What is Western Dressage?
"As featured in the March-April America's Horse, western dressage is an emerging discipline that marries western traditions (such as tack, attire and smooth, supple stock horses) with the principles of classical dressage. The idea is to create a uniquely American horse strong, athletic and responsive enough to move any given body part this way or that - skills that are handy in working cattle, safely navigating trails or smoothly negotiating a dressage test.
It's not a new idea, certainly, to have a western horse that handy. But western dressage ensures that training is done according to a centuries-old "training pyramid" that ensures a broad, sound foundation before any fancy, flashy moves are taught. And western dressage also provides a competitive framework, allowing for horses in western tack to preform dressage tests and be scored on their softness, maneuverability and flexibility."
A direct quote from America's Horse March-April 2011
