Question... Walk/Trot Tests

If I applied my schooling logic to this argument, no horse that cannot rein back, turn on the forehand or leg yield should be in a dressage arena either. Obviously that is ridiculous but I expect my horses to be able to do these simple things as well as canter a 20m circle. So how many young horses or their riders set these as standards for their basic schooling, probably less than 50% but Im sure they are aiming at that.

I see no problem whatsoever with W+T tests in fact my own horse will no doubt do a few of these as his first times out in competition, not becuase Im a woos, heck I can gallop with the best of them, but because 20 m on a big relatively unbalanced horse in a strange environment is more likely to upset HIM than me.

Reading this thread has brought back to me one of the reasons I got so disenchanted with BD...it IS still elitist.

Thank heavens for CRC tests.
 
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see thats very odd as my current instructor who competes at PSG and above who is also a list 1 BD judge

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That like saying you find it odd that a car sales man would encourage you to pass your driving test
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ofcourse a BD judge wants you to get into dressage by any means necessary.

Spaniel - I am not a member of the BD so please don't tar them with my elitist brush, it may get dirty
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I think it is good that anyone and everyone is encouraged to try any equestrian activity at the level they desire...

God only knows I felt that I wasn't good enough to be taught by such an experienced lady & yes she has and does refuse to teach people
 
Hey I did a walk and trot test with CC about a month ago - now for a start she is still green (shock horror!) but is still capable of doing more, and I am an inexperienced competitor with a problem with nerves! Well I get stage fright
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Now you might say 'you're not ready' but the only way that I am going to get over my nerves is going out and doing it, and I didn't fancy messing up a test in front of about 40 people so decided to do that test - less pressure for the both of us. She hasn't been out much, we are a new partnership....I don't know what the big deal is personally!

saying all that, I don't think I'd waste my time with a 1 foot jump class......never knew they had those!
 
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No wonder people are put off competing when thats the attitude of fellow ''sportswomen''....

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Agreed!! Some of the posts on HHO lately have had me thinking about some of the people involved in horse riding.....enough to put anyone off !
 
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Well, theres obviously differing opinions here- and thats fair enough....

I personally think I ride very well, on a well schooled but tricky/excitable horse. I don't compete regularly, in-fact I have only really just got back into it because my daughter loves it and obviously I have to support her. I do mainly in-hand showing ....TBH I really havn't the nerve to do ridden stuff in public- dont know why, thats just me...I have no problem in the arena at the yard in full view of everyone, its the going out and doing it in front of strangers thing...it has nothing to do with my or my horses ability..we are more than capable and I am constantly being told to go for it, would do well etc...

For people like me the walk/tro tests would be an ideal 'test-the water' scenario, I would prob go to one, do ok and think ok- next step, but TBH I don't think I would be brave enough to go ahead and dive in to the full blown thing.....so actually yes I do think that walk/trot tests are opening to the door for people who wouldnt normally compete.

Just my opinion, but I dont like the underlying view that just because you go and do a walk/trot test means you are somehow inferior or not up to standard....

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Agree with you again! (I think it was you anyway!
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I wouldn't say I was an amazing rider, but then I always put myself down anyway
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Of course I can canter, I've ridden for long enough I'd be a bit worried if I couldn't by now! I would love to compete more, but I haven't been lucky enough to have a horse that i could take. last year when I had Frankie, I schooled and schooled all day long and still didn't compete, because I didn't think we were good enough
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and now, I regret that because I don't ride him anymore and really I knew we could.

Now I have ridden CC in a W/T test, I'm confident enough with our abilities in that we could of course do a prelim test.....as my instructor says ' your canter feels worse that it looks! ' I do get nervous about riding in public, so an easy W/T test was perfect for me so I got some confidence.
 
Aaagh! This thread has really irritated me! If you feel W and T or jumping 1ft is beneath you then don't do it, but why spoil it and belittle someone who wants to?

For the record I don't see any reason why W&T should not be affiliated as well as unaffiliated. If it means more riders want to get involved with competing because of it then great!
 
