Dressage Tips Please :) first one :)

marley and danni

marley and danni

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hi all!

i have my first dressage test.. well kind of i did a walk and trot test 2.5 years ago and it went terrible wrong i ended up retiring i forgot the test and didnt have a caller.... so have decided to face my fear and do another test!

So i have Prelim 1 in January i already know the movements etc will just need to practice practice practice now..... i just wondered if you lovely lot would give me some helpful tips....

heres some pics from a recent schooling session. we do alot of showing hence the double bridle but he goes just as nice in an ordinary snaffle (which hes mainly worked in unless preparing for showing)

we have been working on getting him off his forehand (difficult being a very long horse) and activating that hind leg.... i think we are doing ok considering hes been in and out of work.







:) tips welcome ... especially on riding a stright line down the centre?!?!?!
 
I can't access your photos at work but for general tips I would say smile and enjoy it (rich coming from me as I generally have a face of death or am laughing as have cocked up massively).

Although you know your test, try and get a caller as it just takes that little bit of pressure off.
 
Don't give away easy marks by inaccurate riding - make sure you hit your marks every time, make sure your circles are 20m not 18/22m, make sure they're circles not squares, be aware of your balance in the saddle going up the centre line - make sure your weight is even in each hip bone and each stirrup. Don't practise the whole test from beginning to end multiple times at home as your boy will begin to anticipate the next movement - practise the individual bits, mash it up a bit and only run through the whole thing a handful of times. Smile and enjoy it and then come and tell us all how much fun you had doing it :) Good luck!
 
Definately have a caller there just in case & have organinsed where he/she will stand... also make sure you get a good warm up..
Make sure before bell goes you get horse used to judges car etc...
I find my mare can be on the forehand if I look down - when riding that centre line, shoulders back look up & pin point something to focus on..

Smile so you look like you are enjoying it & dont forget to breathe:)

Also getting to venue with plenty of time to spare so you aren't rushed & paniced & gives the horse a chance to get used to the surroundings if new to them.

marley and danni said:
hi all!

i have my first dressage test.. well kind of i did a walk and trot test 2.5 years ago and it went terrible wrong i ended up retiring i forgot the test and didnt have a caller.... so have decided to face my fear and do another test!

So i have Prelim 1 in January i already know the movements etc will just need to practice practice practice now..... i just wondered if you lovely lot would give me some helpful tips....

heres some pics from a recent schooling session. we do alot of showing hence the double bridle but he goes just as nice in an ordinary snaffle (which hes mainly worked in unless preparing for showing)

we have been working on getting him off his forehand (difficult being a very long horse) and activating that hind leg.... i think we are doing ok considering hes been in and out of work.







:) tips welcome ... especially on riding a stright line down the centre?!?!?!
Click to expand...
 
as swirlymurphy said dont throw silly marks away be as acurate as you can! and accurate quiet test is much nicer for the judges to watch than a fire cracker of a test which is inaccurate. smile relax and dont try and push for too much in the test as it will usually end up looking hurried ride what you've got not what you wish you had - this is something that took me a while to learn and since i've started riding my horse as the little 15.2 cob she is and not pushing for bigger strides and more expression that shes not capeable of at the moment her marks have improved ten fold and shes won a few classes and placed in all others.

dont salute with the hand your whip (if you have one) is in - simple but easy to forget!

i like having a caller as it stops me worrying about forgetting the test!
 
Pics actually look good (apart from some questionable loose/baggy reins!) - if he stays in that outline (its a bit deep but better than head stuck in the air like a giraffe!) then at Prelim level you will do well. Just ensure that he keeps that same roundness in upwards and downwards transitions, if he brings his head up at all then that would probably be written as 'hollow' on a test sheet.

In terms of being straight on the centre line, turn early - I see so many riders who turn too late, or dont give themselves enough space/time from when the bell goes to turning down the centre line so it starts badly. Dont rush when the bell goes, take your time and prepare your turn. Turn a little earlier than you think you need to, then stare at that C marker and imagine you are blocking that marker with your horses body - if the CL is straight then the judge should not be able to see the letters C or A because you and your horse are blocking them.

Double marks in prelim tend to be for the free walk, so make sure you are used to letting the horse stretch. So many times I've seen people on horses who want to stretch but they are blocking the stretch with their hands. The judge wants to see the horse stretching forwards and down towards the floor, with a good overtrack i.e. the walk is a march with purpose. Dont let the horse dawdle along aimlessly, make sure you are marching along with a nice long stride and he maintains the stretch (not stretching for a couple of strides then bringing his head up).

Generally for Prelim if you can do a good free walk (double marks), ensure transitions are not hollow (i.e. doesnt bring his head up when doing upwards or downwards transitions) and he maintains the canter (doesnt break the canter) then you will score well. Easy marks to loose are inaccuracy, so as everyone else has said make sure your circles are 20m or 15m, make sure your transitions are within the specified markers and have a caller to help make sure you dont go wrong. But practice your test before hand, dont just rely on the caller - if you dont know whats coming next its still easy to go wrong even with a caller.

Suppleness will also be a factor if you have serpentines/half circles etc in your test, it will show if you are having to drag him around the bends if he is not supple enough to carry out the movements. So work on that between now and Jan - there are plenty of exercises you can do to improve suppleness (lateral work, counter canter etc).

Hope this helps and good luck!
 
Thanks everyone for all the replies I really appreciate it, im ver nervous but excited!

Will defo work on sections and perfect them ready for next section over the next 7 weeks!

