Dressage is an elegant sport that features a horse and a rider “dancing” together.
It’s magical to see a horse competing in dressage, trotting around an arena. Horses typically start competing at eight years old and can compete until they are 19 or 20.
The word “dressage” is French, from the word “dresseur,” which means to train. The Olympic sport involves various levels and several individual tests.
These include the Grand Prix musical freestyle, where the horse’s movements are performed to music.
At the Olympics, each rider and horse partnership perform a range of movements, scored by seven judges. Horses and riders are judged against a standard, not against other competitors.
It takes many years of training for both the horse and the rider before they can compete in dressage.
Most riders have been training with the same horse for years.
Every movement of the horse comes from a cue from the rider. Although it sometimes looks like the horse is moving on its own, the horse relies closely on what the rider is asking it to do.
This amazing video shows an adorable foal keeping up with his mama.
The foal’s name is Odeer, and his mom’s name is Zeronica.
In the video, Odeer is being presented at the Gelders stallion show in Ermelo, the Netherlands. He is beside his mom Zeronica.
He is led to the middle of the arena by his handler, then he is left on his own, beside Zeronica and her rider.
Even if he’s a young foal, you can see Odeer keeping up with his mom and her rider. It’s almost like he is copying her exact movements, even if no one is guiding him.
It also looks like Odeer is enjoying himself and loves being part of the show.
He is in sync with his mom and is also following the beat of the pop song playing.
After joining his mom for a few rounds around the arena, they stop and stay in the middle, where Zeronica is given a ribbon. Odeer sticks close to his mom, staying as close to her as possible.
He also gets a friendly pet from his mom’s rider.
As his mom trots out after getting the ribbon, he follows her closely again until they are led outside the arena.
We love how relaxed Odeer and Zeronica look while performing. This is a crucial part of dressage. Both rider and horse should look relaxed and confident. The movements should also seem effortless.
The video has garnered over 800,000 views.
“This is so adorable! Odeer is loving all the attention and has such a cute whinny! And his mother is beautiful too,” said one comment.
One can imagine Zeronica speaking to her foal. “‘Not now baby, Mama’s working.’ The foal stays right by her side, in every pass and gait. So beautiful!” another netizen said.
Watching Odeer and Zeronica makes you appreciate the training and discipline that goes into dressage. While Odeer probably won’t join competitions for a few more years, he is already familiar with how it works.
Watch the video of the foal Odeer dancing with his mom below!
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