Equestrian Dressage

Equestrian events originated in Ancient Greece, where it was thought that a perfect partnership was needed if rider and horse were to survive in battle. Dressage was therefore developed as a way of training horses for war. Dressage reached its peak with the creation of the world-famous Spanish Riding School in Vienna in 1729, which established the foundations of the modern discipline. Equestrian first featured at the Paris 1900 Olympic Games for males. At the Helsinki 1952 Olympic Games, women started taking part in the dressage, which became a mixed-gender event.