NEW FEI rules -

Not so bad, I guess - the horse must be "calm".!

Chapter I Dressage
Article 401 OBJECT AND GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF DRESSAGE

1. The object of dressage is the development of the horse into a happy athlete through harmonious education. As a result, it makes the horse calm, supple,loose and flexible, but also confident, attentive and keen, thus achieving perfect understanding with his rider.

These qualities are revealed by:
2. The freedom and regularity of the paces.
• The harmony, lightness and ease of the movements.
• The lightness of the forehand and the engagement of the hindquarters,originating from a lively impulsion.
• The acceptance of the bridle, with submissiveness throughout and
without any tension or resistance.
3. The horse thus gives the impression of doing, of his own accord, what is required of him. Confident and attentive, submitting generously to the control of the rider, remaining absolutely straight in any movement on a straight line and bending accordingly when moving on curved lines.
4. The walk is regular, free and unconstrained. The trot is free, supple, regular,
and active. The canter is united, light and balanced. The hindquarters are
never inactive or sluggish. They respond to the slightest indication of the rider
and thereby give life and spirit to all the rest of his body.
5. By virtue of a lively impulsion and suppleness of the joints, free from the
paralysing effects of resistance, the horse obeys willingly and without
hesitation and responds to the various aids calmly and with precision,
displaying a natural and harmonious balance both physically and mentally.
6. In all the work even at the halt, the horse must be “on the bit”. A horse is
said to be “on the bit” when the neck is more or less raised and arched
according to the stage of training and the extension or collection of the pace,
accepting the bridle with a light and soft contact and submissiveness
throughout. The head should remain in a steady position, as a rule slightly in
front of the vertical, with a supple poll as the highest point of the neck, and no
resistance should be offered to the rider.
7. Cadence is shown in trot and canter, and is the result of the proper harmony
that a horse shows when it moves with well-marked regularity, impulsion and
balance. Cadence must be maintained in all the different trot or canter
exercises and in all the variations of these paces.
8. The regularity of the paces is fundamental to dressage.

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(par Margareta Westlin)