need some answers on dressage marking.

[Bob notacob]

Ok ,so those of you who have followed the thread on sitting trot , will be painfully aware of Bob and my venture into novice dressage. The thing is ,I dont expect to win , I dont even expect a rosette. But I dont want to shame my horse. I am seriously going to struggle to physically do the test . ( a cross country jump too far) . Do I struggle round and get crap marks ,or halt , recuperate , then kick on again. None of this sits easy with me .

 

[little_critter]

Ive only skim read your post in the sitting trot thread.
Just in case I’ve misunderstood, you do know you don’t need to do sitting trot in a novice test right?
I think your issue is maintaining canter comfortably?
If you feel you can’t complete a canter movement then I’d do a clean transition down to trot and finish the movement in trot.
I wouldn’t halt and recover, I have a feeling you might risk being eliminated for failing to proceed if you halt for too long when you’re not supposed to. (Please check the rules)

However I would also ask, if you can’t comfortably canter why are you looking to compete at novice? Why not do a w&t test, or a prelim if you want some canter in it?

Either way, good luck and I hope you have an enjoyable day out.

 

[LEC]

It is completely alien to me this concept of competing but not being ready. For me competing is a check on my training and where I am, so I do not expect it to be perfect but I do expect to run through the whole competition doing what is asked with some mistakes. It is my motivational markers on the journey.

If you are finding it difficult or hard to sit in canter then you need to work on it at home as you should be able to maintain it in a test. Either your training, fitness or the horse/rider fit needs looking at (saddles etc) and at home is the time to look at it.

 

[paddi22]

what about doing one of the online dressage walk/trot tests? and then move up once you are comfortable physically? why go straight to novice?

 

[Red-1]

Hey, I wouldn't get worried about the fact it is a test. I often go to dressage mainly for the social. As long as the test only has exercises that you are actually working on, and the horse is fit enough, I can't see the harm, as long as you go with the right attitude for the job.

For example, I had a good event mare, who was a mare in spring. She was not fit to canter in public at her first outing. I simply didn't want to be up early enough for intro, or manage her in a collecting ring with less experienced riders, so we would enter a Prelim or Novice and do it H/C, explaining that we would likely trot the canter part. It was a local show centre, willing and happy to accommodate such a request, and agreed to inform the judge (who was a realist and knew that in a local unaffiliated, people were just out to have fun). It didn't affect anyone else. We did a lovely test, in walk and trot.

In your case, I would consider the HC route. Then, the judge would be well aware that you may stop to re-group in canter. It is all about the best experience for the horse.

I have been known to enter dressage with a baby with the intention of doing light work in the collecting ring, then go for a stroll around the main arena, and leaving. Setting the horse up to not dread the main arena.

I have judged locally, some competitors have had nightmares. Hey, they have their 6 minutes, so once eliminated, I have given them some time to re-group and do a couple of minutes of schooling. Your show centre, if a nice one, will be accommodating.

However, I do agree that with the description of the canter, I would look further into confirming that the horse is, in fact, comfortable.

 

[SEL]

I'm another who has gone HC at times (booked in for a novice test with 2 cracked ribs for instance...). I'd just let the organisers and judge know in advance and see how you do. If you break canter then finish the movement at trot.

 

[Roxylola]

OK, so prelim tests are from 1 to 19, 13 is a relatively high numbered prelim. Novice is then 20 to 39, so novice 22 won't be massively harder than prelim 13.
Try not to stop completely, it's only about 4 or 5 minutes long really. If the pace breaks - ie should be cantering but you fall back to trot keep going with the movements in trot and if possible pick the canter back up. I'd certainly try and just let the judge know during your go round that the canter is weak and/or that you might have to take a moment

 

[teapot]

Surely if you halt when you need to, rather than as part of the test, it'll be put down as an error of course and you'll run the risk of eliminating yourself if you do too many? 'Broke in canter' 'well recovered' are the comments you want, not a ding ding.

Genuine question though, why the need to go out at Novice?

 

[DressageCob]

From what you have described in the other thread, I'm not sure going out competing at novice is beneficial for either of you. You describe being in pain from his canter, him being unable to hold the canter for the necessary movements, his trot being unbalanced and charging.

Those things together, with the added bonus of competition nerves for you and new/different environment excitement for him do not make for an enjoyable outing.

As to what to do during the test, Novice 28 requires a half 15m circle and a few strides of counter canter. If you trotted those movements you would get a very low mark (0-3 if the judge is generous) because it has not been performed. it would also affect your next mark, which is the transition from canter to trot, because you won't be doing that at K at all, you did it before the previous movement.

Every time you halt when it is not required it is likely to be a -2 error of course. Or again, with a generous judge it may be a low mark because you have not adequately performed the movement.

It's really not the easiest first Novice test for you, because you canter for ages. There's a 20m circle, going large, half 15m circle, counter canter. In fact, all of the Novices have a degree of complexity in the canter, which is part of the reason why they are Novice tests and not Prelim.

I appreciate this may not be the advice you were looking for. If you're going to go for it I would say go HC so you can do what you need to to make it a positive educational experience without the pressure. That's what I did for my first couple of mediums. It definitely took the pressure off.

 

[ester]

If it doesn't sit easy with you then don't do it, I hadn't read the first thread and presumed you were perhaps challenging yourself for charity or something, but that doesnt' seem to be the case?

 

[Bob notacob]

what about doing one of the online dressage walk/trot tests? and then move up once you are comfortable physically? why go straight to novice?

Sadly,comfortable physicaly will never happen,I am about as physicaly fit as I can be all things considered and frankly I am sick of intro tests. The competition is fairly low key and right on my doorstep .I looked at the prelim test and it looks ghastly and no easier. HC does sound a good idea .

 

[ycbm]

Bob I suggest when you go into the ring you tell the judge that you have some physical difficulties and may need to stop at some point. Ask them not to buzz you for an error of course if you do, just to let you carry on and deduct any marks they see fit.

I have done this before for different reasons and they are always accommodating on it.
.

 

[YorkshireLady]

how about you look for a prelim test elsewhere that you like the look of rather than novice that day?

 

[Ossy2]

This might seem harsh and I know competing means different things to different people, but if I was going to struggle with completing the test I’d be seriously considering my decision to enter that level? I’m not wholly sure what the objective is really to doing the novice test. It’s not necessarily going to be fun, and it’s not going to be confidence building for you or your horse.
Get your head down work probably on training the canter at home with proper instruction and come out fighting another day. Maybe in the meantime you could do a test riding clinic or something to get some feedback before you into the competition environment.

 

[[59668]]

Haven't read the post previous but maybe just don't sit to canter? Do it out of the saddle if you need to