding one of Ruth Edge's Ex-Eventer's who evented to 3*. I know it is not the same as pure Dressage but it is obvious Ruth spent a lot of time schooling this horse by how amazing he feels to ride!

I am; however, not a fan of the Dressage riders who used Rollkur to train their horses as in my eyes this is cruel as it is restricts the horse's breathing.
 
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I like the feeling when you and your horse finally click and he starts using his back properly! It's such a lovely floaty feeling and I get such a feeling of accomplishment out of it.
 
I'm a bit of a dressage convert. Years ago I would have thought it boring, but I have probably done more dressage in competition than anything else. Only at RC/unaff level but hey!

I have never been to an actual dressage competition as a spectator, but I spent a very pleasent weekend watching the dressage at Belton Horse Trials this year. I couldn't watch the XC as i needed to be on hand for the trade stand but I could get to watch both the dressage and the SJ from our stall. I really enjoyed watching the dressage, particularly Paul Tapner's test which was lovely.

I thouroghly enjoyed a trip with my sister to the Royal School of Equestrian Art in Jerez a few years ago with my sister even though I wasn't really into dressage at the time. The displays were really inspirational, I dragged DH there on our first holiday together and although there wasn't a display on we were able to watch them train and have lessons - it was amazing!!!

I also saw the spanish riding school when they came to the NEC, something I had wanted to see all my life, to see what they do on a light contact with no stirrups is brilliant!

I've also enjoyed seeing demos by Carl Hester and Sylvia Loch at YHL, both of whom perform very beautiful dressage with horses who are clearly happy and relaxed.

I have to say that some of the continental riders leave me a bit cold. I really don't see the fuss about Totillas. I hate to see dressage when the horse is overbent and tense looking and too often it is like that.

At a lower level, I went to a demo by Sue Carson at which a couple of people I knew rode before she did her dressage to music. That was really informative from a judge's perspective, and it was nice to see riders doing an attainable level of dressage.

Personally I don't think you can ride at any level without doing some dressage, and certainly you can't compete successfully. SJ is simply dressage with obsticles, trec, endurance etc all require a level of dressage.

As I said on the other thread, a Tim Stockdale demo I went to a few years ago really summed it up for me. He told us all how dressage was for ponces and he didn't hold with all that fancy stuff, he then said that his horses just go sideways "like this" when he puts his leg on, as he did so his horse executed a beautiful half pass that just about anyone would have been proud of....
 
I love dressage! am a recent convert of a year and now cant get enough of it!
I just love how beautiful the horse can go and the movements of really talented horses is breathtaking. I particularly love andalusians and its my dream to own one one day.
I watch dressage at every opportunity when my mum and sis dont moan about it being on TV.
I just love how you can constantly improve your position and horses way of going and even the tiny improvements make you so happy :D totally worth it!
Not to mention all the matchy matchy and sparkly accessories ;)
 
yes sometimes its good, but i was behind someone who just won a dressage competition and she she said to her mother, 'well that was'nt bad considering how awful it was,' say no more!
i don't like this idea about breeding horses for dressage with LONG LEGS, for god sake, its supposed to make them look better. the last thing i will ever breed is a horse with long legs.
there's a spanish bloke on u tube called jesus menezes or something and when i see him perform doma vaquera with the goracha, sorry can't spell, it blows me away, it has to be seen to be believed the sheer horsemanship including flat out gallop holding the pole, in one hand with his reins tied to his belt, he is riding his horse, a tres sangres with no hands
 
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