Dressage

[Anonymous]

I have never seen this sport before. It is wild. At first I was like "okay so the horses just walk really pretty and show different gaits." But I just watched a french rider and her horse was dancing. The horse skips and does turns and does all these different styles of trotting and walking. At one point the horse pranced in a zigzag while moving sideways. I know it sounds boring but it was actually riveting. I've never seen an animal move like that.

I have always seen dressage listed in Olympic sports but assumed the horse jumping events were more interesting and had never watched it. I was wrong! In jumping the horses just jump over stuff -- I have seen that before. Dressage is like watching a llama speak french.

I'm not going to watch hours of it but it was worth watching once for sure!

[Anonymous]

As a dressage fan and used-to-be rider, thank you.
My DH makes fun of it, especially after the (vert funny) Colbert bit a few years ago.

[Anonymous]

Another rider here...thank you for appreciating I love it and am so happy when my family will watch with me, but find that I have to narrate most of it. "And that'll be scored lower because of the tension...ohh, they missed a lead change! "

[Anonymous]

When Snoop Dogg was commentating footage of dressage in Tokyo I laughed so hard I nearly cried...he called it "crip walking" and they out his music in the background and OMG it's gold

[Anonymous]

I'm not keen on watching after seeing the GB champ whacking a horse with a whip. She had to withdraw from the team before the start of the games in disgrace.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not keen on watching after seeing the GB champ whacking a horse with a whip. She had to withdraw from the team before the start of the games in disgrace.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/24/dressage-is-in-trouble-where-is-the-line-between-horse-abuse-and-training

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When Snoop Dogg was commentating footage of dressage in Tokyo I laughed so hard I nearly cried...he called it "crip walking" and they out his music in the background and OMG it's gold

+1 lol and I can’t unsee the horse doing the crip walk now that I’ve seen that video

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not keen on watching after seeing the GB champ whacking a horse with a whip. She had to withdraw from the team before the start of the games in disgrace.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/24/dressage-is-in-trouble-where-is-the-line-between-horse-abuse-and-training

Yes - it was a horrible video. She has been disciplined and it will affect her career for ever, if she even has one once her suspension ends.

Many of the riders featured are amazing horse people and true partners with their horses. You don't stop watching swimming because some swimmers have been doped up, do you? Or gymnastics even though the coaches and trainers in that sport have abused people for years?

[Anonymous]

Lock her up!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not keen on watching after seeing the GB champ whacking a horse with a whip. She had to withdraw from the team before the start of the games in disgrace.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/24/dressage-is-in-trouble-where-is-the-line-between-horse-abuse-and-training

Yes - it was a horrible video. She has been disciplined and it will affect her career for ever, if she even has one once her suspension ends.

Many of the riders featured are amazing horse people and true partners with their horses. You don't stop watching swimming because some swimmers have been doped up, do you? Or gymnastics even though the coaches and trainers in that sport have abused people for years?

There was the beating of the pentathlon horse in Tokyo too. I think these scandals will eventually bring an end to equestrian events at the Olympics.

I have some friends who definitely stopped watching professional cycling because of the doping. I don't watch the NFL or rugby or boxing because it seems like witnessing future brain damage in action.

Yes, athletes can be abused. I guess the difference is that humans can speak up and complain, and they often do. Horses can't do that. Horses are unpaid and don't care about medals.

[Anonymous]

There's a difference between intellectual appreciation of the challenges involved in various sporting techniques... and the sheer adrenaline enjoyment of certain public races. Dressage doesn't do it for me, even though I know exactly what it takes.

[Anonymous]

Abusing these animals is abhorrent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Abusing these animals is abhorrent

Abusing any living thing is abhorrent. We're talking about dressage horses and the sport. 99.9% are not abused. Ever. It's a better rate than human children.
Dressage is really incredible. Humans don't "naturally" do dancing (ballet, break, jazz, whatever) or back handsprings, but to train a horse to respond to their rider and be able to use their body in these precise movements is really phenomenal. Consummate human/animal connection. I'll just have to be happy with my doggie by my side on the couch.

[Anonymous]

How is dressage a sport for humans? Horse racing is not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is dressage a sport for humans? Horse racing is not.

Idk if “a sport for humans” is a requirement, but if it is I’m sure the IOC can see that there are horses and will remove the sport?