Test & Train - expectations?

[SEL]

I'm on a test & train session in a couple of weeks and not quite sure what to expect. I took the hooligan to a couple with a local judge who I know when he was a baby but we really did treat him as a baby for those two sessions (he was falling over his feet at the sight of whiteboards) so it was less about dressage than the experience. There's been a couple more over the winter that I've avoided because I thought I'd be punching above my weight but he's usually in the top 3 at Intro now and holds his own at prelim depending on how our canter goes. With the exception of some championships he's qualified for I'm not taking him in Intro any more, so this month I'm giving myself a kick to get on with the prelims accepting he still sometimes gets his legs in a muddle.

The session was organised by the riding club but open to RC in the area rather than just ours so I'm having imposter syndrome about rocking up to do prelim 3 - and that's if I don't have brain fog because its a test that feels like it goes on forever.

What sort of feedback do you generally get at these sessions? I mean if its just judge feedback of 'hollowed in transition to canter' then that's kind of where we are (cob = running into canter a bit, but better than it was) or is there useful help on how to do the canter transition? Some ideas to play with before we run through the test again? How do people usually find the sessions go?

Our trot work & accuracy (brain fog dependent) is pretty good but its canter that is work in progress. Probably me because in jumping lessons we get a cracking transition and rarely on the wrong leg - but somehow I manage to over think everything mid test

 

[Britestar]

In ones I've done, you ride the tests and they score as they would in comp.
Then you get to discuss and go over movements that scored lower marks, with judge explaining why. Then ride those parts again.

Very occasionally if time allows, you ride the test again and hopefully get a better score.

They're really good for moving up a level.

 

[SEL]

In ones I've done, you ride the tests and they score as they would in comp.
Then you get to discuss and go over movements that scored lower marks, with judge explaining why. Then ride those parts again.

Very occasionally if time allows, you ride the test again and hopefully get a better score.

They're really good for moving up a level.

Thanks. Hoping it'll be a confidence boost if nothing else!

 

[GoldenWillow]

The ones I've done followed the same pattern as Britestar said although there was also discussion about how to improve, what exercises would help that sort of thing. Then a short period of schooling, not quite a lesson but with trainer giving you feedback and then you rode the test again. I really enjoyed the ones I did and found them very helpful.

 

[humblepie]

I’ve done the occasional one normally for some specific reason such as letting the horse have a good look around the place or just an early season outing, but I think where they can really have value is dressage arena ring craft as opposed to trying to work that much on the horse or rider as in a normal lesson. So perhaps the judge flagging up inaccuracies in the test was ridden or how you could better prepare for a corner to get a better line that type of thing.