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Dressage at Pachesham Equestrian Centre

Starting out in dressage at Pachesham

The great misconception of dressage is that it means something more than it is. The way we see it is simply that you are training a horse to work well on the flat, with the correct training helping to improve agility, understanding and the all round going of your horse.

For those looking to start out in this event, you can begin with walk and trot classes, which allow the more novice horse and rider to find their feet and gain confidence. As the rider gains that confidence your results sheets will show improved scores and from that you can see quite clearly what needs work and where you can improve your horse as well as your own riding.

Think of these entry level competitions as training classes with a judge who will aim to guide you with useful comments as you complete a set routine of movements and paces.

It is always worth remembering that dressage is simply the French word for training!

Dressage at Pachesham for the more experienced rider

At Pachesham not only do we cater for the novice rider but we include dressage tests to stretch the ability of the more experienced horse and rider combinations. Most of our dressage shows have Elementary and Medium tests at some point in the day. Our dressage tests are held in our outdoor arena (70m x 52m) which has a new state of the art surface. Our warm up arena is a very good size (30m x 60m) and our collecting ring is under cover. All of this means that our tests are enjoyable to ride and our shows run smoothly.

You can enter dressage tests online and your times will be posted on the website from 3pm two days prior to the show date. Dressage results are available on the website at the end of the competition and leaving a stamped addressed envelope will enable us to forward your score sheets on to you.

Dressage in History

We can trace dressage back through several thousand years in history to the Greeks, who classically trained their horses in preparation for war. We know that it originated in the cavalry, but we should probably look towards the 17^th and 18^th centuries at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, for something that we would recognize as dressage today. This riding school is still there today and specializes in extremely high level dressage; they breed and train some of the world’s most prestigious Lippizzaners. Dressage is now an Olympic sport, and was first included in the 1912 Games in Stockholm. It has progressed over the years but the basic methods of training remain the same.

In 1961 the British Horse Society set up an organization to regulate dressage across the country. This was then taken over in 1998 by British Dressage Ltd, BD remain the governing body of British Dressage to this day. This means that all dressage competitions run under British Dressage regulations should be of the same caliber and use the same test and scoring sheets. If you would like to find out further information about British Dressage Ltd, or would like to become a volunteer please click “here”.