How Well Do You Know Dressage? Test Yourself
A ten-question quiz on the movements that make up a Grand Prix test.
You have read the guides. You have watched the freestyles. And you are pretty sure you know the difference between a piaffe and a passage. Here is your chance to test your knowledge. Below are ten dressage terms, described the way you would watch them in the arena. Read each one, make your guess, then click to see if you got it right.
▸The horse trots on the spot keeping cadence and elevation while staying more or less in one place. What movement is this?
Piaffe
▸The horse trots in slow motion, with huge elevation and a long, floating moment of suspension between steps. What movement is this?
Passage
▸The horse turns a full 360 degrees almost on the spot at canter, hind legs make a tiny circle while the front end circles around them. What movement is this?
Pirouette
▸The horse travels forward and sideways at once, crossing the arena while bent in the direction it is going. What movement is this?
Half pass
▸Several half passes strung together, switching direction with a flying change in between, repeating in a symmetrical pattern down the arena. What movement is this?
Zig-zag
▸At the canter, the horse swaps which front leg leads in the split second all four feet are off the ground. What movement is this?
Flying change
▸Flying changes ridden on a set count, every single stride, with fifteen in a row required at the Grand Prix level. Done well, it looks like the horse is skipping across the arena. What are these called?
One-tempi changes, or "ones"
▸A horse learns to carry more of its weight on its hind legs, lowering the back end and lifting and lightening the front. What is this called?
Collection
▸A quick, near-invisible rebalancing where the rider asks the horse to shift its weight back and gather itself without actually slowing down. What is this called?
Half-halt
▸The horse lengthens its frame and reaches for maximum ground cover, releasing the energy forward while the weight stays back over the hindquarters. What is this called?
Extended trot
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