First Prelim Score - Ok or Bad?

Woolly Hat n Wellies

Woolly Hat n Wellies

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I know it's not spectacular. It was Prelim 18, and our first bash at prelim since restarting him. The marks ranged from 5 to 6.5 (so at least I was pretty consistent!).

Last winter I had a go at prelim, having had him on share/loan for a few months and having had to follow the owner's rules about riding and lessons, I'd just bought him and decided to have a go. It was horrendous and I left the arena in tears, I was so disappointed with our performance (mine as well as his, I was frozen solid with nerves, and his previous owner was watching so I felt judged from both ends of the arena). I was NOT (as they suggested) upset that I didn't win, or didn't get a rosette. I was upset that I'd ridden horribly and let him down, and that he was unsettled and had performed like he'd never attempted a dressage test or been asked to canter in his life. We didn't even get into canter, he just turned his head upside down, lurched sideways, and RAN around the arena at an angle of about 45 degrees while I tried desperately to stop, and then I forgot the test in my panic.

In February I got a new instructor and started him back from groundwork, and then on the lunge, and it's only in the past couple of months that we've been able to canter at all. He used to get very excited, and if you attempted canter and got it wrong, tough. That was your lot, as he'd be so excited there was no chance you'd get another. I've worked and worked and worked on this, but he does still anticipate a bit, so the trot towards the second canter was very awkward, but we did get straight into canter. This was an online competition, and I do think it was marked a bit more harshly than the place I've been out to before. I also messed it up the first time by getting the letters confused (we turned the arena round because of the sun in the camera) and we started again, so he'd already cantered both ways and was a little tense, so I can accept the number of 'tense' and 'resistance' comments, although I do feel a little bit like I wish she'd seen him 8 months ago. Never mind tense, he was absolutely rigid and his spine was U shaped!. As I have nothing from this judge to compare it to, I don't know whether to be pleased or disappointed.

I think I'm pleased that our score was within 2% of the next competitor, and that we completed all the movements, and nothing scored below a 5. But I'm a bit disappointed that we got nothing above 6.5, and that the only positive comment on the whole sheet was "attractive horse with correct paces", which seems a bit like scraping the barrel for something nice to say.

I do feel a little bit let down, like I've wasted my instructor's time, and the judge's time, and my mum's time filming, and a bit like I don't want to do it again. I could take up jumping, but I'm crap at that too! Maybe knitting? Or keeping hamsters?
 
No idea about the score TBH, but stop beating yourself up. Well done for having a crack at it! Watch the footage, see what you did well and didn't do so well (be critical, not negative!) and set yourself some aims for next time. And make sure there's a next time :P

Ax
 
That is a very respectable score for a first prelim. You are certainly not wasting anyone's time. Show your instructor your sheet and practice the movements you got lower scores for. You are really only competing against yourself so each time you go out try and improve your scores. Of course there will be times you wish you'd stayed at home!! But just try and enjoy your lovely horse. Well done!!
 
I think that's a good score, especially for the first time out in nearly a year (and considering your previous experience!). Unless you have real aspirations of high level dressage soon, you just have to compare your test and your score against yourself. I went to dressage this weekend, only a walk and trot test, and we got 56%. We were basically last, but I was happy because it was the first time we'd been out without serious spooking at everything (honestly, last month when we went we spent more time going sideways). Yes I feel the score was a little low for what was a perfectly honest, if a little slow in places, test, but we did follow a stunning pony which won the class, so we were probably a bit disappointing ;) We'll probably aim for a prelim next month, and as long as we walk, trot and canter in the right places, I'll be happy.

Remember, we do this for fun, so set some goals and enjoy!
 
You could do that test in front of 100 different judges and end up with 100 different a scores ! It's so subjective.

Good on you for actually going out and having a go and I'd say that's a good score considering how little test riding you've done and your previous nerves.

When I do Dressage I aim to beat my previous score at that test. Doesn't always happen but then as before different judges :smile3:

You'll be buying bling before you know it !
 
Was it affiliated or unaff?

Dressage is so subjective it's almost as bad as showing. I've seen some horrendous tests done and they come out with high 60's and even 70's. Similarly, you get very harsh judges too so I wouldn't beat yourself up at all. We all have rough days with our horses no matter how much effort you put in and how well they are doing at other times.
 
the judge will be marking the test and movements as its presented to him or her so will not be thinking about the improvement as they have no idea if the horse went to you as a dead slow and stop or head up and gallop or advanced dressage horse. they will only look at each movement and score it how they see it. instead of looking at the percentage look at the words that go with the marks so for a 5 that movement was sufficient and a 6.5 somewhere between satisfactory and fairly good. now what you need to do is look closely at anywhere you got a 5 and see how you can make it a 6. e.g. was a circle round and the exact size wanted or did it drift out one half and go flat the other or was it square or did not start and finish exactly at the marker? also was the horse on the right bend with regular rhythm all the way round? thats a few easy things that will gain or lose you marks on one circle so go through the test and forget the improvement that you know you have made and look at it to see where you could improve and next time see what the comments are. you do need to remember that some judges will mark more tightly than others but thats dressage and for them you then need to ride the test as perfectly as possible so there are no stray 0.5 areas they can take away from you
 
Why are you wasting anyone's time? Both your horse and you are clearly improving and you are trying! No one could ask for any more. Dressage is so subjective, so always take comments in the best way and keep doing what you're doing. Don't beat yourself up so much, try to have fun and enjoy the fact that you are improving.
 
