Dressage equivalent to the AQHA congress

So if going to Congress was the highlight of your year in decades past… but now you have moved on from the pleasure world but want to replicate that horse show experience in the dressage world… where do you go?

Do big dressage show include a trade show etc?

I mean, there’s the Royal, which is local, but dressage doesn’t seem to be “it” there, unless I’m missing something.

Or does AQHA have the corner on the market of the horse show experience for gawkers and shoppers?

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World Cup competitions typically have large trade shows also. At least the two I attended, both in Las Vegas.

A big difference between the AQHA Congress, which is a great show, and the larger dressage shows is that one usually must qualify for the latter so a closer comparison would be to the AQHA World Championships.

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Ah, good point. I’ve never been to the World’s - Ohio is closer then wherever the heck that is (Texas??).

I’m just jonesing for that big show vibe. Maybe dressage is the wrong tree to bark up.

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Oklahoma City iirc hosts the world show.

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I’m not sure any dressage show will rival that atmosphere, but there are a fair number of options. Adequan Global Dressage Festival runs every other week in January and all of February and March in Wellington, FL. It’s across the street from the big hunter/jumper show (which has much more shopping/dining). 5* week will have the top level of the CDI running in the big stadium at the jumper venue.

Going to World Equestrian Center in Ocala during one of the dressage shows that has a CDI would have vendors/atmosphere. There is also Dressage Finals in November, which has been at the Kentucky Horse Park, but moves to WEC Ohio this year. Lamplight in August hosts the championships for Young Horses and the FEI. That historically has lots of shopping. I don’t know the west coast options. You could always make the trip to Aachen!

ETA: Somehow I forgot Devon in PA. Historic show, very compact with a good number of vendors and a lot of atmosphere. Unlike most other US shows, there are limited open classes running in parallel to the CDI (only young horses and 4th level+) and also a breed show that runs in the days before the performance divisions.

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No necessarily dressage, but the Kentucky Three Day Event (formerly Rolex) is just a load of fun for spectators and shoppers. I go most years. And there IS dressage. :yum:

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Maybe that’s just what dressage needs! Seems to work well for AQHA.

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Best shopping I’ve seen for dressage, etc. was WEG in Tryon. Close second was World Cup in Vegas I went to all of them). I went to World Cup in Omaha last year and I can’t even recall hitting the stores. Just the general shopping at WEC Ocala was pretty darn good too, and I was there on a just a usual show weekend.

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Dressage at Devon has always been a classic with vendors galore.

You don’t say where you are, and what breed you are showing. If AQHA, get on the powers that be and have them organize Dressage classes.

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I’m in Ontario and not showing anything currently but do ride an aqha gelding.

I think AQHA did has usdf sanctioned classes for a while… or maybe your usdf scores counted towards the incentive fund and ROMs? Something like that. I’m not sure what happened with that.

I’m just a QH lover through and through. I just hate the pleasure world. I wish you could take everything about the AQHA and just erase the grossness that is western pleasure and hunter under saddle, lol.

So it looks like Devon is what’s on my bucket list. I used to show at a summer series in Harlansburg, PA. Beautiful state.

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oh, just did a quick google search. https://www.aqha.com/disciplines/showing/shows/dressage

Then searched for any AQHA shows with a dressage class in all of Canada in all of 2025 and it’s 0. haha. So that’s that :smiley:

Both AQHA and APHA have pretty poor support of dressage and eventing. AQHA at least had dressage at some of the bigger shows for awhile. I’ve asked APHA if they’d consider sponsoring an IBC at Devon like they did a handful of times before and I got crickets, even though I have several owners who said they’d bring their horses and a handler who said they would become an APHA member so people had a pro option (in the past the horse, owner, and handler had to APHA members to do the IBC). There’s less than a handful of APHA approved USDF shows in part because of how many people on the show staff have to be APHA approved/trained/members. It’s disappointing because I’d love to earn a ROM with my mare but I’m not driving across three states to do so.

Slight sidetrack. I started dressage with my AQHA all-around mount. He was never going to shine as a dressage horse, but after a year of doing mostly dressage with him I went to an AQHA show on a whim. He was a nice horse to start with but after a year of doing dressage we won a 20 horse pleasure class, won a 25 horse trail class, and several smaller classes. Ended up All Around Ammy at that show.

I had done a “versatility school” with Lynn Palm that year and will always remember her saying “not all horses are good for dressage, but dressage is good for all horses.”

YMMV

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AQHA has recognized Dressage since 2010 and has classes at the World Show.

https://www.aqha.com/disciplines/showing/shows/dressage

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I did a clinic with Lynn ages ago and enjoyed every minute of it. This was before she went to Dressage pretty much full time. She’s a great instructor.

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I did that school last century! :scream:

Me too! I did a weekend clinic in March or April that Lynn came up for. I think she pretty much froze to death before it was over, even though it was pretty mild that year for eastern Ontario.

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Dressage rider/teacher here. Western Pleasure is unwatchable. Went to an equine exhibition with Trakehner stallion in hand. Watched a WP demo. Said to friends "If my horse moved like that, I’d run screaming to my vet. I got a fishy eye from a man standing nearby. Later as I walked with my overstepping, springy stallion, I realized that man was the WP rider’s father. It’s hard to walk with one foot in your mouth :rofl:.

All Hunter riders look ridiculous, don’t blame the AQHA.

Flame suit on!!

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I am 30 minutes from Dressage at Devon. Come stay with me

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Yes! Lynn Palm is who opened my eyes to the versatility of the QH. I also love the idea of having a horse i could ride a test on, learn to rope on, take to a stock horse open show… etc. My current guy is all of that, but the clock is quickly winding down on his serviceable years.

I’m on a Rugged Lark Facebook page. I’m sure that Gene pool has been diluted to nothing by now, but he used to be my dream horse as a kid.

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