Numpty needing help, Intro Dressage for complete dummy!

[sleepykitten]

Hello,

I'm looking to do an Intro Dressage comp at some point this year when the ground dries up and providing pony hasn't melted in the rain.

I have never done dressage before.

Can someone tell me the key things that judges will be looking for and what things I should be practicing at home?

Thanks muchly!

 

[eriskaydales]

Hi, Make sure you know your test inside out. Practise sections of it, dont do the whole thing every time you practice and then nearer the time put it all together. Be as accurate as you can, if you are for example doing half a 20 metre circle at a, make sure you show a difference by not riding into the corner on the half circle and going into the corners when not doing circles.

Prepare for your transitions. When you go into the arena work out where you need to turn to come the centre line. Use the time till the horn beeps or bell rings to your advantage. Dont' get in a panic and whiz through the test like a maniac.

Think of it as a serious schooling session and it will take the pressure off. If you do go wrong remember its only that section you will lose marks on. The free walk is worth double points so make sure this is good, its just as important.


The most important thing is to breathe, oh, and smile as you halt and salute then at least you look like you have enjoyed yourself.

Good luck and just enjoy.

 

[sophiebailey]

Hiya! I'm doing intro tests at the moment so can offer you limited advice

But the high scoring move always seems to be the free walk on a long rein - the reins shouldn't be droopy washing lines and the horse should be actively seeking a contact (I wiggle my fingers around the reins to get bails to stretch) but don't let him/her 'slop' into it, the walk still has to be active

I always get well marked in my collectives for Bailey's impulsion as he's very forward going and active in his trot, where as my friend who's horse goes slowly +slugs along loses marks here, so I guess I'm saying find the happy medium where the horse isn't rushing but the trot is going somewhere!

Things to practice;

-accurate 20m circles
-accurate changes of rein across the diagonal
-accurate turns up the centre line
-sqaure halts

good luck! Its so much fun xxx

 

[LisaS]

I'm hoping to do an Intro test later this year so have started practising some elements of the test in some of my riding lessons.

Some of the key things we have started to practice are

1) sharp transitions, so when I ask for a working trot from a walk that doesn't mean 'shuffle for a few steps or a slow starting trot that I have to push along', it means snappy and straight into a good working trot Immediately when asked

2) keeping an active enough walk by keeping enough leg on during the walk, I used to fall into the habit of asking for the walk, and then let him amble along !


There is 101 things to get better ( me not him !) before we do our first test but these are just some of the things we have worked on in the last month.

Good luck and keep posted on progress

 

[Bionic Boy]

Agree with all of the above as well as ride round the arena on both reins if you can before the bell goes to start, smile and say hello to the judge but above all BREATH and enjoy.

 

[OldNag]

I'm about to do my first one too... so at the risk of hijacking your thread OP, thanks also from me for the useful advice peeps.

I've realised i'm useless at learning a test. I'm going to have someone call for me so I don't have to fret about forgetting bits!

 

[overtherange]

did my first one in may... my worst mark was for the halt - pony cannot stand still or square when theres no fence it seems! my RI gave me a drilling before my last one on riding more accurately which definitely upped the marks, remember its when your body is in line with the marker so when doing diagonal rein change she told me to aim for the outside track a couple of steps early. you should be able to have a caller but we found it easier not to use them if possible because when its called we relied on them and didnt really plan ahead enough making it all abit rushed. that about it im afraid as my experience only goes as far as 5 tests! enjoy - its good fun

 

[basilcob]

My 8 year old daughter has done three intro tests so far this year with her section B. We took him to another yard to see the white boards and practised the beeping with a car horn! He was fine but worth checking. I read the tests for her so we practised this standing at B or E at home. Good job because he spooked when I moved the sheet in my hands! Also at the venue during the test he slowed down and tried to stop near me when I was reading. Naughty pony

 

[Dr_Horse]

always worth trying the online dressage
Dressage Anywhere is BD tests
You also have Interdressage which has its own tests

You get really good feed back from Interdressage
But Dressage Anywhere is BD judges and abd score sheet

 

[LollyDolly]

Annd this is where I step in! I have been competing in Dressage for many years, however I am now right back to the start with my current youngster who is in serious dressage bootcamp!