I was really looking forward to doing my first W&T test later this month but this thread has taken the shine off it now that I realise there might be some "good riders" sneering at me. My horse and I canter every day at home but I am a middle aged woman who returned to riding after a break and I am not confident even going into the ring but it doesn't stop me wanting to try. I figure that if I start on the lowest rung then I can aim to climb up a bit higher. I hope that there are some nice supportive, understanding people at my W&T test
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i have ridden to affliated Medium and ride an Advanced horse at home, but have been doing W&T tests with my youngster because he is a froot loop. At home he is working Novice, but at shows he is daft. He's fine in the warmup, but he cant cope with indoor schools and white boards and flowerpots and the whole thing just blows his mind. We had to retire from a prelim last night only on the 2nd movement because he was spooking so badly he was almost unseating me with his stupid moves. canter is just a crazy thought - if we can manage to get into it then we end up not going within 5m of the outside edge of the arena - he's just scared. staying in W&T gives him the opportunity to just chill out a bit. and yes, i have taken him to indoor schools, hired out white boards etc. he just finds it all a bit scary right now.
 
don't let all this put you off - when i went for mine last month I felt a bit
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seeing as it was a dressage comp
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but everyone was really lovely.....just because you're doing a W/T test doesn't make you any less of a horsewoman
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You must be a fantastic rider

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Thank you for acknowledging this fact
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i can only acknowledge the fact you are an elitist snob who obviously gets off on putting others down.....blimey i remember you having a whinge on one post because no one was saying how wonderful your horse was!??!!
 
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As said before, I can see the reasons behind them, I just don't agree with them. If you aren't comfortable cantering in that situation be it because the horse isn't ready or you're nervous or underconfident or whatever, I just don't think you should be competing. If you want to give yourself experience, enter a prelim and see what happens. Hell you can even just trot the canter parts but at least then you've done it. If the horse needs experience then surely you'd be taking it out in a none competing basis first before asking it to do anything?

As I said before, they never used to have walk/trot tests and people seemed to do fine so I can't really see the point in them (can take this further as well as I didn't agree when the brought in Intro to eventing as well). I'm not saying that you're crap riders if you can't do canter in a test, but I am saying that maybe more homework needs to be done before getting out there and competing. What would you all do back in the day when there were no walk/trot tests?

And before you go on about getting people into the sport... The Netherlands has no walk/trot tests and has a MASSIVE equestrian community that more to the point is taken seriously rather than 'posh people on horses'. In face, before you can go affiliated showjumping you need to achieve a 60%+ in a dressage test. So they ask a lot more from their competitors here yet the sport is bigger than it is in the UK!

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i can see what you are saying regarding affiliated competition, but A, this is the UK not the netherlands, we do things differently over here, things are more laid back and horses are more leisure/pleasure animals than serious competition prospects.
Local unafilliated competitons are a great place for people to just get out and have fun, not worry about how they look etc...the day they say i can't compete as i don't get 60% will be the day i give up horses for good.
 
go for it!! do not let anyone put you off! i have just done 2 w&t tests with my young welsh cob, we didn't do well in either - he has his own form of dressage!! even had comments such as "half pass not required at this level!!" and in the second test he tried to canter all the way through the test!! we are hopefully off on sunday to do our first prelim together and i'm sure there will be alot of good riders there looking down at us, but i don't care anymore, my pony is fun and can do other jobs as well, ask yourself how many of then "proper" dressage horses hack out??
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antway sorry for the waffle enjoy that lovely little native you have and go for it, don't let anyone spoil your fun!! let us know how you get on!!
 
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i have ridden to affliated Medium and ride an Advanced horse at home, but have been doing W&T tests with my youngster because he is a froot loop. At home he is working Novice, but at shows he is daft. He's fine in the warmup, but he cant cope with indoor schools and white boards and flowerpots and the whole thing just blows his mind. We had to retire from a prelim last night only on the 2nd movement because he was spooking so badly he was almost unseating me with his stupid moves. canter is just a crazy thought - if we can manage to get into it then we end up not going within 5m of the outside edge of the arena - he's just scared. staying in W&T gives him the opportunity to just chill out a bit. and yes, i have taken him to indoor schools, hired out white boards etc. he just finds it all a bit scary right now.

