Classical dressage evolved from cavalry movements trained for the battlefield, and has since developed into competitive dressage seen today. Classical riding is the art of riding with, rather than against the horse, in harmony. French Republican Guard - May 8, 2005 celebrations Cavalry (from French cavalerie) were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat. ... An upper-level dressage competitor performing an extended trot 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. ...

Correct classical riding only occurs when the rider has a good seat, correct and well-balanced body position, moves with the horse's motion, and gives and times the aids correctly.

A history of classical dressage

The first work written on what is considered to be classical dressage was Xenophon's On Horsemanship. It is believed that Xenophon introduced the deep seat, long legs, and forward moving seat to riding, as well as emphasizing training the horse through kindness and reward. On Horsemanship by Xenophon is a guide to horsemanship. ... Xenophon, Greek historian Xenophon (In Greek , ca. ...

In the 15th century brute force training largely came to an end while artistry in riding was once again coming into its own. Along with these developments came indoor riding. The Renaissance gives rise to a new and enlightened approach to riding as a part of the general cultivation of the arts. By the Victorian age indoor riding had become a sophisticated art, with both rider and horse spending many years perfecting their form. Gueriniere, Eisenberg, Andrade and Marialva write treatises on technique and theory. The Renaissance (French for rebirth, or Rinascimento in Italian), was a cultural movement in Italy (and in Europe in general) that began in the late Middle Ages, and spanned roughly the 14th through the 17th century. ... Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her Accession to the Throne, June 20, 1837) gave her name to the historic era. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. ...

The horses were trained for a number of airs or schools, above the ground movements that enabled their riders to escape if surrounded, or to fight more easily. These included movements such as levade, capriole, courbette, ballotade. Movements still seen today in dressage include the piaffe, passage, and half-pass. Dressage (a French term meaning training) is a path and destination of competitive horse training, with competitions held at all levels from amateur to Olympic. ... An upper-level dressage competitor performing an extended trot 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. ... Courbette may refer to: One of the airs above the ground of classical dressage Courbette, a commune of the Jura département, in France Category: ... In equestrianism, a ballotade is a leap made by a horse, such as between two pillars, or upon a straight line, so that when his four feet are in the air, he shows only the shoes of his hind feet, without jerking them out. ... The piaffe is a high school dressage movement where the horse is in a highly collected and cadenced trot, in place or nearly in place. ... The passage is a movement seen in upper-level dressage, in which the horse performs a highly-elevated and extremely powerful trot. ... The half-pass is a dressage movement in which the horse moves forward and sideways at the same time. ...

Today the only remaining large schools of classical dressage are the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, the French school in Saumur, the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art in Jerez de la Frontera and the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art in Lisbon. There are a small number of independent classical dressage trainers who endeavor to keep this branch of the art alive. A Lipizzan horse in the Winter Riding School The Spanish Riding School of Vienna, Austria, is a traditional riding school for Lipizzan horses. ... “Wien” redirects here. ... Saumur is a small city and commune in the Maine-et-Loire département of France on the Loire River, with an approximate population of 30,000 (in 2001). ... The Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art (in Spanish, Réal Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre) is an institution in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, devoted to conserving the ancestral abilities of the Andalusian horse, maintaining the classical traditions of Spanish baroque horsemanship, preparing horses and riders for international dressage... Location of Jerez de la Frontera Municipality Cádiz Mayor Pilar Sánchez Muñoz Area    - City 1,186 km²  - Land 1,186 km²  - Water 0. ... Location    - Country Portugal    - Region Lisboa  - Subregion Grande Lisboa  - District or A.R. Lisbon Mayor Carmona Rodrigues  - Party PSD Area 84. ...

Classical dressage vs. competitive dressage

Modern dressage evolved from the classical school, although it is seen in a slightly different form than its ancestor. Competitive dressage is an international sport ranging from beginner levels to the Olympics. Unlike classical dressage, competitive dressage does not require the aires above ground, which most horses can not perform well even with correct training, due to physical limitations. Instead, competitive dressage focuses on movements such as the piaffe, passage, half-pass, extended trot, pirouette, and tempi changes. An upper-level dressage competitor performing an extended trot 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. ... The piaffe is a high school dressage movement where the horse is in a highly collected and cadenced trot, in place or nearly in place. ... The passage is a movement seen in upper-level dressage, in which the horse performs a highly-elevated and extremely powerful trot. ... The half-pass is a dressage movement in which the horse moves forward and sideways at the same time. ... The trot is a gait of the horse where the diagonal pairs of legs move forwards at the same time. ... A pirouette is a movement asked of a horse in dressage. ... The flying change is a movement performed by a horse in which he changes leads at the canter. ...

