Dethroning the Dressage Queen

How do adult amateur dressage riders manage to keep going with this expensive, demanding and time-consuming hobby?

Well, they’re all rich, type-A women known as Dressage Queens. That’s not me. But you know __________? She’s a total DQ.”

Is dressage for uptight women only? I think it’s about time to bust open the myth that dressage is for bitches, and toss that label–”Dressage Queen” or “DQ”– out the window.

I’ve heard it among horse people about dressage riders, and among dressage people about each other. It used to be funny–a self-depreciating joke. But somewhere along the line it turned to snark.

The recession had a huge effect on the horse industry. People are just lucky to be hanging on to their horses at this point. So it’s time. The dressage queen must overthrown as a representative of her people!

Most amateurs I know value dressage as an art–a journey of expression. We do it through sacrifice, commitment, faith…and not a little amazement that the horses go along with us.

And not one of them fits the DQ profile. Maybe if I lived in a more moneyed area of the country I’d be feeling differently. Maybe I’d see the infamous DQ everywhere I looked. But so what?

We’d all love to have the special horse and the best-quality tack and the amenities of a full-service barn. All that can be bought. But none of it is a requirement for dressage training.

I remember reading articles in Horse & Rider and Dressage Today by Lynn Palm, who took dressage into a completely different context–Quarter Horse, western tack, grassy field.

As difficult as it may be, dressage is simply another type of training for specific outcomes, just like reining or endurance or hunter-jumpers.

But this is not about training…it’s about negative attitudes. And that is not limited to horse sports or even dressage. It happens all the time.

Last year, I was exposed to Western Pleasure riders as a result of my daughter’s interest in 4-H. There are plenty of “DQs” over there. Plenty of well-bred horses, plenty of bling, and plenty of attitude.

Maybe horsey women–or all women?–tend to compete with each other first and ask questions later. Remember that picture I posted with my goals? It was funny–or was it?

"Let them eat pasture pies!"

The “Dressage Queen” label is a modern version of an old stereotype: the wealthy female equestrian enthusiast. And dressage, with the clothes and the movements and the music, fits the profile. In this way DQ is funny.

It’s funny to us because we know who mucked out the stall this morning, or polished the boots, or groomed the horse at the last show. Maybe worked long hours at her job to pay someone else to do it. We did it ourselves.

But when “DQ” is used against another person at a show, that’s just poor sportsmanship. If we’re intimidated by someone’s horse or trailer or crystal browband, and slip into snark, it erodes our integrity.

I have heard stories of women giving up showing altogether because cattiness is taking the fun out of it, and that is just sad. They’ll miss out on the competition and we’ll miss out on seeing their beautiful horses.

2010 is the year to change one’s attitude and fill it with gratitude. Either that or fill our Sigg bottles with vodka and wear blinders on ourselves. Here’s my plan:

• When I see that imported warmblood, I will be happy to have that moment of closeness. I’ll enjoy the privilege of bearing witness to such beauty and grace.
• I’ll have my old coat tailored, make sure it and all my other stuff is clean, and wear it proudly. Polish my tack, and my horse, so he looks as well as he deserves, after all that work I asked of him.
• Watch other riders at shows to find examples for improving myself. If I focus on them enough to criticize, then I’m thinking the wrong things, and riding their ride when I should be riding my own.
• Work hard at home so the competition–a test that lasts all of three minutes–can be easy. Then relax and enjoy the company of other people who love dressage.