Dressage

Dressage is a beautiful sport with horses. Riders guide their horses through special steps and patterns. It looks like the horse is dancing. Dressage is part of the Olympic Games and is judged on how well the horse and rider work together.

How It Works

In dressage, the horse and rider do a test in a flat sand arena. They must walk, trot, and canter in set patterns. Judges watch from the sides and give scores. The highest score wins. Riders use very small signals to tell the horse what to do.

Training the Horse

Training a dressage horse takes many years. The horse must learn to stay calm and listen carefully. Riders and horses practice every day to get better. The best horses can do amazing moves like sideways steps and small jumps. Dressage is sometimes called 'horse ballet' because it is so graceful.

Fun Facts

• Dressage comes from the French word meaning 'training'.
• It has been an Olympic sport since 1912.
• Some dressage horses cost more than a million dollars.

Did You Know?

In top-level dressage, riders wear top hats and fancy coats. The horses even have their manes braided for the competition.