Dressage WTF

[OrkneyGirl]

I have just been watching Olympic dressage...a poor horse moving its hooves in time to 'Another one bites the dust'...surely this is done for human entertainment only. The horse wouldn't do this naturally. Commentator saying the horse 'clearly loves moving to the beat'. What a load of crap. Years of making the horse move unnaturally. Probably with a stick or whip. AIBU that this sport is about privileged humans dominating a beautiful animal. Makes me so sad...and angry!

Haha! Just thinking the same!

I totally agree, but they say the same with horseracing too. That horse loves running itself into the ground and being whipped. God I hate humans.

You're being unreasonable. The music is picked to fit the horse's cadence and personality. None of the movements are unnatural -refined yes, but watch any horse at liberty and you'll see them doing a lot of it.

Thank you. I really do t think I'm being ridiculous. Now they are 'dancing' to Spice Girls' and 'Girls just want to have fun' Fun? OMG. Such jolly fun...for a rich and privileged human...

Never seen a horse dancing in a field.😄

'Refined' with a stick or whip...

When dd was riding, she learned dressage as a skill of her ability to control. The whip was a tiny tap to command and not a hard whip. I’m not supporting beating an animal to command though - which I think Olympic dressage may be. Happy to be proved wrong on that. I love cross country but not horse racing. The idea of going to Cheltenham (which friends do every year) sounds awful to me.

I loved the Queen section - perfect choice and the horse was in perfect time with the beat. Usually find dressage a bit tedious but am enjoying it today. (Can't ride so very admiring of both horses and riders.)

They prepare the music by filming the horse working in its natural rhythm, then then changing the tempo of the music to match the horse.

Some horses do learn to follow the music, just as they learn any verbal command - the same as dogs and many other animals do.

I agree.I've turned it off. It's utterly ridiculous.Making horses dance?

Exactly....dancing in their privileged green acres...'Look how she's dancing so naturally Ophelia...she'd make a perfect dressage horse' Get real.

Years of making the horse move unnaturally. Probably with a stick or whip.

Tell us you don't know anything about dressage without telling us you don't know anything about dressage.

Mixed feelings on it after the footage that came to light before the Olympics. It is an achievement but how do you get there?

This.

They’re domesticated animals and generally horses, like dogs, enjoy having a job to do. Many struggle to thrive without one. Training a horse stimulates it mentally, whether it’s dressage or any other discipline.

A small minority of people abuse their horses, just as some people abuse their pet dogs and cats. It’s not an argument against ownership full stop.

I think after the recent revelations about training methods we do know a lot more about dressage.

I'd pay good money to see a horse dance of it's own accord in a field.😅

Exactly....how should we make her move, Sebastian? Stick or whip? Do we honestly think that recent news of Olympian whipping a horse was a one-off?

I really don't know anything about horses but it seems from owners they are OK with lots of things that look bad to me.

My son did dressage with a disability club. But that's making the horse stop start turn and trot. Humans have ridden horses for years so where is the line I guess? Like strict vegans having pets. Really if we are cared deeply for animals,we would be pet less vegans

Is it any different to the dancing dogs seen every year on Britain’s Got Taken and which millions of people vote for? Double standards really.

I doubt dancing dogs, which I also don't like are whipped to make them dance.

*talent not taken.

Not really the point of the thread, but the location of the competition is unreal!

I bought a sour, ex riding school cob, who was sold because he was bored and naughty. One thing that he loved was schooling to music and drill riding. He listened and kept to the beat. Ears forward and keen!

the rest of the time it was such hard work we really didn’t bother, just rode in the fields, and the odd jump… which he also really enjoyed and showed enthusiasm for.

they have personalities and preferences, and if they don’t want to they don’t.