A few silly questions, first ever dressage comp???

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ponyforever

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Hi

My son is 12 and doing his first dressage competition in 2 weeks, i haven't competed in years so have a few silly questions.

At unaffiliated do I need to plait? The pony just has a neatly pulled main.

It is just a walk and trot test in an indoor arena, will there be space to trot round the edge of the dressage boards until the bell is rang, or does he trot inside the dressage boards?

Also is it just a bell they ring in dressage? And will A be directly opposite to the judge's table?

If there are no dressage boards does he just trot around then go up to A to start?

Sorry totally silly questions but don't want to get it wrong xx
 
ponyforever said:
Hi

My son is 12 and doing his first dressage competition in 2 weeks, i haven't competed in years so have a few silly questions.

At unaffiliated do I need to plait? The pony just has a neatly pulled main.You don't have to but would be best to if you can.

It is just a walk and trot test in an indoor arena, will there be space to trot round the edge of the dressage boards until the bell is rang, or does he trot inside the dressage boards? Depends on the size of the arena, if no space you can trot inside the dressage boards

Also is it just a bell they ring in dressage? And will A be directly opposite to the judge's table? Will be bell/something obvious that they want you to start. Box should be behind C

If there are no dressage boards does he just trot around then go up to A to start? Yes, it will be used it it

Sorry totally silly questions but don't want to get it wrong xx
Click to expand...

If u have time watch a person or two and see what they do. Will give u an ideas of what to do in the particular area. Hope it goes well. :)
 
Before I did my first walk-trot test I had a look on youtube - there are some good examples of people riding the tests. (just make sure you look at the right test - some of the tests in the US are called "Intro" as well but they are not the Intro A or Intro B seen in the UK.)

:)
 
Well it depends on the size on the arena, if the arena is too wide then yes he will trot around the dressage boards and enter at A when told. However, at the yard where I compete there are only a few dressage boards at the bottom of the arena which makes it shorter as the width is pretty much the same as a standard dressage arena. So there you just warm up in the arena and proceed down the centre line at A when instructed.
However, when I compete at outdoor dressage there is usually electric tape around the outside of the dressage boards, so you warm up for the first few minutes between the tape and the boards and then enter at A when told.

The horse doesn't need to be plaited however it does tend to look better and appearance counts for a lot!

As for the signal to start, for me it has always been the honk of the horn in the judges car or a bell. Regardless of what is used it will be very clear when it is time to start, however a few tips:
-You don't have to enter the test right after they give the signal, ie. if you are at B and they ring the bell then you can do a 20m circle to compose yourself and then enter at A. You don't have to plunge in the minute you hear the signal!
-Always enter the arena and warm up on the rein that you go onto when you turn at C, for example if you turn right at C then enter the arena on the right rein as it makes it much easier to turn at C or vice versa if turning left, I have always found this helps.
-Do a quicker trot down the centre line if you struggle with straightness as it helps to stop the horse drifting, the quicker you go the less likely you are to drift and straightness is key.
-Impulsion and accuracy count more than being on the bit, a good judge would mark a sensitive horse who reacts quickly to the aids but who is going with it's nose in the air over a horse who is on the bit but being lazy and unenthusiastic.

Good luck! :D
 
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