How to Dressage

By Jenna Santos

Dressage is easy. Unless you’re the one doing it… in which case it is very difficult. As with most sports, and in fact most activities, if someone makes something look easy… it is because they are good at it. So don’t be fooled into thinking it is just a matter of prancing around in circles. Ironically, the better you get the harder it becomes, and not just because you start working your way through the grades (theoretically) but rather because you realise all the things you never knew you never knew. I shudder to think of the countless things I am yet to learn, which would be a far longer list than the list of things I already know.
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I am not a professional rider. I am an average amateur rider. An amateur rider, for those who don’t know, is basically defined as a person who does not make a living out of riding or training horses or coaching other riders. Just because a person is an amateur rider does not make them a bad rider. In fact, many amateur riders are highly skilled and competitive at top levels. There are also many “professional” riders who have questionable riding or horsemanship skills. You know the old saying… those who cannot do… teach. It is sometimes true.