Premadasa dressage competition Sept. 26

DRESSAGE: The Premadasa Riding School is organising the Premadasa Dressage Competition on the 26th of September 2009 from 3.00 p.m. onwards. This much anticipated event will be the second event working towards the National Championship presented by the Sri Lanka Equestrian Association (SLEA).'Dressage' means training of the horse to be obedient and responsive to the commands of the rider. With stress on refined communication between the rider and his horse this is truly a beautiful sport to watch. As was quoted by R. S. Surtees. 'There is no secret so close as between a rider and his horse'. This embodies true dressage when at higher levels the smallest command, the movement of a finger, communicates to the horse a series of complex and artistic maneuvers.

Dressage training teaches the athletic horse to use his body effectively and is an international basis standard for all horses before they go into specialised equestrian sports, such as show jumping and eventing.

At the upcoming competition riders from ages 7 and upwards will be participating in 4 categories of Under 12's (Group A), Young Riders on horse (Group B), Young Riders at Preliminary Level (Group C) and Adults at Preliminary Level (Group D). A volunteer judge from The Equestrian Federation of India will be training Sri Lankan judges in dressage for this and upcoming events.

The champion will be awarded only in Groups C & D. Points received at this competition and other events to follow will be totalled and the Championship awarded to competitors scoring the highest in each category. There will three competitions over the course of the year and the best scores of three of these will be totalled for the Championship.

These points will be awarded as follows: Winner - 10 points, 1st Runner-up - 8 points, 2nd Runner-up - 6 points, 3rd Runner-up - 4 points, 4th Runner-up - 3 points, 5th Runner-up - 2 points, 6th Runner-up - 1 point.

Sri Lanka is taking the first footsteps towards the international dressage arena. To make the grade at international levels requires dedication, talented riders, well trained horses, qualified instructors and trainers.At present most riders in Sri Lanka participate in competitions on borrowed horses due to lack of horses with the necessary training. Sri Lanka has a small equestrian culture which has dwindled in recent years due to reduced breeding and imported horses. This is turn was caused by a decline in horse racing on the island. Horse racing helped create an equestrian culture on the island yet there is more to horses than just racing. Countless equestrian sports like dressage are popular international sports which open up opportunities for many more riders to participate and enjoy competitive riding.