In competition Dressage riders wear white breeches, often full-seat leather to help them “stick” in the saddle, with a belt, and a white shirt and stock tie with a small pin.

Gloves are usually white, although less-experienced riders or those at the lower levels often opt for black, as white gloves tend to accentuate the movement of a less-experienced rider’s unsteady hands.

The coat worn is usually solid black with metal buttons, although solid navy is also seen. Dressage coats differ from traditional hunt coats in that dressage coats have four buttons, while hunt coats have three. In upper-level classes, the riders wear a shadbelly with a yellow vest or vest points instead of a plain dressage coat.

Riders usually wear tall dress boots, although field boots may be worn by riders at the lower levels. The European design, which are taller, have overtaken the more traditional hunting boots. The outside of the boot is extended to partially cover the knee. This gives the leg a longer appearance.

Spurs are required at the upper levels and riders must maintain a steady lower leg for proper use. A whip may be carried in any competition except in a CDI or a national championship and the length is regulated. Whips are not permitted in eventing dressage.

If the dressage rider has long hair, it is typically worn in a bun with a hair net or show bow. A hair net blends in with the rider’s hair color, whereas a show bow combines a barrette or hair tie with a small bow and thick hair net, and is usually black.

Lower-level riders may use a derby, hunting cap, or an approved riding helmet. At the upper levels, a top hat that matches the rider’s coat is traditionally worn, though in some competitions, a approved helmet is show legal.

Your horse moves slightly sideways away from your leg while flexed in the opposite direction from which he’s moving. His body remains straight with a slight flexion at his poll. Both front and back legs should cross as he moves. For example, you are on the rail going to the left. You ask for slight flexion to the right and push him away from your right leg so that he is on an angle with his head closer to the wall.The horse’s movement is always more forward than sideways.

Turn On The Forehand

A type of leg yield. Your horse pivots on a point directly under his poll, bent the opposite direction from which he’s moving. If you do a turn on the forehand to the left, he is bent to the right and moving away from your right leg. A key point here is that he pivots on a point under his poll as opposed to a front hoof, which means that his front legs are supposed to move as well as the back. Front and back legs should cross as he moves.

Shoulder In

The horse’s body is bent around the inside leg, causing his front end and hind end to move on different tracks with the front legs crossing as he moves. The inside hind leg is placed in front of the outside hind. In a shoulder in when you are moving around the ring to the left, your horse should bend around your inside leg with his front legs to the inside of his hind end.

Haunches In/Travers

The horse moves with his haunches on the inside track and shoulders on the outside track, bent in the direction he is moving. Again, his feet are on three tracks with the hind legs crossing. For example, if you are going to the left around the ring, he would be bent to the left, moving off your right leg with his head closer to the wall. The three tracks would be the left hind, right hind/left front, and right front. Travers is the basis for many of the upper level movements, including the half pass and the canter piroutte.

 Haunches Out/Renvers

The horse moves with his haunches on the outside track and his shoulders on the inside track and is bent in the direction he is moving. He should be bent so that his feet are moving on three tracks with the hind legs crossing. For example, if you are moving to the left around the ring, he would be bent to the right and moving off of your left leg with his tail closer to the wall. If you stood directly in front of him, the three tracks would be the right hind, left hind/right front, and left front.

In an indoor school, the rider should choose a suitable place to execute the turn. He shouldn’t be near any obstructions, or too close to a wall, as this will influence the horse in a negative way and will hinder him in making the turn. To ride a turn on the forehand, the rider should encourage a square halt by moving the horse leg-to-hand. Energy is created with the legs and contained and controlled by the hands. Ride gradually into the halt using plenty of half-halts as well as encouraging the horse to work with his hind legs underneath him by maintaining good upper body posture. When asking for the turn on the forehand, note that inside and outside aids switch in relation to the new direction of the bend. To ride a turn to the right, first shift your weight to the inside asking for slight flexion to the right by using your inside rein. The outside rein should prevent any forward movement. The rider’s inside leg comes back slightly behind the girth to encourage the horse’s hind leg to cross over. The rider’s outside leg should be on the girth, receiving and regulating each step. When the turn is complete, the horse should be ridden forwards with impulsion.

As a schooling exercise, turn on the forehand is beneficial for a number of reasons. For the horse, it improves form and encourages stretching and flexion of the inside hind leg. It teaches sideways movement from the rider’s leg, introducing basic lateral concepts. It also provides a good way of releasing stiffness and tension from the muscles. For the rider, this exercise improves both coordination and application of the aids. It has practical use for helping the rider to open gates when hacking the horse.

2. The half halt is used to bring the horse into an improved state of balance.

3. There is no “stopping” in a half halt. Think of it as a “half-go” instead. Every half halt contains the power, the surge, or the thrust from behind that you’d have if you asked for a medium gait.

4. There is one generic, “over-the-counter” half halt. It consists of the momentary closure of seat, legs, and hands.

5. The confusion about half halts stems from the fact that there are many possible variations of that generic half halt because you can use your seat, legs, and hands in different ways. To add to the many options available, you can also vary the duration and the intensity of the half halt.

6. Different variations of the generic half halt create different results such as connection, collection, or preparation for something new.

