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Xenophon (sp?) I believe you are speaking of.  Also, the movements (airs above the ground) that the Lippizan stallions of the Spanish Riding School were trained in were for fighting battles.

 

Merry

heidi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> > "...a classical dressage standpoint, one will improve ANY horse--even if
> > one never sets foot on an endurance course or in a dressage ..."
> >
> > If my understanding Dressage started as a way to train European Cavalry,
> > both the noble riders and the horses. That tradition produced some of
> > the finest horses (Shagya Arabians and Polish Arabians come quickly to
> > mind) and riders that the world has ever known. Unfortunately, the show
> > circuit has changed things greatly in the good old USA.
>
> The roots of classical dressage go clear back to what's-his-name the Greek
> (whose name is escaping my old-timer's brain at the moment--I'll probably
> remember it as soon as I hit "send") who was considered the father of
> modern horsemanship and who wrote back in 400 BC or so. And yes, it was
> to have an optimally functional cavalry
>  unit.
>
> You are correct that it often bears little resemblance to the show
> ring--and not just in the good old USA, alas. My husband gets extremely
> fed up with "modern" European dressage as well, which is where he has most
> of his background. Dressage is supposed to be light and subtle, but too
> many times it becomes warped into a heavy-handed forcing of the horse
> "into a frame" which was not the point of it at all... (But that's why I
> qualified my original comment as relating to "classical" dressage.... ;-)
> )
>
> Heidi

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