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SNAP!!!! i call it "welsh dressage" !! more interesting for rider judges and spectators alike than the boring english version!!
 
I can canter perfectly well thank you. My horse could also easily clear 3' 6". I however won't. Why not? Because every time I go out I get 'The Face of Grey' as my friends call it. I shake, I feel sick and am so worried I will f*ck it all up.

I enjoy W & T tests because I don't worry so much. It builds up my confidence each time I go out. I have also done prelims and I went to my first SJ show (where I cantered).

I work bl00dy hards on my horse and I want to be braver, but at the moment, I want to do what makes me happy and what my horse enjoys. Quite frankly I don't give a toss what anyone else thinks. I am proud of myself as are my friends who always support me whenever I go out.

I would also like to point out Silver spring that it isn't a 'moo point' and has nothing to do with cows. (It usually means that there is no point in debating something, because it just doesn't matter.)
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i can see what you are saying regarding affiliated competition, but A, this is the UK not the netherlands, we do things differently over here, things are more laid back and horses are more leisure/pleasure animals than serious competition prospects.

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Urm... actually I'd say there are even more leisure/pleasure/happy hacker type riders here than there are in the UK. Just overall there are more horses/horse riders full stop.

Yes... we do do things differently in the UK... maybe that's why the sport isn't taken seriously and is seen as 'posh people on horses' rather than the sport that it is seen as over here!
 
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You must be a fantastic rider

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Thank you for acknowledging this fact
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i can only acknowledge the fact you are an elitist snob who obviously gets off on putting others down.....blimey i remember you having a whinge on one post because no one was saying how wonderful your horse was!??!!

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I didn't ask you to acknowledge any fact so I have no idea why you felt the need to quote me! You have taken this out of context this was a sacrcastic reply to the assumption that since I believe you should at least be willing to try a canter if you want to 'compete' at dressage that clearly make me a 'fantastic' rider.

If the ability to canter in a dressgae arena or the expectation that others should at least try it makes me an elitist snob then so be it.

Re the 'no-one thinks my horse is pretty' comment, again I was having a laugh, if you can cast you oh-so-good memeory back to the post in question I followed it by a stuck out tongue and a wink, I just thought it was funny that everyone liked the black pony but over looked the chestnut, story of my life to be honest, I have never went for flashy when I could own a horse I could actually canter
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Go on quote me, you know you wanna!
 
why would i want to waste my time quoting you???? it's not about wether people can or can't canter, it's about you using this board to have a nasty little dig at people who are not yet confident to try a full test in a competition atmoshpere, whay can't you mind your own business and let people enjoy their horses in their own way???
 
Next year I am going to do a few walk trot tests at the local RC as I want to do the local RC's ODE, which obviously is all 3 gaits, neither of us have ever done it before so I want to build up to it and get used to it. Also my memory is cr@p!
So doing the non canter test will hopefully help with that!
I think its a great idea, and it's a good way of helping boost peoples confidence!
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ETA- I never want to be a top dressage rider (well it would be nice
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why would i want to waste my time quoting you????



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Then why did you in your first response?

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it's not about wether people can or can't canter, it's about you using this board to have a nasty little dig at people who are not yet confident to try a full test in a competition atmoshpere, whay can't you mind your own business and let people enjoy their horses in their own way???

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I have no idea what I said to make you think I was having a 'nasty little dig' at people who take part in the walk trot test. I am voicing my opinion that I do not think the walk trot test should exist, that is my opinion, others people can think and do as they choose.

I also don't see how you can tell me to mind my own business, this is a public forum, people are here to give and receive advice and voice opinions on various matters. If everyone here 'minded their own business' the forum would be blank and you would get to have little hissy fits at other posters who happen to see the world in a different light.