In regards the the free walk on a long rein hes quite good at this he really stretched down and walks through I take it this will be good marks? Ill try get a video over the weekend!

We do a lot of suppling work before we work properly canter and walk work gets him supple and worked in so I ussualy work within these gaits for 15 mins. I then proceed on to working with in the trot he stetches down in the trot and carries a nice shape with out me holding.

Then once ready to work we get the shape you see in the pics, sorry about the loose reins but I hardly have to touch his mouth to get this so don’t like to hold… its taken months to get this and im extreamly happy and cant wait to show again next year.

Thanks for the tip with the center line I really struggle with this as as much as I try he swings his quarters I don’t know what im doing wrong unless im trying to hard haha!

Just another quick question can I wear spurs in a beginners prelim 1 test?

Also I will defo have a caller, after last time id feel better 

Will try get a video of me practicing the test over the weekend!
 
hi all

so i have bene practicing aswell as moving yards....

you know how i said easy bit was free walk for marley... well turns out its not he wont stay stright how do i do it?

thanks :)
 
How is he in a snaffle? He seems to duck behind the contact in all of those pics in that combination (double + grackle is quite OTT) - I'm not sure if you are confusing a nice shape with overbent?

and yes you can wear spurs.
 
He goes better in a snaffle have more of a contact. Grackle was loose and only noseband i had to hand. Hes using himself as in hind legs action which is what i have been working on i never force him into a shape and when he drops behind contact i dont give him a contact untill he reaches for it again....

I need advice on how to ride the freew walk in prelim one plz anyone...

I dnt thi k i can wear spurs as its beginners. X
 
Have a look at the scale of training.

Please could you post pictures of your horse working in a snaffle, unlike some of your other replies, as I really don't like him being overbent and behind the vertical with the double. Why are you using a grackle with a double? It should be a cavesson

Your pictures, you don't have a contact, reins too long and looking down which is affecting your position and drawing you forwards.

Ride the horse from the backend, forwards, active and straight and when that correct usually the correct rounded outline will come. Please don't create false outline from the front end.

A correct contact is like holding a young child's hand across the road. Don't be shy of taking it. You are not being heavy handed.
 
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I'm not suggesting you do force him into a shape but it is important he takes a contact and if he is like that in the double it suggests he isn't ready for it (He doesn't seem to be fully tracking up in the photos either). It is hard to advise on the free walk without video as all horses are different so what I do with mine will be different to what my friend does with hers etc.
 
Ok cool i know ubwernt suggesting that its cool. Yes only just started using doubke get ready fir hshowing next srason. I do hant have pics recnt in snaffle so will get some over weekend. He feels much more togetherin sanaffle.... he does find it hard to work through due to a long back and neck and only been working on this the past 6/7months. I welcome any advice hes come on brill the last few weeks much more accpting x..... ps grackle was loose and only noseband i had to hand. Hes schooled in a cavesson ussually... grackles nirmaly in my gag bridle for hunting an jumping
 
As other have said, I find having a caller is key :)

Especially when I haven't been out for a while, I get a bit nervous, and tend to blank on the next bit of test when concentrating...

So:
- I always pack a bag for me and a bag for the horse the night before,
- make sure I've practised all the movements well beforehand,
- make sure I have someone to help.

If I can't persuade any yard pple to come along, I bribe my non-horsey parents with bacon sandwiches :) Dad can now call more or less at the right time for me, and it's someone to hold things etc.

Also, there's no point trying to perfect movements in the warm up - either you've learnt it or you haven't, and you just have to work with what you have on the day, and practice anything else for next time.

And, as others have said, accuracy - my friend and I were recently both in the same dressage class; her on a flashy TB, and me on my coloured coblet. Watching back the vids, the TB looked much nicer - more forward and rounder etc, but I beat her by over 10% as mine was more accurate - I rode to every marker and kept it calm and quiet. Comments were lovely too - for an amateur, getting "lovely obedient horse, calm and accurate test, lovely picture" was the cherry on my day :)
 
right finally got daylight pictures of marley wrking in a snaffle. he was a little on edge we hunted boxing day. these were taken today.... he goes hallow in downward transistions and notsur how t fix this.. have a lesson tomorrow....

here th pics



left trot




its nt leting me uplad th others :( but if you go along u can see the rest from today x
 
He's a lovely horse and I can see you have a great relationship with him and lots of fun (peeked at the hunting pics!) but even in a snaffle you don't have a contact and he's behind the bit. Personally, I'd try to sort this out as it's difficult to progress unless you have the horse working properly. For your forthcoming test, accuracy and obedience will help you pick up easy marks.
 
oldie48 said:
He's a lovely horse and I can see you have a great relationship with him and lots of fun (peeked at the hunting pics!) but even in a snaffle you don't have a contact and he's behind the bit. Personally, I'd try to sort this out as it's difficult to progress unless you have the horse working properly. For your forthcoming test, accuracy and obedience will help you pick up easy marks.
Click to expand...

I agree with this, I had similar issues with my boy and it has taken a while to sort out properly. Some of it was me having take a firmer contact and getting the right amount of leg to push him to it. But a lot of it was finding a bit he was happy to accept rather than tuck behind. Perhaps try playing around with bits to see if you can find something he enjoys, I be had everything dressage legal under the sun on him from rubber snaffles upwards. I have found as he progressed o had to change bits, he now goes well in a thin French link sweet iron loose ring snaffle but it has taken a while to get him comfortable in a metal bit.
 
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