In theory, competitive dressage should follow the same principles as classical dressage. However, there has been criticism by some riders for the trend, especially at the lower levels, for "quick fixes" and incorrect training that makes the horse appear correct, but that is in fact neglecting the basics. These short-cuts usually catch up to the rider as they move up the levels and need to be correct to perform certain movements. This is of course, a debatable proposition, as others argue that modern methods, such as the highly controversial rollkur technique, produce winning animals. Rollkur [1][2], now officially known as hyperflection of the neck, is a training technique used by several dressage riders today, including Athens Individual Gold Medalist Anky van Grunsven and Nicole Uphoff. ...

It is also believed by some that competitive dressage does not always reward the most correctly trained horse and rider, especially at the lower levels. For example, some riders who consider themselves to be training classically would not ask their horse to hold his head near-vertical when he first began training, and this would be penalized at the lower levels of competitive dressage, marked down because the horse is not considered to be correctly on the bit. Other riders, who also would consider themselves classically trained, would disaggree, saying that if a horse is not ready to travel in a correct outline (on the bit) he is not ready for competition, and this is the reason such horses would be marked down.

The purest form of classical riding, as well as dressage, High School dressage, of Haute Ecole, takes years for both the horse and rider to master. When a horse is advanced in its training, it can perform not only Grand Prix dressage movements such as collected and extended gaits, passage and piaffe, but some can also perform certain "Airs Above the Ground," although usually a horse will only be trained in one air, and only if they are particularly able. An upper-level dressage competitor performing an extended trot 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. ... The passage is a movement seen in upper-level dressage, in which the horse performs a highly-elevated and extremely powerful trot. ... The piaffe is a high school dressage movement where the horse is in a highly collected and cadenced trot, in place or nearly in place. ...

Nowadays another form of Classical Dressage appears: The Art of Natural Dressage(AND), the art which up holds all the noble causes of the Classical Dressage Art and The Old Masters but without any form of force, cruelty, punishment and dominance. Thus without bits, spurs and even without bridle for a more advanced level.

The "Airs"

The "airs above the ground" include the courbette, capriole, levade, and ballotade. Though these movements were said to come from when the horse was used in war, used for protection against the enemy, in their modern form, it is highly unlikely the airs were used in actual battle, as all but the Capriole expose the horse's sensitive underbelly to the weapons of foot soldiers.

The courbette is a movement where the horse balances on its hindlegs and jumps, keeping its forelegs off the ground, thus it "hops" on its hindlegs.

The capriole is a movement where the horse leaps into the air and pulls his forelegs in towards his chest at the height of elevation, while kicking out with his hindlegs.

The levade is a movement where the horse is balanced on its haunches at a 45 degree angle from the ground. It requires great control and balance, and is very strenuous.

There are two main breeds that are most well known for their abilities for airs above ground: the Lipizzaner and the Andalusian. Other breeds that are known for their abilities in High School dressage include the Friesian and Lusitano. A Lipizzaner The Lipizzan horses, or Lipizzaner, are very closely associated with what is called the Spanish Riding School, which is the oldest riding academy in the world. ... Andalusian horse The Andalusian horse or Spanish horse is one of the purest breeds of horses in the world today. ... Friesian horse The Friesian (also Frisian) horse is a breed of horse from Friesland, a province of the Netherlands. ... The Lusitano is a breed of horse from Portugal that closely resembles the Andalusian. ...

The Spanish Riding School in Vienna, as well as the Cadre Noir from the French Riding School in Saumur, still practice and teach Haute Ecole. The Spanish Riding School uses strictly Lipizzaner stallions for their work. A Lipizzan horse in the Winter Riding School The Spanish Riding School of Vienna, Austria, is a traditional riding school for Lipizzan horses. ...