How many times do you run through a dressage test?

J_sarahd

J_sarahd

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I entered my first dressage test on Badger - just an intro test as our trot work has improved a lot and I just want to see what to see what he’s like out at a competition before the summer. It’s on Sunday, but I have been struggling to ride him this week due to a frozen arena. I can’t ride until 6.30pm in the week, when the temperature has dropped again and refrozen the school.

I am able to ride on Saturday day time, so I’m hoping once will be enough? Like I said, I’m only really doing it to see what he’s like and as long as we both come back happy and safe, I’m not bothered where we place.

Just want some tips/advice/support as I’m properly panicking that I’m going to let him down!!
 
I will rarely run through an entire test, when training people I tend to work on the trickier parts, do centre lines and as long as the rider knows the test very well, or has a caller on the day, we will often never do the whole lot in one go, so don't panic it doesn't matter and in many ways the less the horse has done it the less likely it is to anticipate which will allow you to ride him as you want, you wont let him down as long as you know where to go.
 
If it's the first time I've ridden a particular test then I usually try to have a practice run through a while beforehand so I can see where there are any elements that are trickier in real life than they read on the page. Then practice those bits. It's a confidence boost if you have a chance to run through it again closer to the time and hopefully feel like those bits are easier!

I do like to ride whole tests because sometimes you might notice that your horse starts to flag towards the end and that kind of information really helps as a rider ;) I have found this with my welshie particularly as we have gone up the levels, that even though she is used to doing 45 min sessions at home, rarely do we do a really intense session without any moment to take stock akin to a test.
If the horse starts to anticipate something then I take that specific exercise and change the timings or placement of elements so that I make sure I'm the one who is determining how and when we do things, rather than the horse guessing.

But for your first intro test, the work should be pretty much within his comfort zone and running through your test should be more of a confidence boosting trial run, it will give you a chance to make sure you can remember the test, are comfortable with the school figures and just find out the bits that need a bit more attention. One run through will give you all the info you need.

Don't worry about letting him down :) he won't know whether he won or came last, as long as he has a good positive outing and you both try your best then he'll be happy and so should you :) everyone makes mistakes, even CDJ so even if you go wrong you're in good company!
 
Rarely if ever, I run though parts that I know he will struggle with or tricky changes.

Nothing annoys me more than people riding the test in the warm up area with no consideration to others

Good luck and remember to enjoy it
 
I prefer to practice it enough times so I can concentrate on riding rather than trying to remember what's coming up next.
 
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Ouch05 said:
Rarely if ever, I run though parts that I know he will struggle with or tricky changes.

Nothing annoys me more than people riding the test in the warm up area with no consideration to others

Good luck and remember to enjoy it
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Same here.

Whats even worse is when you're running through your test in your head in the warm up and someone is running through the test for the next class and it is being called to them............
 
be positive said:
I will rarely run through an entire test, when training people I tend to work on the trickier parts, do centre lines and as long as the rider knows the test very well, or has a caller on the day, we will often never do the whole lot in one go, so don't panic it doesn't matter and in many ways the less the horse has done it the less likely it is to anticipate which will allow you to ride him as you want, you wont let him down as long as you know where to go.
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Thankfully I know the test pretty well - I’ve ridden it before on my old loan pony!
 
milliepops said:
If it's the first time I've ridden a particular test then I usually try to have a practice run through a while beforehand so I can see where there are any elements that are trickier in real life than they read on the page. Then practice those bits. It's a confidence boost if you have a chance to run through it again closer to the time and hopefully feel like those bits are easier!

I do like to ride whole tests because sometimes you might notice that your horse starts to flag towards the end and that kind of information really helps as a rider ;) I have found this with my welshie particularly as we have gone up the levels, that even though she is used to doing 45 min sessions at home, rarely do we do a really intense session without any moment to take stock akin to a test.
If the horse starts to anticipate something then I take that specific exercise and change the timings or placement of elements so that I make sure I'm the one who is determining how and when we do things, rather than the horse guessing.

