An artistic sport
1 - Spectator sports.
The sports that are most successful with the general public today are spectator sports such as football, cycling and tennis which, carried far and wide by the media, become part of the life of society.
Two other kinds of sport are growing as well:
- Extreme sports, focused on individual achievement
- Artistic sports such as artistic gymnastics, figure skating and synchronized swimming; other disciplines now have their artistic version too, such as martial arts, fencing and skiing.
In skating there is the competition, the gala, and the professional show such as Holiday on Ice.
Why is figure skating able to draw crowds, and above all television viewers?
And yet a wide audience does not necessarily understand every technical detail of a high-level performance.
There are costumes, choreography, galas with lighting where the best can express themselves freely - in short, it is a show.
So we felt there was a place for Artistic Dressage as an artistic sport and an equestrian discipline in its own right: a discipline which, we believe, can win over a new audience that simply enjoys the artistic side of an athletic performance, at a competition as much as at a gala.
2 - Scoring that favours the artistic side and creativity
It seemed to us worth offering a discipline in which every program is an artistic act, where the interpretation of the music and the choreography come first.
Ideally, when riders and trainers work out the choreography of a new program, they should try something new, something that will move dressage forward.
Originality shows in the movements, in the idea behind a program - the choice of theme and music - or in choreography that breaks new ground.
Artistic Dressage offers programs that are more intense and shorter, more danced, with new movements allowed.
Creativity comes first here, along with new ways of linking movements together. The dress, the choice of music, the type of tack and the movements are entirely free within the levels laid down.
In this way we hope to win over a wider audience, but also to bring dressage enthusiasts into classes that are more dynamic and more visual and that call on an artistic sense as well, and to spark fresh interest among riders generally, among spectators and in the media.
3 - Open to every type of horse
Artistic Dressage sets out to be a discipline that favours no one type of horse, but rather the performance of the rider and horse together.
The size of the horse, the breed, the build and the gaits are no handicap; they can even become an asset, because what matters is ease of movement in keeping with the music.
Opening the discipline to horses of unknown breeding, as in most European countries, and so to more riders.
4 - Moving movements and technique forward
Artistic Dressage calls for real choreography ... it is dancing on horseback.
Every ability of the horse is explored, including the use of the forelegs: jambette, Spanish walk, Spanish trot. Imagine a skater or a dancer forbidden to use their arms!!!
Making a horse dance to music calls for great willingness, and for a horse that reacts very quickly.
To link movements together you also need perfect balance, held from the beginning of the sequence to the end.
Horses are athletes just as a gymnast or a dancer is, and we are far from having explored everything that is possible with a horse.
The training methods that have been developed are new, and they produce horses that are highly responsive and balanced, making possible movements that have never yet been seen in a dressage arena.
