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Dressage


Dressage (a French term meaning "training") is a path and destination of competitive horse training, with competitions held at all levels from amateur to the Olympics. Its fundamental purpose is to develop, through standardized progressive training methods, a horse's natural athletic ability and willingness to perform, thereby maximizing its potential as a riding horse. At the peak of a dressage horse's gymnastic development, it can smoothly respond to a skilled rider's minimal aids by performing the requested movement while remaining relaxed and appearing effortless. Dressage is occasionally referred to as "Horse Ballet." Although the discipline has its roots in classical Greek horsemanship, mainly through the influence of Xenophon, dressage was first recognized as an important equestrian pursuit during the Renaissance in Western Europe. The great European riding masters of that period developed a sequential training system that has changed little since then and classical dressage is still considered the basis of trained modern dressage.

Early European aristocrats displayed their horses' training in equestrian pageants, but in modern dressage competition, successful training at the various levels is demonstrated through the performance of "tests," or prescribed series of movements within a standard arena. Judges evaluate each movement on the basis of an objective standard appropriate to the level of the test and assign each movement a score from zero to ten - zero being "not executed" and ten being "excellent." A score of nine (or "very good") is considered a particularly high mark, while a competitor achieving all sixes (or 60% overall) should be considering moving on to the next level.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

PW Inspection!




PW was a star at her Hanoverian Inspection! Thank you Phil Silva for taking time out of his busy schedule to present her so nicely. PW was totally relaxed and showed everyone how beautiful she is! She recieved 7.0 and is accepted into the Main Stud Book. Gerd Zuther was complimentary about he and said " congratulations! She is a very solid mare!" Next year we will be there for the Performance Testing for sure. Thank you also to Lyn Spinella and Brookside Farm for offering the Farm for the Inspection Site. Everyone was totally dissappointed the brander was caught in bad weather and runway mishaps, so he was unable to show up and inspect the foals. We were lucky that they were able to ask Gerd to fill in and PW has the first blue ribbon of her career!!
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