Recently, I have discovered that the classical dressage community is much larger than I had originally thought. The more people I connect with out in the world as well as in cyberspace, I find that the majority of them are disillusioned with the state of dressage today. You hear many people say that a revolution is needed. That those of us that are interested in preserving the art and principles of classical dressage need to rise up, to stand up and make our voices heard. We need to let the FEI and USEF and whoever else is responsible for what is happening to modern dressage know that we are not going to take it anymore.
Well, I have news for you, the revolution has already happened. Right before our very eyes and under our very noses, things changed. Over the last 25 years, so gradually that nobody really noticed, the face of our sport/art had been completely altered. Where there was beauty and harmony and lovely expressive horses and riders with correct seats, there is now rolkur, tension, tight necks, hollow backs and loins, staccato movement and showy throwing of the front legs, tight curb reins, four beat canters and lateral walks.
It has also become clear from discussions taking place on forums (some started by me) that we have strayed so far from the ideal that people don't seem to even know what it is or understand it. These treads on the Ultimate Dressage Bulletin Board and The Chronicle of the Horse Dressage Forum (Thread #1 and Thread #2) make for interesting reading. But the funny thing is, the rules are still the same, they still state the object of dressage as it was originally laid down. That part of classical dressage still remains, and if those of us who have shied away from competition because of disillusionment with the establishment or flat out disgust (I definitely fall into this category) will get out there and provide examples of the classical ideal, than we can start a counter-revolution.
Most of the people that I talk to are like me, lower-levels riders (I have schooled a single horse through 3rd level and a number through second and feel very competent to that point) and though I am a professional (Certified Dressage Instructor) most that I talk to are adult amateur riders. We are the majority in our sport and the powers that be will can be held accountable if we make our voices heard. If students of dressage will educate themselves about the rules and objectives and question their instructors when their lessons seem to be in direct opposition to these ideals, and read the works of the masters from yesterday and today, then we can start to move things back to the right path. We can start our own quiet counter-revolution.