Newbie dressage question!

ownedbyaconnie

ownedbyaconnie

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Hi all,

So I did my second dressage outing yesterday, intro and prelim. Got 53 in intro and 53.4 in prelim. Really happy with my score for prelim as canter has been a huge issue for us so to get 5’s for our canter and our transitions in correct places are all I wanted.

However, I have a lot of comments for both tests about my mare’s head position (a little high). I know it’s a little high and it’s sometthing we have been working on and is massively improved. I was just under the impression that for intro and prelim it was more important to have good rhythm and balance. But maybe this is where as a newbie I am wrong?

I guess a higher head position could indicate my mare was a bit tense and not as relaxed as she could be?

I’m a massive dressage newbie so any comments appreciated!
 
Without being able to see what the judge meant by "a little high" it's difficult to help. Judges at the starter levels tend to be very gentle with their comments, so this could mean anything from slightly up and "look-y" to going around like a giraffe. Dressage is about the whole picture and the reason why we're looking for a rounded, relaxed outline is that it affects the way the horse uses his muscles and moves his legs. Horses which have their heads up unnaturally high are generally tense and will have rigid backs and thus not be able to use their legs well. They will also be stiff and usually not listening to their riders either. So you see it really is important that the horse carries his neck and head in a relaxed and natural position as well as the whole of the rest of his body (something that also applies to the very top levels of dressage, unfortunately).
 
Yes that makes sense. My friend is going to send me photos she took so will upload a couple when I get them.

I just felt that my test sheet was only showing the negatives but can understand there’s only so much time for a judge to make comments! At my first dressage outing the comments were a lot more positive and encouraging which is what I expected from low level unaffiliated.

Still, at least I know what to work on 😊
 
just so you know, judges only have to give comments for the scores below a 7. and they should be justifying the reasons why a higher score was not given, so sheets will tend to read on the negative side. When judges are trained by BD (and many unaff venues use trained judges) they are told not to give the rider a lesson in their comments, their job is merely to describe what they have seen. So it's not that common that you get told the things to work on etc.

Cortez has said all the rest, I would just add that while other aspects of the way of going are important at the lower levels, the addition of correct acceptance of the contact and relaxation over the back etc which add up to "outline" are *still* important and a horse that has all those elements will score more highly than one that has only correct rhythm and accurate movements, for example.
 
milliepops said:
just so you know, judges only have to give comments for the scores below a 7. and they should be justifying the reasons why a higher score was not given, so sheets will tend to read on the negative side. When judges are trained by BD (and many unaff venues use trained judges) they are told not to give the rider a lesson in their comments, their job is merely to describe what they have seen. So it's not that common that you get told the things to work on etc.

Cortez has said all the rest, I would just add that while other aspects of the way of going are important at the lower levels, the addition of correct acceptance of the contact and relaxation over the back etc which add up to "outline" are *still* important and a horse that has all those elements will score more highly than one that has only correct rhythm and accurate movements, for example.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that’s really helpful to know for the future! Feel a little less disheartened about our test sheet now. Onwards and upwards!
 
Well done for getting out and about - it can be very daunting (and I say that as a relative newbie myself). I've found a couple of things that really help me - firstly I share my sheets with my trainer, and we have a discussion about what the judge has seen and what we need to work on to progress, and secondly, I sometimes get a friend to video me riding a test (only works if you have access to an empty arena and a willing friend!) and I enter training classes on Dressage Anywhere. The judges on the training classes will give a lot more feedback (you sometimes get that in the competition classes online, but the training classes are designed for feedback). For me, this helped me understand what a comment was in relation to what I was riding, and it helped me to learn how to ride tests (I'd never competed before). I now use this to test ourselves at the next level before going out in public! Good luck on your journey.
 
i wrote for a judge yesterday for prelim and novice tests and it is really hard to mark them , my judge tried to mark for accuracy, rhythm, and way of going and only mentioned head position when horse was supposed to be reaching forward and down in the free walk. the tests where the horse had their head up a bit were not penalised in the prelims but were mentioned in the novice tests.. if someone was heavy handed trying to force horses head down she marked them down whichever test they were doing. if you get the chance why not offer to write for a judge and you will be able to understand why the judges mark as they do. its very interesting..
 
Thanks everyone ☺️. I do already share test sheets with my instructor, she was surprised by the amount of comments concerning head which is why I originally posted.

Will take everything on board and go back out in a couple of months better informed about the whole process and hopefully improve!
 
Another thing is judges do vary - I have found some a lot more critical ( or positive) than others. If several judges say the same thing then that is something to work on but I would not take just one judges comments too much to heart. I wrote for one judge who said every horse in the competition was hollow yet two weeks later I wrote for another judge for the same group of competitors and it was not mentioned at all!!!
 
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