R.A.C.E. 4-H: Dressage Clinic

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Dressage Clinic - October 27

RACE 4-H will sponsor a Western & English Dressage Clinic on

Saturday, October 27 at

Ellis Park Event Center, Salisbury, NC

There will be 6 one-hour session with a maximum of four riders per session.

Sessions begin at 9 AM, 10 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM, 2 PM, and 3 PM.

Cost is $15 per session.

To register, contact Sara Drake, sara_drake@ncsu.edu or 704-216-8970.

You must register by Wednesday, October 24.

Dressage is for equines of all breeds and all sizes!

What is Dressage?

The word dressage comes from the French word dresser, to train. To the untrained eye it looks easy, but like many equestrian sports, it serves the needs of a diverse range of horse lovers. It's an Olympic equestrian sport; yet a basic training discipline for the backyard horse.

Dressage teaches a horse to be obedient, willing, supple and responsive. The horse freely submits to the rider's lightest "aids" or body signals, while remaining balanced and energetic. The object of dressage is the harmonious development of the horse in both mind and body, and every horse, regardless of its type or use, can benefit from this training.

Dressage principles are a logical, step-by-step progression from simple to increasingly complex movements. More and more is asked of the horse as it becomes mentally and physically ready to respond to these demands.

The graceful movements performed in competition may look effortless, but are the result of years of training. The aids should be virtually imperceptible. A squeeze of the calf, a closing of the fingers, a shifting of the rider's weight in the saddle should be all that is necessary to tell the horse what is required.

Dressage requires the horse and rider to combine the strength and agility of gymnastics with the elegance and beauty of ballet. The result is truly the best blend of sport and art. The highlight of a dressage competition is the Musical Freestyle in which the rider creates and choreographs to music an original ride of compulsory figures and movements.

http://www.usef.org/_IFrames/breedsDisciplines/discipline/alldressage/about.aspx

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Directions to Ellis Event Center

Directions:

I-85 North, Exit 74, Julian Road, At top of ramp, turn left onto Julian Rd. At the intersection, turn left onto Jake Alexander Blvd/ 601 South. Follow for 6 miles until road ends. Turn Left on 601, go about 1 mile, turn Right on East Ridge Rd. Ellis Park Event Center is 2 miles on left. (Do NOT turn left at the Ellis Park sign- (ball fields). Go thru Ellis X-roads and Event Center on left. Formerly known as Ellis Saddle Club.

I-40 Mocksville, NC, Exit 170 for US-601 toward Mocksville/Yadkinville. (Go 0.3 mi) Turn onto US-601/Yadkinville Rd towards Mocksville. (Go 1.4 mi) Turn left at Yadkinville Rd. (Go 0.5 mi) Slight left onto US-601/US-64. (Go 0.9 mi) Turn left to stay on US-601/US-64. (Go 492 feet) Turn right at US-601. (Go 13.2 mi) Turn left at E. Ridge Rd. (Go 2 mi) (Do NOT turn left at the Ellis Park sign- (ball fields). Go thru Ellis X-roads and Event Center on left. Formerly known as Ellis Saddle Club.