Well done!!

I did my first intro test last month and got 56.something, coming second to last in the class. I was overjoyed at the time that we'd even managed the test without any 'episodes' but over the next few days I beat myself up as I felt I'd let her down.

We did our second intro test last Sunday and got 61.something, and as the classes were quiet they said did I want to have a bash at a prelim? Totally unplanned and I didn't have time to talk myself out of it. It was messy and inaccurate and on the video my friend took you can hear me laughing as I'm riding coz I'm thinking to myself 'this is soooooo crap!'.... but we got round in one piece and I was astonished to get a score of 59.

As others have said, use it as a learning tool, not as a weapon to beat yourself up with!! Look at the comments, incorporate aspects of tests into your schooling, focus on riding as accurately as possible and remember we're supposed to enjoy it!

Well done again!
 
Stick at it. Even online can make you tense and it is practice that helps. You will also end up with a really nice record of your monthly progress. You are not wasting anyone's time - you are investing your time in improving you and your horse, your mum will enjoy helping you, and you pay your instructor and the judge. I've had a similar wobble - my instructor pointed out that the judge sees about 4 minutes and can only judge what they see - they don't know you or your journey. I do the online too - it can be demoralising if you compare yourself to others. Don't. Some have entered for months, so have more experience at riding the tests. Just work to improve yourself each time. Good luck next month :-)
 
I wouldn't worry last test we did got the lowest score of the day 50% in a Intro class. They seem to get worse every time we go out. She gets a bit tense when we are somewhere new. The positive comments we get are either Pretty horse or sympathetically ridden usually when we have passed the judge going sideways more than once.
 
don't beat yourself up / worry... at least you are trying and are making progress....

I haven't ventured out on my "youngster" - who happens to be 9 years old ( so not young at all!!) because my nerves just cant take it....

since January we have been doing "dressage anywhere" on line... I even find this hard... but it is making me learn tests and also is giving us lots of test riding practice. who would think riding a test was so mentally exhausting! and that riding "at home" could make you so nervous!

x
 
I think you just need to focus on the comments and scores and think how do you feel it went? For you personally, performance may be better than you expected, worse than you expected, good for a windy day...the possibilites are endless!

If I remember correctly 5 is sufficient and 6 is satisfactory so to score 5's and 6's is not bad! I've written for a dressage judge a couple of times and they really have to be remarkable for her to score higher. It's rare she scores someone 8 or higher!

Don't look at the scores as a bad thing. The movements you did ranged from sufficient to satisfactory which isn't bad!
 
Well done and good on you for the massive improvement from the last time you tried! You've clearly made a lot of progress since then. The first dressage test I did, mare went round in a false outline, completely behind my hands and bent to the left throughout - god knows how but we won (really, Mrs judge, really?!) I was gutted at that because I knew we'd been terrible and shouldn't have come anywhere! I was only happy months later when she had gone much better, into a contact and bending both ways...but we weren't first haha.

The beauty of dressage is that you can judge yourself against yourself with previous comments and scores to go with, plus get feedback on how to improve. Forget about the rest of the class and competition and just look at how far you're coming as a pair.
 
Don't worry, I went out last week (bearing in mind we've been competing prelim for a while now) and came out with 60% because my horse was being a wally. Look at it this way, you now have benchmark to work from - dressage to me is about competing with yourself. As long as you improve something each time (whether it be a certain movement, tension, your position, anything) you're heading in the right direction. It's always subjective anyway and judges have their preferences about what they're looking for. The more you do it, the less you will worry and you're definitely not wasting anyone's time.
 
That's a very respectable score for a first attempt and Prelim 18 is one of the more difficult tests too so you have a lot to be proud of. I'm always delighted with any test that has nothing lower than a 5. Well done!
 
So last time you couldn't get canter - this time you did. Hes more relaxed than he was. Don't compare yourself to others, you have to remember where you were a year ago and benchmark from that. Next time aim to improve on this score and so on and so on. Maybe even do a monthly training diary - so at the end of each week/ month record what you've been working on and what you feel has got better- its so easy to forget where you've come from and criticise / feel down about where you are - maybe if you've got a written record of your improvements to look back on it'll help you see where you've got to?

Keep going, he sounds like he's improved such a lot!
 
My first walk and trot test I got 57 and was way out back on my own. I knew bits of it were pretty rubbish and I could have got more on pretty much any riding school horse I ever sat on. But I also know that the people scoring 70+ shouldn't really be in a beginners walk and trot class, and that for a horse who wouldn't bend or trot 6 months ago and who 1 year ago did a rodeo act every time she was saddled, none of that matters. I'm glad the judge didn't know our history because I don't want sympathy marks, I want to know what I still need to work on to get where I want to be. Your first mark is your benchmark for improvement, for you to compare your future achievement to. Not to compare to whoever won the class. Read the comments and take away what you can learn, and get one or two percent better next time. Repeat. When I get my first place with my mare it will mean a million times more to me than if if just entered a pre made horse and placed first time out.
 
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