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IT'S DE-LOVELY DRESSAGE AND REINING PAIR UP FOR A 'DANCE OF TWO' TO COLE PORTER MUSIC BY LARRI JO STARKEY, COPY EDITOR Angel Ozer, left, and Lynn Palm practice their pas de deux in the Jim First off, let’s get the terminology correct. Tonight’s demonstration of reining and dressage is a “pas de deux.” That’s French for “dance of two,” and it’s pronounced “pah-deh-dooh.” Second, let’s talk about what’s in a pas de deux. We’ll let Angel Ozer, a dressage professional from Oklahoma City, explain it: “A pas de deux is performed to music, and we make certain movements at certain places in the arena and try to match the music to your horse’s gait.” While Angel rides her dressage horse tonight in the Jim Norick Arena, AQHA Professional Horseman Lynn Palm will be mirroring her on a reining horse, using analogous movements to demonstrate the beauty and strength of dressage. It’s also a chance for American Quarter Horse owners to consider whether they wouldn’t like to give dressage a try. “A Quarter Horse’s mind is adaptable, and he’s got the athleticism,” Lynn said. “The Quarter Horse has the ability to do the discipline, and he’s going to be a fabulous horse to grow the industry, because people can ride the Quarter Horse and learn to ride well, do well and harmonize with the horse.” Speaking of harmony, Lynn and Angel will have had a mere three rehearsals to learn to match their horses. “With the pas de deux, you have to be able to match your horse’s gaits to the other horse’s gaits and also hear the choreography and match it so you’re not ahead of the music or the other rider,” Angel said. It’s a big challenge, but they’re both up for it. Angel has been riding dressage for almost 30 years, and Lynn got her start in dressage. During tonight’s demonstration, which will begin immediately after the finals of junior western riding, Lynn and Angel will show off different aspects of each discipline. “We’ll see extension of the gait at both the trot and the canter,” Angel said. “There will be half-passes, which is a lateral movement in both the trot and the canter.” While Angel demonstrates a canter pirouette, Lynn will be showing off some reining spins, all to an upbeat Cole Porter medley. "Dressage is the basics of good, classical horsemanship," Lynn said. "It’s something that’s good training for any breed of horse, any level of riding. It’s just putting the horse and rider in balance and working together in harmony – what we all want to do – good riders and horsemen. It’s going to be an exciting discipline for AQHA."
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