How do I get into dressage?

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IAmCrazyForHorses

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I am really interested in dressage would like to know how you can get into it properly Is there somewhere I could go to learn? I live in Sussex
I've been riding for four years can walk trot and canter and do some small jumps I've learned things like turn on the four hand and leg yielding. I love watching dressage and would love to learn it
Sorry I know this is a bit of a wired thread
Does anyone have any ideas?
Thanks :)
 
Welcome to the world of PoshPeopleMakingHorsesGoAroundCorners :)

You can learn so much from dressage and it is the basis for all training, you can't jump well without good flatwork for example.

Firstly I would get yourself out to some training clinics. Most trainers will teach from preliminary upwards (even if they themselves are a high level rider or judge). Clinics are great as not only do you learn on your horse, but you can learn so much watching other people too.

How old are you? IF you're under 25 you could get involved with BYRDS - have a look at the British Dressage website for more details.

I would highly recommend finding yourself a regular trainer that either comes out to you, or that you can go to, for regular training and progression.

Also, if you have a horse to compete, have a look on the internet for local venues that run small unaffiliated competitions. You should be able to find some on Google. Have a look at what events they've got on and you should be able to enter a few small classes and see how it goes!

There is also a brilliant thing you can do where you can get someone to video your dressage test and send it off and get it judged, they are proper competitions but without the stress of having to travel.

Oh and NEVER be afraid of what the judge thinks. Judges are trained to be constructive and even if your score is low they will put a comment at the end of the test which should guide you on what you need to work on. Look at your test sheets, read comments for all of the movements, and use them as a lesson on how you can improve your marks. Judges are also very approachable - e.g. I am always very happy to talk to competitors after their test if they want to know why they got a certain mark, or how they could improve in the future. We are not monsters :)

Last of all, relax and ENJOY it! Dressage is supposed to show harmony between horse and rider, and if you are relaxed, this will translate to your horse, a relaxed horse will find it easier to swing through the back and accept the contact even if the rest is yet to develop.

GOOD LUCK!!
 
Dressage is basic riding, done as well as is possible. If you buy a copy of the current dressage tests you'll see that Prelim level is easy and you could have a go at that already, if you have a horse you can compete. You can buy them from somewhere like British Dressage or the British Horse Society.

As your riding progresses you can learn the more complicated movements, for this the horse needs to be physically capable (determined by genetics/conformation) and strong enough (achieved by regular schooling interspersed with other things eg hacking). You would need an instructor who teaches at that level rather than someone who only has experience of teaching beginners.

There are riding schools which offer dressage training on schoolmaster horses, that is horses who've already been trained for it. Some riding schools also run competitions and let clients hire the school horses to compete. Other than that you could get a share horse and have lessons with a freelance instructor. Some horse owners would be happy for the sharer to compete. If you wanted to work with horses you could get a job as a working pupil with a dressage rider.

One thing to note is that Novice level dressage is not the same as saying someone is a novice rider.
 
i am going to my first dressage comp tomorrow and reading the previous post has just given me some really good helpful advice, thank you :)
 
I'm presuming you dont have your own horse based on you not mentioning a horse in the post?

This does make it a little trickier for you but there are still some options:
1. Schoolmaster lessons. These can be a bit expensive but are the best way to learn how to do dressage properly on a correctly trained horse. Oldencraig is in Surrey so not too far from you, they offer these kinds of lessons:
http://www.oldencraig.com/pages/riding/riding-school
This one might be too far away but worth a try: http://www.ridewelltraining.com/schoolmaster_available_to_ride.html
Another one: http://www.jojacksondressage.co.uk/about/
And another: http://www.southernschoolmasters.co.uk/dressage/default.html

2. If you can afford it (or your parents can afford it) - part loan/share a horse. This is a great way to get the benefits of owning a horse, without having to spend vast amounts of money buying one and keeping it. You normally get to ride between 2 and 4 times per week depending on the horse and owner, they normally ask for a contribution towards its keep, and then on your days the horse is 'yours' so to speak. This way you could have dressage lessons (have a look on the BD website for trainers in your area, most trainers do travel to a yard so will come to you to give you lessons on your horse) on the horse and learn together.

But I do think the schoolmaster lessons are the best way to go if you have never tried dressage before, as you get to learn the movements correctly on a well schooled horse.

Hope this helps and good luck!
 
I'm presuming you dont have your own horse based on you not mentioning a horse in the post?

This does make it a little trickier for you but there are still some options:
1. Schoolmaster lessons. These can be a bit expensive but are the best way to learn how to do dressage properly on a correctly trained horse. Oldencraig is in Surrey so not too far from you, they offer these kinds of lessons:
http://www.oldencraig.com/pages/riding/riding-school
This one might be too far away but worth a try: http://www.ridewelltraining.com/schoolmaster_available_to_ride.html
Another one: http://www.jojacksondressage.co.uk/about/
And another: http://www.southernschoolmasters.co.uk/dressage/default.html

2. If you can afford it (or your parents can afford it) - part loan/share a horse. This is a great way to get the benefits of owning a horse, without having to spend vast amounts of money buying one and keeping it. You normally get to ride between 2 and 4 times per week depending on the horse and owner, they normally ask for a contribution towards its keep, and then on your days the horse is 'yours' so to speak. This way you could have dressage lessons (have a look on the BD website for trainers in your area, most trainers do travel to a yard so will come to you to give you lessons on your horse) on the horse and learn together.

But I do think the schoolmaster lessons are the best way to go if you have never tried dressage before, as you get to learn the movements correctly on a well schooled horse.

Hope this helps and good luck!
 
The problem about doing 'dressage' if you don't own a horse is the whole process of dressage is training and bonding with the animal involved. it's not really about riding it's about training a horse. to do that you need a one rider that does the horses training in the main... definitely you need to get a regular ride, whether this is buy, loan or lease or share... and then get some time with a good trainer.

Good luck
 
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