Dressage, as we know it today, is the art of riding in perfect harmony with your horse. It showcases the relationship between rider and horse, the form evolved from early cavalry training for the battlefield but has continued as a horse sport long after the cavalry charge became obsolete.
Where does Dressage Come from
Dressage as we know it has its roots in European military training, The origins of Dressage can be traced all the way back to classical Greece where cavalry riders trained their horses to perform movements which would make them more manoeuvrable in battle with the intention to evade or attack enemy units. The earliest known work was written by Xenophon (430BC) who was a famous Greek Commander.
When did Dressage first compete at the Olympic Games?
Equestrianism first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France but the format was somewhat different and there was no dressage competition. Equestrianism as we know it today with Dressage, Show jumping and Eventing didn’t appear until the 1912 games in Stockholm thanks to Clarence von Rosen, Master of the Horse to the King of Sweden who fought for the sport with the IOC. Dressage has featured in every Olympic Games since and hopefully is here to stay!
When Was the First Dressage World Championships?
The first Dressage World Championships was held in 1966 in Bern, Switzerland and was dominated by German competitors with the legendary team of Josef Neckermann, Harry Boldt and Reiner Klimke taking Gold, Silver and Bronze in that order and also romping to the team Gold medal with hosts Switzerland taking Silver.
Who is the most successful Dressage Nation?
When looking through history at the Olympic Games and the Dressage world championships it is difficult to look past Germany as the most successful team over the years, in terms of the World Championships they have won team gold on all but 2 occasions since the first competition in 1966 with the Soviet Union ironically taking team gold in Aachen, Germany in 1970 with West Germany in Silver and East Germany in Bronze. The only other occasion where Germany has been defeated was in Lexington 2010 when they were only able to take Bronze medal behind The Netherlands and Great Britain. Individual success jhas not been so straightforward however with The Netherlands and Great Britain challenging Germany for dominance over recent times.
The Olympic Games has also seen Germany achieve great success, although not quite as dominant as they are in the World Championships Germany have won team Gold nearly every year since 1964 Tokyo, only having not won 3 times since then and only once since 1984 in London 2012 where Great Britain took the Prize.
If you want to read more on the history of Dressage Check out this great article from Ruby Rose Horseboxes
