how much does dressage come into play at BE?

BroadfordQueen

BroadfordQueen

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if you get a not very good dressage test, but then go double clear sj and xcountry with no time penalties, would you be in with a shout of a top 6 placing (pre novice/novice classes)? when i mean a not very good dressage test, i mean an accurate test but not brilliant...not far off the mark, but one of the worst? thanks.
 
Depends on course but there are a lot of good scores at lower level and they can still do well with a fence down. I think dressage needs to be quite good at least under 35 to be in top 6
 
You never can tell really.

2 weeks ago I did a PN event. Got 38.5 dressage, then clear XC and SJ and came 11th.

Today, got 39.5 Dressage, double clear again and came 3rd.

I think I was in 21st place after the Dressage at this event so thought, no chance!

I think generally in Intro and PN if you can end up on a score less than 40 you're in with a chance of 6th-10th. 35 penalties or less, maybe top 6. Just depends on how tricky SJ is or whether time is tight on XC, things like that, as to whether you can improve on a less than brill Dressage.
 
You'd be hard pushed to do well with anything much over 40 though it can be done if the course proves tricky/time tight or if you're willing to run your horse on any ground
 
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You'd be hard pushed to do well with anything much over 40 though it can be done if the course proves tricky/time tight or if you're willing to run your horse on any ground

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Quite agree boss.
My mare was always playing catch up with a dressage around 40-44.

OPN you would be hard pushed to have a 30 dressage and a fence down will push you straightout the top 10!
 
Totally depends. I am usually teetering between late 30's and early 40's and its remained like this as Ive moved up the levels to Novice. The worst placing Ive ever had is 11th. Ive had 12 runs and been in the top 6 seven times, so I guess I have a bit more than a 50% chance of being in the top 6.

But it totally depends on the company. I think Ive been quite lucky. Of course dressage does play a big part and it is irritating when someone with a good dressage (usually late 20's) can have basically a refusal XC and still be very near my orginal score.

If your horse is a consistent double clear horse then give it a go. Sometimes the XC can be seriously influential! I do dream of the day I ever get a great dressage score, my aim is a 32!
 
With a poor dressage you will always be playing catch up but it is still possible to get a reasonable result. My highest ever place at Novice was a 3rd which came off of a 40.0 dressage. This was at Eridge which is very hilly and requires a fit horse and the time is v difficult to get. I have also had a 5th at Mattingly with a 42.4 dressage.
 
I do a lot of commentating and xc control and so I often see the provisional scores. At PN and Novice level events are increasingly being won on final score of below 30. People are working seriously hard on the dressage these days, and if you're in a section with a lot of professional riders then you will really be stuck, take Bradwall this weekend for example, Brook Staples won a Novice section on his dressage score...of 16, and that wasn't even the best dressage score in the section (Ruth Edge, shocking eh??). I saw Leslie Law get a dressage score of 9 at Malpas a couple of years ago. It's not just the pro's either, a lot of amateur riders have realised that this is a way of securing a good placing, although in some cases it comes at the expense of the jumping phases (particularly the XC).

Furthermore at lower levels (especially Intro) you get a lot of horses that are very nice dressage types and can cope with a clear SJ and XC (even with a few time), but couldn't cope with the xc at Novice and above, therefore at PN the dressage can be very influential.
 
Intro level you would prob be out of contention. Someone I compete with got a 40 and dble clear and was 12th. You need to be in the 30's to get placed really at lower levels.
 
I don't know if it's because we're in a very comptitive bit of the country, but often on a fairly good dressage score and double clear we weren't placed at Pre-Novice - Ferds finished on about 35 at Aldon last year and was still 14th, and at Syde PN in 05 he finished on 37 and was about 19th! Equally, he came 8th at South of England Novice the other weekend on a 39.5 dressage because he went inside the time cross country (rolled a pole too, btu didn't affect placing..)

Equally, another time we were placed 8th on a 38 dressage with 3 poles down!!
 
how much does dressage come into play at BE? Too Much - or maybe another way of looking at it is that the XC and SJ don't have a big enough effect. I think it was better before they changed the SJ faults when you got a 5 for a pole and 10 (?) for a stop.
 
I agree with you DieselDog - I never did it when they used this old SJ Scoring but sounds much better. The SJ does NOT seem to be very influential, not anywhere near as much as the other 2 disiplines, which pees me off as that's our main disipline!

But I think all disiplines should be as equally influential. Right now, a lot of horses seem to get round *just*. The SJ courses are way too simple and never up to height! The novice I did at the weekend, some of the fences were only 1m whereas I noticed only 2 at 1.15m and the rest at 1.10m. Compared to BSJA courses, they are easy as hell which is not the way it should be IMO. Questions should be asked in all the disiplines.
 
thanks very much for the really helpful comments
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our dressage isnt awful, but it isnt the best either. last week we where about middle after dressage (37. something), and then moved up to about 7th i think after xcountry and showjumping. yesterday we had an awful dressage, but again moved up the placings and when we left we where in the top 6th (3rd i think) but had to leave as they where taking forever to put final results up (but they are putting results up online!). was just wondering if it is the same at BE, as alot of people at PC intermediate (3"3ft) have time penalties, which so far me and Tara havent had a problem with
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which has helped us to move up the placings alot!! however we have only done 2 events together so have plenty of time for improvement on the dressage front, i guess
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