The August sunshine shines on the smooth sand field, the horses dance to the precise beat, and the riders in tuxedos look like medieval nobles - this is just the visual feast presented by the dressage competition.
As the most artistic of the equestrian events, it requires the rider and horse to perform a series of prescribed and optional movements in perfect coordination within a 20 x 60 meter rectangular field. It is known as the "crown jewel of equestrian sports."
Originating from Renaissance court equestrian training, modern dressage debuted at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. The competition consists of three stages: the Grand Prix, the Special Grand Prix, and the Free Performance. Judges evaluate the performance based on 10 criteria, including the accuracy of the horse's movements and the concealment of the rider's commands. Of particular note are challenging maneuvers such as the "mid-leg change," which requires the horse to alternate its front and rear legs in the air within a fraction of a second. The 2024 Paris Olympics will feature a new free performance event to enhance the spectacle of the sport.
Unlike other competitive sports, dressage's scoring criteria include harmony, which accounts for up to 30%. Excellent riders must convey commands through subtle movements like rein control, leg pressure, and weight shifting, ideally making any manipulation imperceptible to spectators. German rider Isabel Voss once described it as: "It's like controlling a puppet with invisible strings, except our strings are trust and tacit understanding." The horse's personality traits will be fully taken into consideration, and the judges will appreciate performances that can show the horse's natural instincts.
With Hua Tian winning eighth place in the individual dressage event at the Tokyo Olympics, this sport has become popular in the country.At the 2025 Shanghai International Equestrian Festival, 17-year-old Lin Muyang and his beloved horse "Zhuifeng" won the silver medal in the free race with the original theme music of "Dunhuang Flying Apsaras". The "Rebounding Pipa" riding posture he designed cleverly integrated traditional cultural elements. At present, we have established a graded competition system covering young people. The number of equestrian clubs has increased by 240% compared with five years ago, and the value of professional dressage horses can reach tens of millions.
The audience must remain absolutely silent so as not to disturb the horses, and must wait until the entire set of movements is completed before cheering.The back of the rider's tailcoat has a hidden secret: a double slit structure ensures flexibility of movement and creates an elegant streamlined swing when the horse is moving.The saddle uses a special tree-like structure to ensure uniform force, and the reins are hand-woven from 16 strands of flax. These details together create the unique sense of ritual of this sport.
When the horse takes a textbook right-angle turn in its "full dress", and when the rider and mount seem to share the same nervous system, this life dialogue that transcends language is the most moving core of dressage.It is not only a sports competition, but also a flowing sculpture art. In every stride measured to the centimeter, it interprets the elegant poem written by humans and animals.
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