Lausanne (SUI), 18 October 2011 – As the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage 2011/2012 season gets underway at Odense in Denmark this weekend (21-23 October), there is a whisper of excitement running through the world of international dressage. This sport, which relies on the technical skills and innate instincts of the riders along with the grace, elegance, willingness and athleticism of their horses and the expertise of a panel of judges, has experienced a tsunami of change in recent years, and the new-found unpredictability of the formerly pedantic discipline has energised it like never before.
For so many years, Dressage was dominated by the same few names, but in the modern era it has grasped the concept of greater engagement with the public without shedding its links to its classical past, and many new stars have been born. The explosive arrival of the sensational Dutch duo, Edward Gal and the stallion Totilas, blew away the cobwebs and shone a bright light into the future as they blazed a trail through the 2009 and 2010 seasons with displays of pure showmanship and energy. That partnership no longer exists, but the legacy they have left behind includes the desire to hold onto the massive increase in public interest created by their star quality.
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