Couple of dressage for idiots questions...

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Gingernags

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Have spotted a mistake I made in both tests I've recently done... when I've read the test I've not really paid attention to one of the actual movements and done what I thought it said...

Now I always thought it was free walk on a loose rein... but it isn't, its on a long rein...

Am I to assume, loose rein means no contact, long rein means you are still wanting them to stretch down but not as much and keeping a contact, not reins at the buckle?

Also, most of the test for the novice is in working trot , though you have to show some strides in medium trot... now I thought that would be some lengthened strides but I gather not? It would say lengthened strides if thats what they wanted, so what am I asking the horse to do for medium trot?

Apologies, but until I can get onto the clinics (full at the moment)
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you guys are my dressage for dummies instructors! Thank god I'm only doing riding club or I think I'd hideously embarass myself!

Grateful thanks from a totally novice dressage-diva-in-the-making!
 
medium trot is extended trot/lengthened trot. So you need to show a few lengthened trot strides across the diagonal.

With the free walk the horse should be seaking the contact down and coming through from behind - you let the reins slip through your fingers as the horse takes the rein down. However much rein it needs for your horse to stretch properly is how much you should give, generally not all the way to the buckle.
 
In free walk the horse should take the rein down and out (not curl under), The judge wants to see the horse seeking contact down as much as possible and covering as much ground as possible without haste, but with purpose. Transition out of it into medium walk is also important, remember to use your leg before your hand as you gather him up for the medium- ideally it should be seamless.

Medium trot isn't extended trot, but is lengthened strides, so again the horse should push more from behind in order to cover more ground with each step, without the rhythm quickening. At novice it is just some medium trot strides, so you need to show a clear difference but do not have to go marker to marker as you would in elementary.
 
erm, no.........................

when i do medium with my trainer i get told to think/ride extended..........it helps to get a better medium. I know that extended is different.
 
And lets be brutally honest, if you are riding at elem/med level and the test only contains medium not medium and extended, then the more you show even if it's verging on extended gets you the marks. I personally have never seem anyone marked down for showing extended when medium was requested.

Sorry Coppertop, bit off subject but a bit of bug bear of mine.
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I can see where you're coming from Burtie, but surely you have seen the novice horse being pushed for the medium trot and is just completely ran out of balance, a medium trot should be just that and when the horse is ready, collection and engagement established should the extended be asked for. If you always think extended and all you're after is medium, what will you think of when extended is required?

Don't really want to get into a debate about this but there is a big difference in a horse's training from medium to extended.
 
It all helps as a total beginner! I thought it was lengthened, which is fine and I can ask for that, but friend said it was more about elevation -and holding the horse in whilst pushing so you tend to come up rather than lengthen so I was pretty confused!

Not that I've explained it terribly well!
 
in my eyes 'more elevated and holding the horse in and pushing' is more towards extended?

whereas id think of medium as just pushing the horse from behind and 'pointing his toes' more whilst keeping the same rhythm and tempo

(someone feel free to shoot me down if im barking up the wrong tree tho!!!!!!!!
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I'm completely confused now...

But one tip that I was told about for showing medium trot at novice level was to go slightly more collected round the short end of the arena just before you asked for medium/lengthened/run-out-of-the-end-of-the-arena-cos-you-can't-stop-in-time-trot, so the contrast was greater and more visible to the judge.
 
As you say probably a completely different debate
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Yes I actually agree with you totally a lot of mediums shown are just running and out of balance. I just get annoyed sometimes when I see a good medium(IMHO) at Novice/Elem level and the mark is 6 "more could be shown".
I'm not talking about me here either, my horse was actually rubbish at extending and to be honest we used to get 7 s for mediums because I was riding her to the limits of her ability and riding it like an extended!
 
When they say they want medium you must show medium even if for a few strides with a distinct transition in and out of it. when it says lenghtened strides the term is usually progressively show which means exactly that.
you are correct in you definition of long and loose rein. By the way i am a listed judge so i do actually know about this stuff!
 
Any judge worth their salt wont be fooled by people doing a more collected trot round the short side in order to try and show a difference, we are trained (and yes I am a listed BD aswell) to look for the correct aspects of a medium trot.
 
Well, I guess I can only try and if I get it wrong, then I'll get comments that can only help!!!!

Will cross fingers that her show pony floaty trot for a few strides will look right! She does that well, doesn't speed up or fully extend but certainly lengthens.

Fingers crossed will get into some of the dressage clinics before my next test.
 
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Any judge worth their salt wont be fooled by people doing a more collected trot round the short side in order to try and show a difference, we are trained (and yes I am a listed BD aswell) to look for the correct aspects of a medium trot.

[/ QUOTE ]

well said!
 
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