P.S I like the fact you agree the W&T test is a 'full' test, it's almost like you agree with me a little bit
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As a non dressage person, may I add my twopennoth to this. Some of the posts on here have been very unpleasant and personal. It is fine to think that walk and trot tests are not for you, agree that if you are a memeber of a group you should have some say if they should be backed by that group. BUT if they are not harmful, cause welfare issues, what right do you have to be so incredibly rude about people who do want to use them as a taster for dressage? If people become more interested in the sport, then surely that is a good thing and they will then go on to compete at higher levels. I have to say if some of the posters here were likely to be watching/commenting then I would guess that most people would not touch the sport with a barge pole.
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Some of the posts on here have been very unpleasant and personal. It is fine to think that walk and trot tests are not for you

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Sorry I don't recall anyone in this thread that was against the walk and trot test being unpleasant or personal, care to provide a few examples?

I have been called an elitist snob but that's ok because I'm against W&T tests so being rude to me clearly doesn't count.
 
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i have ridden to affliated Medium and ride an Advanced horse at home, but have been doing W&T tests with my youngster because he is a froot loop. At home he is working Novice, but at shows he is daft. He's fine in the warmup, but he cant cope with indoor schools and white boards and flowerpots and the whole thing just blows his mind. We had to retire from a prelim last night only on the 2nd movement because he was spooking so badly he was almost unseating me with his stupid moves. canter is just a crazy thought - if we can manage to get into it then we end up not going within 5m of the outside edge of the arena - he's just scared. staying in W&T gives him the opportunity to just chill out a bit. and yes, i have taken him to indoor schools, hired out white boards etc. he just finds it all a bit scary right now.

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Ah a kindred spirit thank you for posting star
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I think the problem is that although you have said you have no problem with people who do compete in them , you think they should not exist.

So one would assume if you think they shouldn't exist you also think no one should be doing them?

I guess that assumption is wrong, but then if you don't mind people doing them , why do you even care that they exist?
 
Just thought I'd join the debate
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I only do walk and trot tests now on Pidge as have given up on prelim at the moment due to our canter work being very much WIP
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and to the OP yes I can canter my horse, I can also gallop, jump a course of 2'6" fences confidently, I've even been known to jump 3'8" on occassions
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plus I'm quite confident romping round HT courses going far too quick I might add as my horse and I love it
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However we are NOT at the stage of doing a nice balanced controlled canter in a 20mx40m arena especially during a dressage test when we both get tense so therefore at the moment I am sticking to the walk and trot tests.
So basically I am doing what both me and my horse feel comfortable with and *** what everyone else thinks. I think the walk and trot tests are great and whenever I've gone somewhere where they have held them they have been extremely popular. If we do well at a walk and trot test then to me that is an achievement and I am chuffed to bits.
Don't try and put down something that is opening up competition to people who would otherwise not do it if they had to start at prelim level!
 
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I think the problem is that although you have said you have no problem with people who do compete in them , you think they should not exist.

So one would assume if you think they shouldn't exist you also think no one should be doing them?

I guess that assumption is wrong, but then if you don't mind people doing them , why do you even care that they exist?

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My vegetarian friend doesn't eat meat, she doesn't agree with eating meat and doesn't like the idea of other people eating meat, however, all her friends are meat eaters and she doesn't judge them for their personal choice to eat meat. She would love to see all slaughter houses closed down and for everyone to stop eating meat, which in her opinion is not necessary for survival or fun, but has to submit to the fact there are too many people out there eating meat and enjoying it.

I understand her sentiment exactly.
 
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If you aren't comfortable cantering in that situation be it because the horse isn't ready or you're nervous or underconfident or whatever, I just don't think you should be competing. If you want to give yourself experience, enter a prelim and see what happens. Hell you can even just trot the canter parts but at least then you've done it.

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So it's ok for someone who isn't comfortable cantering in a competition to trot the canter part of a prelim test and compete, but someone who wants to do a specific walk trot test shouldn't be competing
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