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Dressage, the art of equitation in the purest form, demands one of the closest, most intense relationships between horse and rider which shows off the horse's natural beauty. The Pas de Deux - a dance on horseback looks graceful and easy but to teach a horse the movements is a difficult and lengthy process which takes at least four years; and to give him the muscles and mental attitude which will enable him to give his best performance may take his whole life. But the horse is not learning any tricks...it's not circus...it's dressage. The word means the training of horses based entirely on their natural action; all the movements are developed from those that are performed when free.

To find the horse which will one day perform the Grand Prix - the most advanced dressage test of all is one of the great problems of the sport and often amounts to no more than a gamble. All the top riders spend hours searching for young horses which are natural athletes with good free paces and with the willingness to learn and the intelligence to understand the rider's requests. The hardest thing to find is the horse which will enjoy dressage enough to be obedient and yet is extroverted enough to show himself off - his naughtiness will eventually turn to sparkle in the arena as his own personality comes through.

The viewer is taken through some of the more spectacular Grand Prix moves: extended trot, passage, half pass, two-time flying changes, one-time flying changes, canter pirouette, piaffe and more.

This documentary explores the relationship in some of the great riding partnerships of our time, sharing their secrets of success:

REINER KLIMKE is the "Grand Master" of DRESSAGE, having trained more then twenty horses to Grand Prix standard. He has twice been World Champion and has an outstanding record of having competed in five Olympic Games on three different horses.

ANNE GRETHE JENSEN another World Champion spends at least four hours a day with her brilliant horse, MARZOG, developing an understanding so important to her that she has turned down a million pounds for him, about $1.5 million!

CHRISTOPHER BARTLE from , an outstanding British star in International Dressage, demonstrates with his horse WILY TROUT how the best dressage combines accuracy with flamboyance.

GABRIELA GRILLO is a member of the West German Olympic Team. Also a musician, she combines her two passions in the Freestyle to music, and we see her detailed preparations for choreography for horse and rider.

These riders, together with FERDI EILBERG, Olympic Dressage Trainer, contribute to a beautiful and revealing portrait of a sport which is truly an art.

 

This video is part of the "Horse in Sport" Series recognizably the finest documentary series ever produced about horses and horse people; the seven equestrian disciplines represented in this acclaimed series each stand alone in their spectacular photography, music and narration. No equestrian library would be complete without this timeless collection.

 

 

53 Minutes.

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