Help to settle during dressage test?

[Amymou91]

I'm doing an ODE on the 22nd. We did the same event (prelim 7 and 70cm) a few weeks back. She excelled at the jumping phases but the dressage was a bit wobbly. It seemed to all begin in the warm up. She was settled and relaxed at first but all the horses rushing past her seemed to fizz her up and she got wound up and trotted round like a giraffe! Needless to say when the test came she was fizzy and strong. My instructor and a few others at the yard suggested I skip the warm up and go straight in. It's only walk trot and a bit of canter so it's not too strenuous. And then I think maybe she was looking for her friends or saw the jumping and got excited. It was MY first ever dressage test so I don't know if my anticipation or nerves passed through and she picked up on it? Help me please !! Thank you x

 

[showpony]

I would say you just need Mileage.... the more you get out & about the more settled you both will be.. Also may be an idea if you don't already do it but try to get out & school at as many different venues as possible.

 

[be positive]

I would say you just need Mileage.... the more you get out & about the more settled you both will be.. Also may be an idea if you don't already do it but try to get out & school at as many different venues as possible.

This ^^^ you need to find out how to warm her up properly getting her listening and focused on you not what is going on all round her, if you just miss out the warm up you will never find the key to doing it and may encounter further issues by doing so.
The good work starts at home by having her listening whatever is going on, get a routine that you use to warm up at home and do much the same when you are out, I tend to let them relax for a while on a long rein getting them listening and taking a contact then gradually ask a little more, do lots of transitions, changes of bend and rein, really keeping the focus and being ready to react before they get distracted, once you get the horse in the zone you will find it much easier to continue to ride the same way as you go into the arena.
A few lessons and some work on test riding may help you learn useful techniques that suit you and your horse but by avoiding an issue I feel you will not be helping either you or your horse to improve.

 

[kc100]

Yes if you miss the warm-up then she may not be so wound up, but there will be other issues that replace the fizziness (not working through over the back, stiffness and a lack of suppleness etc).

As others have said, get out and do lots of dressage (as much as you can) at different venues. She will eventually learn to calm down in the warm up and therefore will be best prepared for her test. When I took my last loan horse out competing (DR) for the first time, he went around like a giraffe in the warm up and the test, we scored an appalling 53% and it was dreadful! Next time we went to the same venue he was far better and we scored 66%.

It simply is practice makes perfect - skipping a warm up wont solve the problem, only replace it with new ones. Appreciate for your ODE on the 22nd of June you might not have time to go out and do some unaff DR in between (but if you can that would be brilliant for you both), but for the future you just need to go and do some Prelim unaff dressage at a couple of venues if possible, and she will quickly learn that a warm up isnt so exciting and she has to listen to you and get on with it.

How do you normally deal with her not listening to you at home? Presuming she must get distracted on occasions so its best to try and think how you get her attention again at home, and try that out at your ODE. See if there is an area of the warm-up less used than other areas and take her over to that area away from the majority of the horses giving you more space and less distractions. Spurs might help if you dont wear them already, not necessarily to get her more forwards but to get her attention back on you again.

Dont just trot round and round in circles either if she gets distracted - start asking her to think about something more difficult. Leg yield is brilliant for getting their attention back, they have to think about it and listen to your aids so that should work. Lots of transitions too, walk/trot/walk, trot/walk/trot, and even walk to canter if you can manage it (she cant ignore you then!). Give her a good canter after you have done a bit of walk - for horses that get fizzy and excited allowing them to burn off a bit of energy is a good thing! You dont have to trot around and around, if canter works best for her to settle her then give her a good canter early in your warm up.

Think of as many schooling movements as you can - serpentines, figures of 8, leg yield spiralling in and out of circles.....all of those movements require her attention and should bring her back to being softer with her head a bit lower. Dont worry at first in the warm up in the early part of it if she is being a giraffe - walk for 5-10 mins then have a good canter, allow her to put her neck where she wants (within reason) then after your canter ask for the outline and for her to work properly.

I run dressage shows (show secretary) and 99% of horses work better, in a softer outline, after a canter. It is amazing in the Novice tests, where there is medium canter, how much better the trot work is after the horse has been allowed to open up and have a lengthened canter. So dont be afraid to have a blast around the warm up in medium canter (providing it is safe), then you should find her neck naturally will come down, that she is softer and is more attentive.

 

[Amymou91]

She is a dream at home. So focused and ears are back floppy, always listening. I think it's just the environment and so much to look at it. You all make very good points and I think just experience and patience will go a long way!!

 

[kc100]

She is a dream at home. So focused and ears are back floppy, always listening. I think it's just the environment and so much to look at it. You all make very good points and I think just experience and patience will go a long way!!

Do you ride her with other horses in the menage/field at home? Again this is another good way of getting them used to a busy warm up, have other horses in the menage jumping and schooling to teach her that she has to still listen to you and not be so nosy at everyone else! We all have angelic horses at home in the school in their own but when other horses show up we have a different story!