Dressage is no more riddiculous than 24 hour coverage of obama's "brackets", college basketball, the nba, pro golfing, yacht racing nascar, le concourse de elegance, keeping up with the khardashians or american idol.
dressage was once a display of horsemanship when cavalry charges won or lost wars, just as rodeo is a display of horsemanship when being able to ride well meant the difference between a successful cattle drive or corpses frozen on the trail to kansas city.
just because you find it moronic doesnt mean it is invalid. some people roll their eyes when they see rally racing, i love that shit.
meanwhile i think basketball is the dumbest game i ever seen, but i dont despise deride or hurl insults at the people who play it or enjoy watching. and yes, it's exactly the same, my city is giving away the store to a couple of millionaires so they wont pack up their basketball team and move to anaheim, when i personally dont give a shit about the sacramento kings, or the entire NBA.