should I or shouldn't I ?

KautoStar1

KautoStar1

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 May 2008
Messages
1,632
Location
Cheshire
Visit site
taking young horse to local unaffiliated dressage in a couple of weeks. He's done 2 tests last year - just prelims. One OK result and one not so good. Anyway, local show running both walk trot tests, a prelim and then novice and elementary tests
It states the usual rules about what you can enter etc etc, which is fine, and horse is perfectly eligible to enter the prelim class.
Because he's a baby and not been out much, I'd like to do one of the walk trots first, to get him settled and just give him more experience of the arena, as well as getting feedback from the judge.
Doesn't specify who can enter as such but says "The walk trot test is for those riders who want to have a go at riding a Dressage Test, but can’t canter or are not happy cantering. We do hope that this test will encourage riders to have a go and enjoy it."

Well, I can canter (just ha ha) but baby horses canter is still very wobbly, hence the reason I wanted to do the walk trot before the prelim. His walk and trot work is coming along quite well.
It also makes the journey a bit more worthwhile to do 2 tests.
So, would it be unfair to enter walk trot competitively when it seems to be aimed at very novice riders or should I enter HC.

By the way, I'm not suggesting me and horse are anything special, but I'm not a complete novice and horse could be very nice one day.
I'm the first to complain about pot hunters, so I certainly don't want to be accused of the same thing !
Just wondering what others would do as I want to play fair.

ps I've never been to this show before, so no idea what the standard is like.
 
It doesn't sound to me like you are pot-hunting. Your horse is a baby and is inexperienced. I don't see any harm in entering it at all. go for it!

Lots of people enter WT & then prelim at the places I go to, so I wouldn't worry about it. Have fun!
 
I would certainly enter for experience, if you feel too bad could you enter h/c? We have an equestrian centre near us and a very well know event horse, team silver and ind 7th at the olympics!, entered the w/t test! He had just come back from injury and was his first party for a while but even so, if he can enter so can you!!
 
You could always call the secretary and say you wanted to check as you didn't want to break any rules. I'm pretty sure that as the horse is a baby you will be fine but it will put your mind at rest if they say "Oh yes loads of people do this".

Though personally I don't see the point of running w/t tests and prelims if most people enter both. Our RC runs two prelims (one with a restricted section for those that haven't won before) then a novice. Most people enter both prelims.
 
Walk/trot tests are the best dresage invention for ages!!

I would say enter both. I started my boy in w/t tests a couple of years ago, mainly becuase I felt he needed to start getting used to going out (he's a bit of a loon) and also his canter wasn't ready for the prelim. Even then, I entered the w/t AND the prelim, and just didn't canter in the prelim. We eventually worked up to doing a bit of canter in the prelim, then doing all the canter, and so on.

If I had waited til the canter was good enough before going out it would have taken me about another year, and even then he would have been silly becuase he was somewhere strange.

Good luck and have fun!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top