But for your first intro test, the work should be pretty much within his comfort zone and running through your test should be more of a confidence boosting trial run, it will give you a chance to make sure you can remember the test, are comfortable with the school figures and just find out the bits that need a bit more attention. One run through will give you all the info you need.

Don't worry about letting him down :) he won't know whether he won or came last, as long as he has a good positive outing and you both try your best then he'll be happy and so should you :) everyone makes mistakes, even CDJ so even if you go wrong you're in good company!
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This makes me feel better! I might run through it when I eventually get to ride on Saturday. I think I’m more nervous that he’s going to be extremely fresh having not been ridden for nearly a week and then being in a new environment (even though until now he’s been the most chilled out horse I know).

That’s why I picked to do the intro - I wish I could enter the prelim but his canter isn’t there yet and I don’t want his first proper outing to be a negative one for either of us. I want it to be a good experience for both of us as my plan is to do a few local shows over the summer - as there’s one right round the corner! And I want to know now rather than later how he behaves in a show environment.
 
If I’ve never ridden it before, I run through it once or maybe twice as I find that once I’ve ridden it, I remember it better. Plus it helps you discover if any bits are trickier than they appear in writing. If I’ve ridden it before, I tend not to bother, but I might ride parts of it that I know we need to improve or struggled with previously.

Although the last test I did, I’d ridden before, but something made me ride through it in the school the day before. Something didn’t feel quite right when I did it, but at the same time I knew I was doing things right, just in the wrong places. When I ended trotting down the centre line the wrong way I realised I’d missed a small but rather crucial element out early on haha.

Just aswell I didn’t leave it til test day!
 
LIke many have said, I ride through the trickier bits but I rarely ride through the whole test. Rose is very quick to pick things up so I do have to be careful that I am not teaching her the test as she will try to be helpful and anticipate. The first time I took Rose out I had no idea how she would behave so for me the success of the day was about how she came off the lorry, how she was in the warm up, was she spooky in the arena etc. It took all the stress away from the actual tests that I did and we both came away feeling happy. I had learned both tests but had a caller so I didn't get worried about going wrong. Enjoy your outing, it is meant to be fun!
 
I frequently only learn the test on the journey there, so don't ride through it at all.

I usually learn it by someone reading it while I visualise, then I just visualise, then when I am pretty sure I visualise and tell it to my companion, then finally my companion does a quiz such as "what is the movement immediately before the strike off for canter left?" or some such question.

I had a very clever horse who would anticipate like mad, so don't ride through.
 
I didn't ever ride through them in the past but I honestly think I ride them better for having practiced even just a little. I find there's a bit of a knack to remembering how to ride a test well, rather than just riding the movements, and I need a run up at that in order to be able to do it all the time :p
The advanced tests have been a real learning curve, there is so little time to think or prepare that you really have to make the most of every bit of "spare" space before the next hard thing... I think I will now always practice even the lower level tests a bit, to make sure I keep the discipline of that. I'm sure it just comes naturally to some people but I have to always remind myself to stay focussed all the way through :oops:

Not really relevant to the OP but just musing really. I have one that learns the test but the way I look at it is, if she is anticipating then she's not truly on my aids so while it doesn't help at the show, it tells me I need to pay more attention to that :cool: in it for the long game, & all that ;)
 
I have a not very bright tb that never seems to remember or anticipate so I can get away with running through it. I am much more likely to go through movements or sections sometimes on different reins or places however I still run through the whole thing occasionally to find out if the previous movements have an effect on what comes next e.g. if the walk comes after trot work then I may need to approach it differently to if it comes up quickly after canter or vice versa.
 