7. To put your horse on the bit, use the version of the half halt that “connects” your horse’s back end to his front end. I call this the “connecting half halt”.

8. The “connecting half halt” consists of three sets of aids.

A. Driving aids (seat and two legs)B. Bending aids (inside rein and both legs)C. The rein of opposition (outside rein)

9. These aids are applied for about three seconds and to the naked eye it appears the aids are given at the same time, although in reality they are not.

How to ride the connecting half halt:

A. First, close both calves as if you’re squeezing toothpaste out of a tube to create that surge of power from behind. (You’ll only be using your legs as your driving aids at this point. I’m purposely leaving the seat out for now to keep things simple.)

B. Next, close your outside hand (rein of opposition) in a fist to capture, contain, and recycle the energy back to the hind legs.

C. Finally, give three little squeezes and releases on the inside rein to keep the neck straight. (If you don’t use your inside hand, your horse will bend his neck to the outside because your outside hand is closed in a fist for so long.)

D. After three seconds, soften everything . Go back to the light, maintenance pressure of legs and hands you had in the beginning before you gave the half halt.

1. Counter-flexion

Ride plenty of counter canter, but counter-flex your horse at the poll. Alternate between true flexion and counter-flexion until he feels soft.

2. Counter supple

Supple your horse away from the lead you are on. For example, if you are on the right lead in canter, take his neck 7 inches to the left three times. When your horse can do this easily without stiffening or swinging his hindquarters out, he is ready to start flying changes.

3. Half Pass

Start a canter half pass to the right. Go sideways for a few strides, and then continue to move right, but bend your horse’s neck to the left. Once your horse feels soft on his left side, straighten his neck completely. Ride straight forward, and immediately ask for the change before you lose the softness on the left side of his body.

4. Serpentine

Canter a three loop serpentine. As you approach the centerline to start the second loop, slide your new inside leg forward on the girth. Leg yield with a bend for a stride or two toward your new outside rein. If your horse feels stiff in his rib cage and leans on your new inside leg, don’t do the second loop. Instead, stay on the first loop. As you approach the centerline again, try the leg yield with a bend once more. Keep doing this part of the exercise until your horse bends softly around your new inside leg. Once this happens, ask for the flying change, and arc onto the second loop of the serpentine. Do the same thing as you approach the centerline for the third loop.

5. Haunches-in (a working pirouette)

Ride haunches-in in the canter on a small circle. When you feel your horse lower his hindquarters, leave the circle. Ride straight forward on any line, and immediately ask for the flying change. Do the circle somewhere in the middle of the ring so you can leave the circle at any moment without running into the wall or fence.

6. Engage the inside hind leg

Give three preparatory half halts when the inside hind leg is on the ground. (That’s the moment when your seat is deepest in the saddle, and your horse’s mane flips up.) Take and give with your seat, legs, and inside hand in sync with the rhythm of the canter. Do it during the second beat of the canter so you can influence the inside hind leg when it’s on the ground. After the three quick preparatory half halts, ask for the flying change.

To help you get into the rhythm of giving the half halts and the actual aid for the flying change, count out loud, “One, two, three, change”. For example, if you’re changing from right lead to left lead, give the half halts on the right rein. On the fourth stride, when you say the word, “Change”, close your right hand in a fist again, and also bring your right leg back to ask for the flying change.

7. Use the whip to engage the inside hind leg

If preparatory half halts don’t engage your horse enough, use the whip in a similar way. Say “Now, now, now” each time you tap your horse with the whip on his inside hind leg. Tap as firmly as you need to get that leg active and jumping. It should feel like your horse’s hind legs are begging to switch leads. When you feel that eagerness, give the aid for the flying change.

8. Haunches-out (Renvers)

Ride to the left in right lead counter canter one-meter away from the wall. Bend your horse around your right leg, and ask for haunches-out. (His forehand will be one meter to the inside of the wall, and his hindquarters will be in the track.) Once this feels easy, keep all four legs in the same position, but straighten his neck. (Because he’s on three tracks in haunches-out, his neck will actually be at a diagonal to the wall when you straighten it.) Close your left leg and push his left hind leg toward your right hand. Go back and forth from haunches-out with bend to straightening his neck. When your horse feels like he’s stepping from your left leg into your right hand, ask for the flying change.

Although there are several theories regarding the origins of the arena letters, including that they represent the initials of horses in the stable yard of the 17th century’s first Duke of Newcastle, William Cavendish, the most common theory is that the letters date back to the 18th-century kingdom of Prussia.

At this time, stable grooms at the Imperial Palace are said to have waited for their masters with their equine charges next to the letter that related to their master’s position or role, in German; for example, K for kaiser or king, R for ritter or knight, F for fürst or prince, and so on.

Various information sources are able to suggest sufficient German dignitary titles for the letters K, E, H, M, B, F, although it appears that the centre line letters, A, X and C, are absent.

There is no definitive answer as to why these centre line letters were introduced, other than to fill the gaps!

For standard-sized arenas, four further letters are used around the outside of the arena; V, S, R and P; and D, L, X, I and G are used down the centre line.

Again, there is no concrete answer as to why these letters were selected, although one theory is that they were introduced by 20th-century German cavalry officers.