The Dance of Dressage

When the video of top international rider Andreas Helgstrand on his mount Blue Hors Matine at the 2006 World Equestrian Games went around from equestrian email boxes, equestrians and non-equestrians alike around the nation agreed with the commentator--"the mare is absolutely dancing."The video demonstrates the real dance-like movements that the pair is gaining international recognition for--the strong passage and piaffe.The passage is a very collected trot with supsension and higher steps. The movement follows a rhythm (and, in this video, the rhythm really rocks to the music). In a correct passage, the height that the legs are lifted to is more dramatic with the front foreleg bending at the knee to 90 degrees. As in collected dressage work, the horse's poll is the highest point of the horse. His head is close to being on the vertical (that is, vertically pointing to the ground), but his nose is pointing forward just slightly forward of the vertical.The piaffe is an even more collected trot that looks like a trot in place or "trot on the spot." Like the passage, the steps are high and rhythmical. As the collection is to a greater degree from passage, the horse begins to "sit" even more in the hindquarters. The forelegs should lift as high as they do in the passage, but the hind legs do not because there is not a movement forward and because the hindquarters are sitting more.The very basics of teaching a horse piaffe and passage begins by improving his suspension at the trot. Beginning with poles on the ground and raising them until they are raised cavaletti will help a horse attain suspension, balance and rhythm. The goal of the rider is to help the horse maintain that suspension and rhythm when he passes the cavelletti.Just the little bit of suspension and rhythm that you will feel while working cavaletti will make you feel like you are dancing--almost like Andreas and Matine.

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