oldie48 said:
LIke many have said, I ride through the trickier bits but I rarely ride through the whole test. Rose is very quick to pick things up so I do have to be careful that I am not teaching her the test as she will try to be helpful and anticipate. The first time I took Rose out I had no idea how she would behave so for me the success of the day was about how she came off the lorry, how she was in the warm up, was she spooky in the arena etc. It took all the stress away from the actual tests that I did and we both came away feeling happy. I had learned both tests but had a caller so I didn't get worried about going wrong. Enjoy your outing, it is meant to be fun!
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I think that's what I'm more looking for - how he actually behaves and what we need more training with before summer is here and he's out more frequently. Don't want to get to a bigger show in summer only to find he's very difficult at shows! I've always been a panicker about shows, especially as I don't know how Badger will behave!
 
milliepops said:
I didn't ever ride through them in the past but I honestly think I ride them better for having practiced even just a little. I find there's a bit of a knack to remembering how to ride a test well, rather than just riding the movements, and I need a run up at that in order to be able to do it all the time :p
The advanced tests have been a real learning curve, there is so little time to think or prepare that you really have to make the most of every bit of "spare" space before the next hard thing... I think I will now always practice even the lower level tests a bit, to make sure I keep the discipline of that. I'm sure it just comes naturally to some people but I have to always remind myself to stay focussed all the way through :oops:

Not really relevant to the OP but just musing really. I have one that learns the test but the way I look at it is, if she is anticipating then she's not truly on my aids so while it doesn't help at the show, it tells me I need to pay more attention to that :cool: in it for the long game, & all that ;)
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I think once you are riding at a higher level or really trying to improve the results it does help to ride through because each movement relates to the next and if ridden well should improve the next one and so improve the scores.

For the OP who is just starting out or others in a similar position just getting each movement at the right place is often a major achievement so when teaching I tend to work on improving a movement and linking them once they are more established, I also advise them to have a caller if possible as that can give them confidence whereas I know I ride a far better test if I know it and can be focusing on riding to the next movement before I have finished the one I am on.
 
I will run it the first time, just going through the moves and working out the patterns. Then dissect it and work on elements. I'll pull it apart and work on my areas that are not as strong, then pull together again. I will never run it on the day totally - I will pick out sections - otherwise my mare cottons on to what comes next and gets too excited. You'll be absolutely fine and you can always just walk your test out on foot (just you) if you need to cement it to memory
 
Nicnac said:
Rarely. I ride through parts but have a horse who is too bloody clever for his own good!
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I sypathise. We did Nov30 and Nov 27 recently, I was hoping N27 would come first as there is canter across the diaganol on both reins, whereas in N30 there's a change through trot over x. Unfortunately we had to do 30 first, then when we did 27 she chucked in a change over x which I didn't ask for! Too darn clever and as MP said in her post, not on my aids sufficiently!
 
For the lower level tests I wouldn't ride through it - as others have said, just picks bits out and ride them eg. the two half 10 metre circles in trot. For the higher level tests when it is the first time I have ridden the test I will ride through it at home as I know I will always be surprised at how quickly the movements come up. It then helps me work out how to ride the test.

As a rule when I am learning a test I tend not to worry about the letters but just learn things like 20m circle at judge end, 15 m circle at the new marker (I only have a 20 x 40 school at home), medium trot across diagonal, track right and medium canter down long side, etc
 
Generally don't manage to ride through them as have a 40 x 40 school so cannot practice long arena tests - it always surprises me how long the centre line is! i will look at the test and work through bits and last year I specifically picked the championship test we had coming up to ride at other competitions. Good luck and enjoy - from writing at the weekend for an intro test - I would just say nail your first and last centre line. Look for the marker, prepare and don't turn far too early. That is something quite easy to work on but the main thing is enjoy.
 