Now then, firstly make sure that you and the horse are turned out well. The horse doesn't need to be plaited for a local Intro test however you need to make sure that all the tack is correctly fitted and plain, no sparkly browbands/nosebands and the like. Also a plain colored numnah which is close cut to the saddle, meaning that the edges are only just visible. Admittedly this is a little excessive and nitpicky for an Intro however I believe in going all out to win!
You wear a plain navy/black jacket with a stock, you will also need to put your hair in a bun and hairnet and WEAR GLOVES! Judges tend to frown upon riders who have bare hands.
Now then, the two main aspects which a judge looks for is accuracy and the impulsion of the horse. Believe it or not the contact isn't the most important factor *shock horror*. Impulsion refers the forwardness and the 'tidyness' of the transitions, so basically make sure that your horse is marching in walk and has a forward, eager trot! Furthermore make sure that your transitions are sharp and tidy, when you say trot the horse needs to be BOOM straight into a forward trot, none of this kicking/huffing/jogging. Literally marching walk and straight into a forward trot. I honestly cannot stress this enough! Make sure that your horse is forward and alert, a horse will not do well in dressage if it looks half asleep!!
*Helpful tip* Keep your horse forward and in front of the leg however don't let them run away with you as you need full control when in a dressage arena! My current youngster tends to run away in the trot once he is asked to go forward however the best way to combat this is to always keep the horse guessing, do sharp maneuvers such as circles, teardrop cross sections, serpentine's etc. in order to keep the horse guessing. Also ask for a variety of transitions, such as walk-trot-walk-trot-canter-walk-trot-walk-trot-canter etc. This keeps the horse on it's toes and prompts them to listen to you more as oppose to second guessing or just getting strong!**

Now then, the only way in which you can improve on the accuracy of the test is to first know the test inside out. I ALWAYS learn the test by heart before practicing it on my mount, I visualize the arena and where each movement will take place because you will be really surprised at how quick the corners and letters creep up at you, when you are on a forward horse you are no sooner entering at A then turning right at C!
So, once you know the test by heart you can then practice on your horse. I start by practicing individual movements first, such as the 20m circles or the serpentine's until they are fully mastered. Then I begin piecing the test together, so basically learn all of the movements first and then start to run through the whole test.

Trust me when I say that a horse which is forward and shows a lot of impulsion behind (not 'dragging' it's back end behind it which is often the case when a horse is lazy!) but is going round with it's nose in the air and maybe resembles an alpaca will still place above a horse who is on a decent contact but who is being lazy and unresponsive, ie. the rider has to really kick them along.

So basically, make sure that you and the horse arrive in correct, plain, properly fitted tack/attire. Make sure that you warm up, don't just do the plain old walk-trot-canter on each rein, instead keep changing the transitions and throw in maneuvers to limber the horse up and to keep them on their toes, that way they will listen and rely on you a lot more as they don't know what is coming next. Also, keep the horse forward at all times, NEVER have your horse backing off from the leg during a test otherwise you won't do so good If your horse is lazy/unresponsive/a bit of a kick along then you can improve this by lots of schooling. If you keep throwing in upward transitions at random intervals the horse will naturally perk up as you have engaged their interest, usually most lazy horses aren't interested in what is going on and tune out, so keep them listening! Also don't stand for any ignorance, if the horse doesn't go off the leg when given a sharp, clear signal from you then back it up with a tap of the whip behind the leg. The horse will soon learn that it is much easier to go from the first signal! I also find this method a lot kinder than when you see people booting their horses in the ribs and flailing their legs everywhere, I would much rather get a sharp tap than be booted in the ribs for 5 minutes!!
Well I hope all of this helped, if you have anymore questions that need answering then just ask!
Also a FANTASTIC tip is when you trot down the center line (at the start and end of the test) make sure that the trot is as quick as controllably possible, a quicker trot makes it a lot easier for both of you to aim straight whereas if you are in a slow trot then you are much more likely to weave down the center line! Going up and down the center line is where a lot of riders lose points and yet they are easy points to get, just aim well and go fast and you will be fine!

 

[monikirk]

Great advice Lollly Dolly! I watch relevant online tests on you tube and scribble the test on a note pad to help me learn it - one thing that throws me is when a school is on a different orientation to the one I practice in

 

[**Vanner**]

Accuracy!

In transitions and movements

 

[LollyDolly]

I watch relevant online tests on you tube and scribble the test on a note pad to help me learn it - one thing that throws me is when a school is on a different orientation to the one I practice in

I have this problem too, however believe it or not I find that it really helps me learn the test better because I have to interpret it more and process the pattern on a deeper level!
A great piece of advice is don't look at the little diagram with the pattern of each step, instead just read the words and draw your own! So, do a little diagram of your arena and using different colours mark the different movements by reading the written instructions, that way your diagram is on the same orientation as your school and you get a great chance to learn the test as you make the diagram!
I hope this helps!

 

[sleepykitten]

Thanks guys, this is immensely helpful, horse is very forward going so may have problems with rushing on rather than coming off the leg! I have no real arena but a big field that I can mark out, but its just getting my head around the basics that I need to establish before i make a complete a**e of myself in public.

Have friend with arena so may go begging!

Had a lesson on a schoolmaster the other day too where we worked on transitions and accuracy at each letter, I'm not quite there but don't think it was too bad for a first attempt!

Theres some great positive advice here so thank you all!