VIDEO: Hip Hop Dressage (Amazing!)

image – youtube (see below)

We found a video by philpheburbs of a stunning dressage performance!

With ancient roots in Europe going way back to the Olympics, this “equestrian ballet” is a remarkable sight. Dressage spotlights a horse’s athletic prowess as well as its keenness to put up an elegant and fluid performance – with some aid from a rider of course. To quote a few words from the International Equestrian Federation, the international authority when it comes to equestrian sports, dressage is the “highest expression of horse training.” It is a discipline that showcases the suppleness and talent of any horse breed and the creativeness and skills of all riders in progressive levels of competition.

Freestyles are a competitive aspect of dressage in which horse and rider perform movements choreographed to music. Classical music is a popular form of music for dressage freestyles, as are the various musical mixes and scores from Broadway musicals. “Patriotic” tunes work well too because of their distinctive tempo.

But with a number of skilled dressage competitors who can easily trot a horse and execute a canter, leg yield, and free walk in the field, an ounce of ingenuity is often required to make the performance stand out and earn great applause from the crowd. And that’s exactly what Andreas Helgstrand did at the 2006 World Equestrian Games. A Danish dressage rider, Andreas came along riding his mare Matiné – but chose a rather “unconventional” music for his routine, albeit to the unexpected delight of many in the audience. He used “No Mo” by the artist Red Astaire for his performance. No wonder Andreas became the crowd’s favorite at this competition, not to mention bagging home the second and third place awards in the Individual Freestyle and Individual Special categories, respectively.

Andreas’ choice of a hip-hop beat for his dressage appeals to a younger, more modern crowd. What do you think? Check out the video and see for yourself how well it works:

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