Dressage at Devon
Devon PA
2016
by Jennifer

Consider this, the beauty and poetry of a horse in motion drawing its power from the ground, into the very air through which it moves, like Pegasus reborn. ~Margot Page

QUOTE: ART of Riding

The Lipizzan or Lipizzaner is a European breed of riding horse developed in the Habsburg Empire in the sixteenth century. It is of Baroque type, and is powerful, slow to mature and long-lived; the coat is usually gray.

The Lipizzaner horse is one of the oldest breeds in Europe. The breed got its start in 1580 when Archduke Charles of the Austro-Hungrian Empire established a stud farm at Lipizza near the Adriatic Sea in modern day Slovenia. This occurred shortly after his brother, Maximilian II, had imported Spanish horses to Austria and founded the court stud at Kladrub. It was from the stud farm at Lipizza that the breed gets its name. Archduke Charles greatly desired to create a horse that was not only suited for war, but also for pulling carriages and performing in the manner of classical riding. The Renaissance had brought with it a rejuvenation of classical art and horsemanship was no exception.Riding was raised to an art form and became a necessary area of study for any nobleman. It was widely acknowledged at the time that Spanish horses were the best suited for classical riding. Their beauty, elegance, and strength made them an ideal partner. Using Spanish horses and the local Karst horses the Austrian-Hungarian Empire steadily developed the Lipizzan breed through the 17th and 18th centuries. During the reign of Leopold I the breed standards were established. The most well-known feature of a Lipizzaner is its iconic white coat, which was chosen because it was thought to best represent the imperial house. Another well-known feature of the Lipizzan is its Roman nose; this is where the profile of the head is slightly convex. The result of this extensive, careful breeding was a horse that was not only beautiful to look at, but strong and athletic as well.

https://www.tempelfarms.com/the-history-of-the-lipizzan.html

At roughly the same time as the breed was being developed in Lipizza the Spanish Riding School was getting its start in Vienna. The school was founded in 1572 and to this day it is world renowned for their preservation of the art of classical horsemanship. It takes years for horse and rider to achieve the movements of the Haute Ecole or High School. Movements such as pirouettes, piaffe, and passage are achieved at the highest level of training and bring to mind the grace and coordination of a ballerina. These horses performed for emperors and kings and were highly valued the world over.


Dressage has been called poetry in motion and ballet on horseback. Its beauty dates back hundreds of years and yet, today, continues to gain popularity across the county. Dressage is a French word meaning “training” and describes the sequential development of the horse’s suppleness, obedience and strength. The result is a breathtaking blend of power and artistry. Competition involves a series of movements based on a horse’s action, not unlike gymnastics or figure skating competitions.

For more than 40 years, Dressage at Devon (DAD) has brought top competitors, horses, trainers and judges from across the continent and around the globe together for one of the highest-rated international dressage competition.

https://dressageatdevon.org/about/

A TRADITION SINCE 1975

History
In 1965, a group of riding enthusiasts got together and formed a club, in response to the question “How come the kids get to have all the fun?” The idea of an adult pony club caught on and the Delaware Valley Combined Training Association or “DVCTA” was born.

The mission of the club is to provide instruction and training for members and to inform and demonstrate dressage to the public. So, in the early 70s, the club put on a successful dressage show at the Willcox’s Tory Hill Farm in Glen Mills, PA. Gaining in popularity, the show moved to The Radnor Hunt Club in Malvern, PA while continuing to search for a permanent home. We credit the late Pat Franco with the idea of moving the show to the Devon Horse Show Grounds and in 1975 Dressage at Devon or “DAD” was born.

The increasingly popular Fall Festival actually started as an Art’s & Craft’s Festival, a reflection of the “back to nature” culture of the 70s. At that time there were more horses than spectators, but the high level of enthusiasm among the competitors convinced the volunteer DAD committee that this was a show with great potential. Early on, most of the volunteers came from the ranks of the DVCTA membership. Today, volunteers come from all over the country.

The show continued to grow, added two days for the breeding show, adding exhibitions and larger classes. Today these efforts at improvements continue, with revamped scheduling, new classes in performance, new vendors, additional educational opportunities, and the increasingly popular Dressage Explorers.

Dressage at Devon has evolved into one of the most prestigious dressage competition in the hemisphere. It is an internationally rated dressage show as well as the largest open breed show in the world. The food vendors are rated as the best on the horse show circuit and the Festival area and overall venue is unique in the horse show world.

But what makes Dressage at Devon truly special is the dedication and efforts of our competitors, sponsors, volunteers and spectators. We couldn’t do it without you.