Dressage but with a blingy, western twist.

I think there is a really fun, and very accessible industry for those who like dressage but don't want the massive moving warmblood to compete top level. I decided to play in Western dressage a bit this year with Illuminator, who was rehabbing from an injury, and really feel it is a very interesting avenue for many.
I come from a little bit of a western background; both my parents have ridden mainly western-- my mom did western pleasure, and my dad had a reining horse back in the day. The principles shaped much of my beginning in my riding, and I genuinely believe that dressage has a lot to take from the reiners in regard to suppleness of the horse. I grew up with a knowledge of Cowboy Dressage (which is not quite the same as Western dressage, but it was a very new thing back in the "day") which was mainly created by Eitan Beth-Halachmy. It is focused around the softness and rideability of the horse to create a clear and lovely partnership able to be displayed in a designated test. To me, in principle, its goal is the same as I feel dressage should be- executing difficult maneuvers effortlessly due to time and partnership. 
I opted to show Lumie Level 4- which is in many ways similar to 3rd level. I found teaching Lumie to "jog" was very simple, as things in dressage it should always give the feeling of "taking" the rider, not the rider holding back. A good jog is not about a horse merely being slow but using collection and self-carriage of the horse. Don't worry though-- the low levels of western dressage don't have to be a perfect jog yet and, in many cases, can be ridden rising if necessary. Additionally, as moving up the levels the jog lengthening can be ridden rising-- which is wonderful compared to having to sit at 2nd level in dressage. Other great things that appear in the WDAA tests are the turn on the fore, reinback-step forward-rein back, multiple halts, pivots. I have a great appreciation of the rideability of the horse to the aids/leg that is tested in these tests. 
Flying changes are introduced at Level 4, and there are 5 levels in WDAA. Likely there is a test achievable for most anyone with some work and i feel it is much more inclusive as it is not so much focused on the lovely movement some horses are able to produce, but more so the training. Another amazing aspect is that they hold virtual shows-- yes! you can ride the test at home, video it, and receive scoring and qualifying scores for the WDAA World Show, How awesome is that? 
Overall, I am shocked that this has not become more popular, especially with riders crossing between dressage and western dressage. It's a great thing to "play" in and honestly shows huge advantages when compared to dressage in regard to inclusivity and accessibility. 
Looking forward to sharing more of Lumie and I's western dressage journey-- while he will be back to competing regular dressage next year, we still plan to change it up and play in Western Dressage. 
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