It depends on what I'm doing, I will always try to ride through it once just to get it absolutely bob on in my memory and identify anything that could cause an issue that I've not anticipated. I try to do this about half a week before I go out.
When I went to a Champs last year I ended up running through my 2 tests about 4 times each over the month leading up to it. I went to a test riding clinic for one of the tests so rode through it twice that day, I went to a competition for the other test and used that as a training exercise and went through them in lessons too. It was interspersed with other schooling of sections of both tests and mixed it up with all sorts of other things. I knew those tests inside out and the horse was well versed in all the moves but he didn't go off the boil as a result. I wouldn't hammer it by riding through it every time I rode though.
 
Thank you for your help everyone. I think I’m putting to much pressure on myself. I need to just go, have fun with him and if we get placed amazing, but if we don’t then oh well it’s our first outing! The judges aren’t looking for a fancy dressage horse!
 
I'm competing the baby pony on Sunday, snow permitting. The first time I ride, well drive in my case, the test will be Sunday! There isnt an arena big enough to do it where she is, so we've just worked on basic schooling and will put it all together when we get there. In an ideal world we would have run through it once, but its no big deal so I wouldnt worry about it. Especially not a walk and trot test :)
 
It depends on the horse. I had one who could not settle unless he knew the entire test of by heart and could have done it without me. I've had others where you wouldn't want to practice more than two movements in a row because they anticipate the next one so badly if they know it to well.


I make sure I know it by pacing it out on the ground and 'riding' it every night in bed before I fall asleep until it's second nature. I just can't persuade my OH to read for me!
 
In my head and sometimes on my feet a few times ... just so I don’t go wrong (I don’t like having a caller/ reader/commander what ever you want to call it) on the horse, it depends probably once but then do some of the trickier elements a couple of times... I like to compete well under the level the horse is working at so that I know the horse will find it easy in the ring... so as long as I can remember where we are going I know the horse can do the moves. If you rehearse too much on your horse you run the risk of the horse anticipating the moves and that can lead to tension or not being as accurate as you might like.
 
mule said:
I prefer to practice it enough times so I can concentrate on riding rather than trying to remember what's coming up next.
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Me too, I need to ride through the whole pattern a few times. I find can be useful to when practising put some of the transitions in later, so horse doesn't anticipate and do them early. e.g. test says counter canter to F and transition to trot, if you practise counter cantering to past F before trotting, then horse is less likely to break early.

Another thing you can do at home is ride through whole test in walk only as part of your warm up, stating where would be changing pace.

Another suggestion is to learn the location of the letters, and run through the test in your head, picturing it.

Finally I like to get to competition, locate myself on foot at the A end of arena (outside) and plot through riding the whole test in my head. (Not all competition set ups are laid out for this to work, but many are).
 
flying_high said:
Me too, I need to ride through the whole pattern a few times. I find can be useful to when practising put some of the transitions in later, so horse doesn't anticipate and do them early. e.g. test says counter canter to F and transition to trot, if you practise counter cantering to past F before trotting, then horse is less likely to break early.

Another thing you can do at home is ride through whole test in walk only as part of your warm up, stating where would be changing pace.

Another suggestion is to learn the location of the letters, and run through the test in your head, picturing it.

Finally I like to get to competition, locate myself on foot at the A end of arena (outside) and plot through riding the whole test in my head. (Not all competition set ups are laid out for this to work, but many are).
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I do the exact same things :)
 
I don’t go out enough so I’m rusty with dressage. I try a variety of ways to learn the test (and still forget it without a caller!) but, riding wise, I do tend to ride it a few times before, only once a session doing the whole thing, then work on specific elements.

That first time riding it tends to be very instructive as some stuff rides harder than I expected, others are easier.

As f-h says though, I try to mix up which rein or whereabouts I practice stuff. Currently horsey is way to keen to do a change or drop out of canter in p12 where there is a quick canter, trot, canter movement after the diagonal so I’ve not been riding that at all and doing counter canter all the way around instead.
 
Only once on the horse I was going to ride on the day. Plenty of on foot practice around the lawn/living room, and, if you have another to ride, ride the test several times on that one to find where the little difficulties may lie.
 
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