The Idea of Order: Deciphering Your Dressage Tests

February 25, 2026Morgane SchmidtMorgane Schmidt, the idea of order#communication, #DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #Dressage Showing, #Dressage Training, #Equestrian Horror Movies, #Forward Thinking Dressage, #NonTraditionalBreedinDressage, #summer, #THANKSGIVING, classical dressage, competition dressage, do it for the plot, dressage levels, Dressage4Kids, habits are hard, spice rack, The Idea of OrderComments Off

Because writing comments at breakneck speed doesn’t often result in excellent penmanship…

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In honor of show season being in full swing here in The Swamp, and The Red Dragon and Wilson having yet another upcoming field trip, this week’s comic is an ode to the joy that is deciphering your dressage test. 😅

This activity pairs well with adult beverages — particularly if you’ve used the entire numerical scale. 🤣

Morgane Schmidt is, among many things, an equestrian who still hasn’t quite decided what she wants to be when she grows up. Author of Life with Horses Is Never Orderly, she knows all about the madness that comes with the equine territory, having owned and competed horses in eventing and dressage for years. A lifelong fan of the classic equestrian cartoons penned by internationally renowned artist Norman Thelwell, she began her own comic series in 2011, sharing deftly funny reflections on life with horses on Horse Nation as well as her personal website. A native Floridian, she spent a decade in Reno, NV, where she was able to confirm her suspicion that snow is utterly worthless (she has since regained her sense and moved back to the Florida swamp). Though she has run the gamut of equestrian disciplines, her favorite is dressage. She has completed her USDF bronze and silver medals and is currently working on her gold. Generally speaking, her life is largely ruled by Woody, a 14.2 hand beastly quarter horse, Willie, a now beastly 16-year-old Dutch gelding, and Milona DG, a 9 year old KWPN chestnut mare (you can make your own inferences there…). Visit her website at www.theideaoforder.com.

Milona DG and I. Photo (c) Q2 Photography.