Disaster-Free Dressage

JennBags

JennBags

HHOSS Wonder Woman
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21 May 2002
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I haven't been out for some time but have been working really hard at home, and going to lots of clinics so G has been getting out and about, and has been getting calm and relaxed about being away from home. My riding is better than it ever has been, I feel I've really got a connection now, so thought today was going to be my day!

There were no dramas, G loaded like a lamb, traffic was busy but nothing unexpected, the venue was quiet and we had a good parking spot. The sun was shining, it was a beautiful day.

Warmed up, and went in for P12. Nice straightforward test, and apart from G throwing in a massive spook halfway round, the test went well and I came out of there beaming. I thought G had gone superbly, so I was very happy. Was only 1/2 hr between tests but I got off and let him have a nibble of haylage but resisted the temptation to check my marks and get my test sheet.

Did very little warmup for the novice as G tends to be quite stuffy if he does too much in the school, and in we went for N28. Well he didn't even spook in this test, he stumbled once but we recovered well. He was a little more resistant to the hand, but I thought I managed it well, and the test flowed beautifully. Even our medium trot steps were nice, and we've hardly been practising them recently.

Came out beaming again, jumped off, ripping 2 buttons off my jacket, which I then couldn't find anywhere, we were even on a concrete yard. After I'd got the tack off, the sky went black and the heavens opened, so G went back up the ramp while I headed over for the results.

Prelim I got 60%, and I was 12th out of 15. I've done far worse tests than that and got similar, if not better results. I got 6's across the board for my collectives and a 4.5 for the spook movement, and it just feels all a bit disappointing, although the previous time I did this test I got 57.2% so there is improvement, albeit I felt an awful lot more improvement than a measly 3%.

There were only 5 of us in the novice so the results of that were out quickly, of course I was 5th, with a mark of 60.2% so a marginally better score than the prelim. I did get a lovely rosette although don't really feel I deserved one for being last!

The judge's comments in both tests were "lacking engagement", and in the novice he mentioned the inconsistent contact (yet we had a better mark than the prelim where it wasn't such an issue). I've just been back over my last test with this judge - it was the same test funnily enough, and we got 57.08 so at least we are showing improvement, and in fact I've done this test 7 times in the last year, and this is my second best score, so I should really be happy about it. Instead I do feel rather disappointed as I've really worked hard and thought we deserved a better score in both tests.

I'm not sure I really know what is meant by "lacking engagement" so any help on that would be very much appreciated!

Thank you all for reading my report, sorry there's no drama or giggles this time :D
 
Don't be disappointed, take the comments and your sheets to your instructor and just push to get better that's all any of us can do!
Lacking engagement would mean that he isn't engaging his hind end and therefore working on the forehand and lacking connection causing the inconsistency in the contact x
 
Blinking dressage JB, just be pleased that you felt a lot of things were SO much better. That is the main thing. G behaved well and tried and you were pleased your riding was better. Ignore the judge for now and celebrate your own improvements.
Well done xx
 
As the others have said you had a good day out all went well and it is a better score than you have had in the past. If you have this weeks horse & hound there is a nice piece about the meaning of the scores which will make you smile. Well done for getting out and about and for all the hard work you have put in this winter.
 
Thank you all, I've just been fast asleep on the sofa trying to recover from my early start I think! Feel slightly more positive now, even writing the report helped as it made me go back over my previous tests so I could see the improvement, and all your comments do help.

Working on the forehand makes more sense to me. It doesn't feel like that when I'm riding, but one of our biggest problems is him not being off my leg which would lead to that. That then needs to be our next obstacle to tackle!
 
I often feel like that - the improvement I can feel isn't reflected in the scores. Dressage is a funny thing. But at least it felt good - that's the most important thing :)
 
One of my biggest dressage learning curves was having two judges judge the same test. Or I think they were ...

There was 5% difference between the scores.

My instructor competed at NZ HoY last week - in one of her tests the marks varied from 57% to 62%!

Have learned not to take them too much to heart - on a different day, with a different judge, with different horses in the class things might have been completely different, so as long as I'm happy - it's a win. And it sounds like both of yours were!
 
Agree with the others, lots of positives from the day. Assume it's a different judge to previous ones so a direct comparison doesn't really work. I think anything in the 60s is a decent score for us amateur riders tbh!
 
Sounds like it was a nice, positive experience for both you and your horse :) With a little more practice, it will all start to come together when out and about. Dressage judging can be odd, I've did CCI eventing test where one judge was over 20% different to the other two judges!
 
