Pirouette (dressage)
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A pirouette is a two-track lateral movement asked of a horse in dressage, in which the animal makes a circle with its front end around a smaller circle made by the hind end. Specifically, the front legs and outside hind leg should travel around the inside hind leg, with the horse remaining slightly bent in the direction of travel. The horse may perform the movement at the walk or canter.
When performed at the canter, the gait actually becomes four-beat, with the inside hind leg touching the ground slightly before the outside fore leg [1]. This is mainly because the high degree of collection causes a separation of the diagonal pair, with the forehand greatly elevated.
As in all dressage, the horse should remain relaxed, engaged, and responsive, with the poll as the highest point.
To see a canter pirouette, see [2] and [3]. To see a walk pirouette, see [4].
![[1]](http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/images/LisaWilcox456-thumb.jpg){kind=link}