What is the difference between cowboy dressage and western dressage

Over the past few years, the increasing demands of an expanding community have led to the development of guidelines for shows and judges, using classical dressage techniques and testing methods to build a better Western horse.

The biggest differences between cowboy dressage and Western dressage are seen in the tests. Western dressage has opted for an arena and tests that are very similar to traditional dressage competition. Cowboy dressage took the traditional dressage arena and turned it into a classroom for the Western horse, resulting in a unique court with patterns scaled to the movements and goals of Western horses. For the most part, what one notices about cowboy and Western dressage is that, although their rules and competitions are becoming increasingly different as both carve out their own special niche in the horse world, people from either tend to support the other.

Importantly, both grew out of the vision of Eitan and Debbie Beth-Halachmy, with the enthusiastic collaboration of many, in order to offer new possibilities for training and showing, always emphasizing, above all, the relationship between horse and rider. Available from HorseBooksEtc. Behavioral Problems. Medications and Drugs. Horse Care. Farm and Ranch. Hoof Care. Injuries and First Aid. Parasite Control.

Preventative Care. Senior Horse Care. Tack and Apparel. Horse World. Barn Dogs. Ride along with a veterinarian. Basic training with David O'Connor. Beyond the Saddle Podcast. The Jurga Report. Equine Disease Alerts. Properties for Sale. The open court looks just like the western court. The challenge court includes ground poles that the horse must step over during the tests. The challenge court is one of the main differences between the two sports. The second main difference between cowboy dressage and western dressage is the expectations of the tests.

Western dressage judges want to see horses performing traditional movements of English dressage, adapted for their western tack. The tests celebrate the subtle movements of a horse ridden by a cowboy. The goal of cowboy dressage is to celebrate the diversity in western horses while preserving western and cowboy culture. In , Cowboy Dressage World introduced Liberty tests. Home About.

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Email required Address never made public. Name required. Search for:. Blog at WordPress. Follow Following. Both can be enjoyed by western riders and their horses though. Except for the notable difference in tack, Western dressage is very similar to English dressage. They share the fundamentals of balance, rhythm and carriage. Horse and rider progress through a series of levels and are judged on various movements. The arena will be marked with a collection of letters.