Improving my dressage score

[ecrozier]

Any hints or tips? Doing P13 on Sunday for the RC team, and really really want to do well, but we always seem to get marked down for J being tense. I'm not sure how to make him look less so....any ideas? Hopefully a picture of him below....

 

[helenlaw23]

Ive had same problem with my little mare lately but my instructor has got us to change the way we work for a while. She can become so set in her neck so we have gone back to working long and low really stretching through the back doing raised trotting poles. Then after a few times we have picked her up a bit but she has got me on a lighter contact and getting her to hold her own outline. If she then gets a bit tense i am told to give her the rein just an inch so say 'its ok relax there' and not give her anything to hang on.
Just what ive learnt recently and boy has it made a difference.

 

[mickey]

In the picture your horse doesn't look tense to me. He looks a little on the forehand. So suggest using half halts to balance him and then quite a bit of leg to hand to get him more uphill. He looks a little short in the neck so everything you can do to encourage him to round over his back and stretch his neck into the bridle would be good. But a lot of the neck thing is down to him being naturally built that way (being an arab) I'd say.
It looks like a relaxed harmonious picture though. Good luck.

 

[dozzie]

I think it is a bit deceiving to the eye. Lift your hands and try to drop your weight down into your leg. It looks like you are gripping up which may give the judge the impression your horse is tense! Im not saying you are, it just looks like that!You may need to take your stirrups down a hole.

He is coming slightly behind the vertical which could indicate tension so you need to allow forward with your hands a little more!

It just looks as if he backing off the bit slightly in your photo.

I wouldnt make any huge changes before the comp though!!!