Article 13 — The rider's dress
Dress is free. It should, where possible, relate to the music chosen for the choreography. It must be smart and show the pair to advantage.
WHAT THE JUDGES LIKE — sober, elegant outfits that do not hide the horse: the movements must be shown to advantage.
WHAT THE JUDGES DO NOT LIKE — dress that becomes a costume, badly matched colours, vulgar or indecent dress.
FORBIDDEN — carnival costumes, oversized accessories (wings and the like), extravagant outfits, masks over the face.
Simple, well-kept dress is always acceptable. What is aimed at is dress that holds the discipline up to ridicule.
IF IN DOUBT, ASK FIRST. A competitor unsure about their outfit may submit the idea to the Federation before the competition. They will receive an approval, an explanation, or a reasoned refusal. This costs nothing and commits to nothing.
DRESS IS A CONDITION OF ENTRY, NOT A MARKING CRITERION. A competitor presenting themselves in dress plainly contrary to the spirit of the discipline is not admitted to compete. At live competitions the supervisor points this out before they enter the arena and allows them to change. In online competition, the performance is not judged and not ranked.
Artistic Dressage means to be a discipline of good taste, representing French elegance.
WEARING A HELMET
JUNIOR — compulsory in the warm-up area. Optional during the program, with parental consent, without penalty.
ADULT — free. A helmet is not compulsory and its absence is not penalised. Artistic Dressage is ridden on an established horse, with no jumping and no imposed fast gait. The choice belongs to the competitor, who remains required to hold personal accident insurance.
