Anyone involved in the dressage world will understand that horses seem to have a sixth sense where they learn and respond to subtle signals and instructions. However, this has been taken to the next level with the awe-inspiring displays seen in para-dressage for the Paralympics.
To the casual onlooker, dressage can look like a rider perching on top of a horse while going through a series of movements to please the judges. However, most are unaware of just how fit both the horse and rider need to be to compete at Grand Prix level competition.
Most people are struck by the beauty and grace of a dressage horse but don’t know a thing about the subtle tools used by the rider to guide the horse, such as hand, leg, voice and weight signals. It is a testament to the bond built between the horse and rider, which is critical to the success of the elite-level competition.
While a wide range of movements are used for standard dressage, para-dressage equestrians need to develop their own techniques, moves, and voice cues to communicate with their horses. Para-dressage riders are allowed to use aids to support the limitations of their disabilities.
Buying the right dressage horse
All dressage horse owners need to learn how to interpret their horses’ unique body language to understand them truly—working with the horse’s body language and using it to your advantage while training can be the key to success in dressage competition
The same goes for a para-equestrian, but this goes further because not only does the rider need to read the horse’s body language, the horse, in turn, needs to learn and respond to any compensating aids used by their rider.
In most cases, para-dressage horses are first trained by an able-bodied rider using the most common training aids. When trained to a suitable level, they will then be retrained to become familiar with the aids used by their disabled rider.
This all boils down to assessing each dressage horse for sale for the potential to move into para-dressage competition. The horse will need to learn what the rider doesn’t have. So, for example, if the athlete doesn’t have full use of their legs, the horse will learn to respond to cues and signals from an aid rather than the rider’s legs or via voice commands.
Are you looking for a quality dressage horse for sale?
If you are buying a dressage horse intending to train them to partner with a para-equestrian, then a young dressage horse will give you the chance of many years of training and adapting to cues from a disabled rider.
However, buying an experienced dressage horse that already has a good level of training and experience can be the way to go if you desire to start competing quicker.
An experienced horse will already know what cues and directions mean. It may only take around six months or so to retrain it to adapt to a new training aid. This means it won’t be long before your dressage horse is at a level where the horse will feel confident, and you can trust that they understand your instructions.
Why not take a look at the dressage horses we currently have for sale at True Horses. We are dedicated to pairing up the right dressage horse with the right owner.
Our extensive experience in the dressage industry and our dedication to delivering a smooth journey towards owning your next dressage horse allows us to stand head and shoulders above our competition.