Help, tips on remembering Dressage test.

[showpony]

OK so I far from class myself as a competition rider BUT reckon this is the best place to post.
My 4 YO is coming along very nicely on the flat & I hope to start a winter dressage league in 4 wks time...
Now I have never ever done a dressage test in my life & am so worried about forgetting the test half way through - really don't want to have someone calling out the test to me! Any tips?

 

[TrasaM]

I learnt my first test recently. I ended up getting different coloured pens then drawing the test on paper. It was easier than it looked once I'd broken it down into sections and realised that as you repeat each movement on both reins that it wasn't near as scary as it looked at first. ..I then ended up doing it around the living room to make sure I remembered it

 

[alliebaxter]

yep walking round & round the livingroom works for me too!

 

[hobo]

Coloured pencils works for me.

 

[Dunlin]

Yup, I lettered the lounge and 'rode' my test round there for an hour. Same as above, drawing it on paper and using different strokes for paces also really helps. If you're aloud someone to call for you take it, nothing worse than messing up due to pride, I rode many tests with someone calling it as I suffered from such bad nerves all my concentration was taken up trying not to throw up lol

Good luck, I'm sure you'll do great

 

[TrasaM]

Yup, I lettered the lounge and 'rode' my test round there for an hour. Same as above, drawing it on paper and using different strokes for paces also really helps. If you're aloud someone to call for you take it, nothing worse than messing up due to pride, I rode many tests with someone calling it as I suffered from such bad nerves all my concentration was taken up trying not to throw up lol

Good luck, I'm sure you'll do great

I feel less crazy now it did keep OH amused and cat bemused as I was mimicking the strides lol.

 

[Orangehorse]

I have the tests on a MP3 player and I take the dog for a walk and carry some paper with an arena marked just keep repeating it until I have learnt the test.

 

[Stopper]

I use some breyers and mark out a arena and use them to learn by doing the test with them and also drawing it out

 

[LEC]

I think I am lucky as just need to draw it a couple of times to learn it. I find pen and paper works the best then you visualise yourself riding the test, where you need to prepare, how the horse should be feeling and what you are looking at.

 

[MegaBeast]

I have found the more tests I've done/learnt the easier it is to learn a new one. Can vividly remember it taking forever to learn the first one about 10 years back (although admittedly it was a BUSA one which was "special" to say the least).

Look out for patterns, you'll generally find you do a set of movements on one rein and then do exactly the same on the other.

Don't get bogged down with the letters. I learn shapes eg down centre line track left, 20m circle in middle of long side, across next short diagonal, canter in corner after diagonal.

 

[showpony]

Thanks everyone for the tips! I have flowerpots painted with letters in back garden & am marking it out everyday. Thank god we arent overlooked as neighbours would think I am crazy! Reckon my Retriever has the whole thing nailed now as he follows be around when I am doing it... If he could come on the day & run on front of us we would be sorted

 

[Bert&Maud]

I run through them before I go to sleep at night, by remembering shapes not just letters. Also find it helps to do it as if I'm watching a film of myself so I can also be thinking "Enter at A - (keep shoulder in front of quarters, plenty of impulsion, smile etc!)".
However, due to the fact that I am permanently knackered, I rarely get more than 1/3 of the way through the test before I'm sound asleep, consequently the beginnings of my tests were always great but marks rapidly went downhill once I got past the bit where I dropped off!!

 

[Horses24-7]

I use some breyers and mark out a arena and use them to learn by doing the test with them and also drawing it out

My daughters got a breyer dressage arena- maybe you should add one to your Xmas list

 

[Jenni_]

I've got a kinetic memory, so once I've walked it once I remember where I'm going.

I don't tend to remember by the letter though, more movements.

And you eventually pick up that simple movements such as figures of 8 are disguised as posh movements! ( at A 1/2 20m circle right, X 20m circle left, X 1/2 20m circle right)

Drawing it out and seeing each movement as a 'colour' helps me too - but I have that funny memory thing.

 

[HardySoul1]

I have always struggled to remember the test while riding it, probably competition nerves. I find having a caller distracting. However recently I learnt a test quickly and confidently using a different method. Instead of reading it on paper, I sat on chair and visualised being on the horse. Then my sister read out each movement while I looked between horses ears and 'rode' it. I knew it after one go and confident after two! It helped me remember it during competition as riding it was the same as learning it rather than memorising piece of paper. Loads better!