At first glance, Olympic figure skating and Grand Prix dressage freestyles appear to exist in entirely different worlds: one is performed on ice, the other on arena footing. Yet at the highest levels of sport, the similarities between the two disciplines become clear. Both demand extraordinary technical precision, athleticism, musicality, and an almost intangible quality of harmony between athlete and partner. 

Few people understand this parallel more intimately than Laura Roberts, Managing Director of Dressage at US Equestrian. Before stepping into her current role, Roberts served as Team USA Coordinator for U.S. Figure Skating from 2015 to 2018, including during the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games. Her unique perspective offers a rare, dual-sport lens through which to examine how these two elite sports intersect.

The Technical Foundation Beneath the Art 

In both Olympic figure skating and Grand Prix dressage freestyle, artistry is built on an uncompromising technical base. A figure skater’s jumps, spins, and step sequences must meet strict requirements before performance quality is even considered. Similarly, a dressage freestyle rests on the rider’s ability to demonstrate correct, balanced, and expressive movements such as piaffe, passage, pirouettes, and extended gaits.

“In dressage, we’re becoming more similar to figure skating,” Roberts explained, pointing to the freestyle degree of difficulty platform, which evaluates not just what the combinations perform, but also how ambitious their choreography and execution are. “That focus on degree of difficulty mirrors what skating does with technical execution.” 

In skating, a beautifully choreographed program cannot mask under-rotated jumps or flawed edges. In dressage, music and choreography amplify the performance, but only if the horse’s training and execution are already secure. 

Roberts notes that modern judging structures in both sports increasingly separate technical execution from quality and artistic impression, a shift long established in skating through its Technical Element Score and Program Component Score. 

“You see that separation now even in some lower levels of dressage,” Roberts said. “In the Children’s and Young Horse tests, for example, technical execution and quality are judged independently. It’s very similar to skating, where one score evaluates what you did, and the other evaluates how well and how artistically you did it.” 

This balance between technical correctness and expressive freedom is what makes both sports so compelling to watch and so difficult to master. 

Music as a Competitive Weapon 

Music is not a decoration in either sport; it is part of the athlete’s strategy. 

In Olympic figure skating, music selection influences tempo, pacing, and emotional arc. A skater’s choreography is crafted to highlight strengths, manage stamina, and emphasize musical accents that elevate technical elements. The same is true in the Grand Prix freestyle, where music underscores the horse’s rhythm and elasticity while helping the rider present movements at their most expressive.

“I think music is your chance to connect with the audience and show your personality,” Roberts shared. “It’s your opportunity to engage them and if you miss the mark, then that can send the wrong message.” 

Judges and audiences alike respond to this cohesion. When movement and music align seamlessly, scores tend to follow. “If the crowd is behind you, clapping and engaged, that motivates better performances,” Roberts explained. “While judges aren’t supposed to be biased, they are also human. If an audience is excited, [the judges] may be in a more positive mindset.” 

Partnership at the Center 

Perhaps the most profound similarity lies in partnership. Roberts often compared dressage to ice dancing, rather than pairs, because of the silent communications required between partners. 

“In skating, particularly ice dancing, they’re not talking to each other out there,” she explained, “They’re reading body language and communicating non-verbally, the same way a horse and rider do.”

Figure skaters, particularly in pairs and ice dance, must trust their partner completely. Timing errors or miscommunication can mean the difference between podium and disaster. In dressage, the partnership between horses and riders is even more nuanced, built over years of training, trust, and mutual understanding. 

“If you don’t trust your partner, you’re not going to perform well,” she said. “Ice dancers spend an enormous amount of time together, just like horses and riders do outside of competition. That partnership doesn’t happen by accident.” 

In dressage, trust allows for risk; more expression, greater difficulty, and moments that feel spontaneous even though they are meticulously practiced. It mirrors the way elite skaters push artistic boundaries when confidence in their preparation is absolute. 

Audiences may not always identify the source of a disconnect, but they feel it instantly, just as they do when a partnership is fully in sync. 

Judging the Intangible 

Both disciplines face a shared challenge in the judgement of artistry. While technical elements can be quantified, components such as interpretation, performance quality, and harmony are inherently subjective. In figure skating, Program Component Scores and dressage’s artistic marks aim to reward these qualities, but they also invite scrutiny and debate. 

Roberts pointed to figure skating’s use of required elements, particularly in ice dancing, as an attempt to create a leveling point. At times, skaters are even required to choreograph routines around mandated musical genres or specific sequences of elements. 

“Everyone has to do the same elements somewhere in the routines,” she said. “Dressage doesn’t really have an equivalent to that. The Grand Prix freestyle allows for much more freedom.” 
 
Preparing for the Biggest Stage 

Whether it’s the Olympic Games or a CDI5*-level Grand Prix freestyle under the lights, preparation extends far beyond physical training. Mental resilience, pressure, and expectation management play enormous roles.

“They require patience, attention to detail, and mindfulness,” Roberts said. “Athletes have to be connected to what they are doing.”

She notes that it’s often obvious where a freestyle was borrowed rather than created for that athlete. “You can tell when something fits,” she said. “When a program or freestyle was specifically made for that athlete or combination, it just works.” 

Athletes in both disciplines often perform best when they can frame the moment as familiar rather than overwhelming. Repetition, simulation, and trust in their process allow them to deliver when it matters most.

In that sense, the arena—ice rink or dressage ring—becomes secondary. What matters is the athlete’s ability to execute under pressure, in harmony with their partner, and in service of the performance they’ve built piece by piece.

Different Arenas, Same Demands 

Roberts recalls one detail from figure skating that continues to surprise people from other sports: the six-minute warm-up. 

“At major competitions, skaters get six minutes on the ice before they compete,” she explains. “That’s it.” 

By contrast, dressage riders often have multiple warm-up arenas and extended preparation time, an advantage that highlights just how demanding elite skating environments can be. 

Yet regardless of surface or setting, the goal remains the same. 

“Both our equestrian and figure skating athletes are incredibly dedicated,” Roberts says. “The level of detail that goes into creating those performances and the pressure of delivering them in a single moment is something both sports absolutely share.”