"If training has not made a horse more beautiful, nobler in carriage, more attentive in his behaviour, revealing pleasure in his own accomplishment ... then he has not truly been schooled in dressage." (Col. Handler – Spanish Riding School)

Quite simply, dressage means "training" or "preparation". As described by the FEI: "Dressage, the highest expression of horse training, is considered the art of equestrian sport and is used as the groundwork for all the other disciplines." In modern day dressage competition, the horse and rider perform a test for a number of judges (up to five) to reflect the horse's way of going and level of schooling. Competitions are ridden in a flat arena usually measuring 60m x 20m and surrounded by a low barrier behind which 12 lettered markers are placed from where specified movements start and end. Each movement is awarded a mark out of 10, & some more difficult movements have a coefficient x2, the scores are totalled and shown as a percentage.

It is the aim of the competitors to produce a harmonious, elegant performance where the horse moves rhythmically with suppleness in a calm, confident way.

"If one induces the horse to assume that carriage, which it would adopt of its own accord when displaying its beauty, then one directs the horse to appear joyous and magnificent, proud and remarkable for having been ridden." (Xenophon - 430 – 354 BC).

The discipline DRESSAGE is a FEI (Federation Equestré Internationale) discipline, managed by SANEF (South African National Equestrian Federation) who is a member of the SAEC (South African Equestrian Council).