Thank you all! Yes it was a good day out, and another positive step was that I didn't use any calmer. I think my last dressage outing was when I went to Hickstead and fell off in the middle of the test :eek3: so it was most definitely an improvement on that day :D
 
Yes 60 is good!!! Anything 60 or over will be mostly 6s which is respectable. There is nothing fundamentally wrong. You just need a bit more engagement or whatever to push it up to 7s and you'll be laughing, because it'll be reflected in every mark.
 
I feel your pain when the score doesn't match what you felt, but the biggest thing I try to rememeber is that the judge doesn't know you personally so won't know how much you've improved, they can on judge just what they can see on the day :). Some judges also seem to place more importance on certain things, especially at the lower levels.

Sometimes we were caned for any mouth opening, sometimes it was overlooked on balance of how well she was going, sometimes judges hated her knee action or got too suckered into her high neck carriage and brand her tense and hollow when I thought she was doing ok :D. As long as I know we're improving I try to make sure I don't dwell too much on individual scores, as you've said the scores have improved so it is reflecting your hard-work!

Also are there any pictures or better video of your tests? It makes such a difference as sometimes I think wow that was a great test until I see the evidence and actually the contact isn't stable enough for the hind end to work into and so the connection is lost, despite doing everything in the right order in the right place, which means it's really hard for a judge to give higher marks as it all looks brittle and messy.

We stayed at Elementary for 2 years nearly, with middling results of 60-65%, just recently I feel we've cracked it and actually I hadn't been asking for the more advanced frame (as at novice we were always trying to get her longer and lower), now I'm riding her up into one the judges are liking it more :), as a dressage novice I'm not experianced sometimes to know what the judge wants even if it seems obvious :D.

Engagement as a stand alone comment is really hard to advise on without more information, if you can get someone to video you or ask your instructor so they can help. It could be as simple as the inconsistant contact which you know about, so with more consistancy he can work into the contact more. It could be he's working too on the forehand or being a bit lazy behind, most things I've found can be helped with lots of transitions! Within the pace or between them, also depending on schooling level direct transitions can be great from getting them to use that hind end, walk to canter etc.

Did you find the buttons for your jacket? :D
 
Thanks both. Pigeon that's a really positive way of thinking of it! No, Alex I didn't find my buttons :mad3: Ah well, it's got to be an excuse for a new jacket hasn't it - that one's too big for me anyway :D

Sadly no pictures or videos - I generally go on my own as my OH is just not interested, he does come to the occasional one but it's rare. If there's a photographer I will look through the whole sequence of photos and realise where we are going wrong, but you're right, it's so hard to tell. Funny you should mention mouth opening - G loves to get his jaw set against me and his tongue flapping around, but that was one of the things that was missing yesterday (hence why I was expecting better marks!).

Alex, really interesting that you felt stuck at Ele as I always think of you as one of the dressage divas of HHO :D There's hope for me yet
 
like others have said you have got the basics there and now with the horse on your side at shows you canstart asking for more to come through which will give you the connection, even if it only shows in alternate movements that will give you 5% more which is a big difference on the percentages.
 
JennBags said:
Thanks both. Pigeon that's a really positive way of thinking of it! No, Alex I didn't find my buttons :mad3: Ah well, it's got to be an excuse for a new jacket hasn't it - that one's too big for me anyway :D

Sadly no pictures or videos - I generally go on my own as my OH is just not interested, he does come to the occasional one but it's rare. If there's a photographer I will look through the whole sequence of photos and realise where we are going wrong, but you're right, it's so hard to tell. Funny you should mention mouth opening - G loves to get his jaw set against me and his tongue flapping around, but that was one of the things that was missing yesterday (hence why I was expecting better marks!).

Alex, really interesting that you felt stuck at Ele as I always think of you as one of the dressage divas of HHO :D There's hope for me yet
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Ooo new jacket is always good, I'm toying with getting a grey one but not sure what to do with the hat then, don't see many grey hats?

Yeah I struggle as I'm always on my own too, but yay that there was no tongue flapping yesterday! Lol at me being a dressage diva, we try very hard but in reality we are a failed eventer cart horse with someone who doesn't really know what they're doing :D. If we can do it anyone can :) I really believe it too, we got a little stuck at elementary but we've come out this year and pulled our socks up!

Dressage is a long term thing, short cuts will always catch up with you and it takes time to build the stregth needed for the higher movements, so don't feel disheartened. We've been focussing on it for two years, in the first six months we went from prelim to elementary PP finals, however it's taken another 18 months for us to take the next step and get that increase in marks!
 
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