catching a judges eye

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cassiejames600

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with my dressage test coming up at the end of march, i finally got to ride the horse im using for it today..
i have not rode him for a month and when i last rode him he had little impulsion, but today with some good exercises he had more impulsion than me! really moving off my leg etc, but by the end tended to throw his head a bit!!?? how do i stop that?

Anyway while doing dressage how can i really catch the judges eye.. i no its on how good the horse moves and the exercises within a test..
 
keep your core muscles strong and remember to be soft in your hand, as you ride your downward transitions remember to keep your leg on and ride him forwards into your hand. little half halts should help keep him soft.
 
Smile and look like ur enjoying it, even if things go wrong keep smiling and show ur horse some appreciation at the end (big pat, hug, etc). Also plailting up and making an effort.

It may all sound soppy but I used to write for judges and they always usually put them in a good mood if they thought u were enjoying it and loved ur horse (esp unaff comps).

I never used to bother plaiting up but now I do and I have to admit I get better scores (might be something to do with the horse getting better too but I'm not chancing it!).
 
Definately accuracy - and loook like you are enjoying it.

I usually spend most of my dressage test smiling at my pony's asbo behaviour - and when he does things like run's off backwards after our halts I find it funny. As a result I always seem to get nice comments / helpful from the judge. (I'm only doing prelims at the moment)
 
I was going to say smile too! My trainers used to say no matter how the test went always smile at the end of your test!

Also I agree accuracy is very important, make sure you go into your corners, it annoys me when people cut them! It will also give you more time to prepare for the next movement
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I'm another one for accuracy. At this level judges are looking for accuracy and good transitions. Flashiness is only the icing on the cake. I have written for judges and have seen some flashy horses get poor scores because while they're being flashy they're missing a marker or not doing a good circle.
If impulsion is your problem then work on it because it will get picked up (seems to be the judges favourite comment!) But if you make sure your movements are accurate, your transitions are sharp and your horse bends the correct way you've won half the battle. The horse I borrow for dressage is not at all flash - given half a chance he'll plod round with his nose on the floor. But often we get reasonable scores because his boringness is accurate - he does what you need to do, when you need to do it.
Have fun and good luck!
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