2006 Dressage at Devon

Airs Above the Ground Bound to Inspire Awe at Dressage at Devon

Devon, PA (August 15, 2006)— Piaffe. Passage. Capriole. Courbette. They are among the most stirring moves a horse can make. To execute such moves with only a long line to control the horse, or from the back of a horse behind another, could take your breath away.

International competitor and Mistress of the Horse at Medieval Times of Canada, Cherri Reiber will demonstrate just such spectacular feats as part of the special exhibitions at Dressage at Devon, September 29th, 30th and October 1st. Together with colleagues Victor de Lara and Tom Reid, she will guide a group of seven Iberian horses through the most challenging movements ever executed by a horse. All will be costumed in velvet and satin medieval garb.

Riding one horse and driving another in front, Reiber will demonstrate the top level classic dressage moves along with the Spanish walk, in which the front legs are lifted to an exaggerated height, a rear and a bow. The team will also demonstrate the levade, where the horse lowers his hind quarters and raises his front legs maintaining a 45-degree angle above the ground; the courbette, in which he balances on the hind legs and then jumps, while the forelegs remain in the air; and the capriole, where he leaps into the air, kicking out dramatically with his hind legs.

Other exhibitions throughout the Dressage at Devon horse show include the fast-paced game of polocrosse, and the Mainstreamers drill team.

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