Walk & trot tests - good or bad?

[Nats_uk]

Surely all it comes down to at affiliated level (which seems to be where the argument lies, I don't think even the anti Walk/trotters want them banned at unaffiliated), is if it makes good business sense for British Dressage to run lower level classes and make more money, that is good for EVERYONE involved in that affiliated sport. More financial security for the sport, more members involved, more spectators at higher levels to support because they have become interested in dressage at a low level, even if they never ever compete any higher.

If you look at the wider picture, that has to be good doesn't it?

As for comments like this (sorry its not in quotes, I find this new forum a bit weird to use! - can't we have an equivalent walk/trot version!!!!!) :

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nats_uk
I completely agree with your point in terms of "dumbing down" dressage and SJ by offering W&T tests and 70/80cms SJ classes AT AFFILIATED LEVEL - I always thought going affiliated was something to work towards and should be an achievement that you are "good enough" to go affiliated so it frustrates that we are lowering the standard.


......personally the only difference I see between affiliated and unaffiliated competitions upto the middle levels, is MONEY! Those who can afford it affiliate leaving those that can't at unaffiliated. Nothing wrong with that, but call it what it is - not about being "good enough". You might need to be "good enough" to win, but good enough to compete affiliated - don't make me laugh.

Hmm now I agree that money plays a factor (as it does with anything in the equestrian world) and having been both BD and BSJA I have seen certainly plenty of "all the gear, no idea" types in both circles however, that doesn't mean we should encourage them by lowering the standards so they can red rosette hunt at a lower level (Disclaimer: I am not saying all people who do W&T or 70/80cm SJ are pot hunters!!).
I still stand by my opinion that going affiliated should be something you work towards - I certainly did not want to go BD until I was working at a constant 60%+ level at Novice/Elem unaffiliated and I was winning locally at 1.05/1.10 competitions before I went BSJA.

 

[monkeybum13]

i do think they have their place but need good policing-people who have competed at novice shouldnt be allowed to do them on any horse, if you can school a horse to novice....get on and do it! dont pot hunt in w/t tests. they should only be for para riders and those with little experience....but im not sure how easy this would be to check???

Not digging at you personally (I admire your riding and how fab Star is going), but I have competed at novice, yet will enter walk and trot on novice, often young horses. Just because I have competed up to novice doesn't make a good rider, infact I'm pretty awful, have you seen any of my pics? What level I compete on one horse is totally different to another horse, can you see where I'm coming from? (I hope I'm not coming accross rude)

 

[PaddyMonty]

This is a genuine question as I really am baffled by WT tests - why are they less scary than doing a prelim?

Because you dont have to canter. Why this should make a difference I dont really know but possibly because many people these days dont see canter as just another pace but as a fast pace.

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

again, seeing this through my mums eyes-yes, canter=fast=more chance of being run away with (her greatest fear). on the ground, her logic tells her its isnt the case, but on the horse,fear takes over.

monkeybum-i doubt you are as bad as you think, if you have even mediocre results at novice(and im sure you have done far better than mediocre!) then IMHO you shouldnt be doing w/t tests as you are confident enough to canter,and to train a horse to canter.keep the horse at home until he/she is also confident in the canter work. why the rush to show before you are ready? why not wait until the horse is more established and the whole things is far easier and thus less of a stressful day?

thats just my opinion, and no i dont think you are rude and hope i dont come across as such either

 

[TGM]

It has surprised me a bit how many people seem intimidated by seeing people warming up expensive looking warmbloods at Prelim. .....

To be honest, although I used the phrase 'warmblood and beagler brigade', it wasn't meant to be taken literally as referring just to the breed of horse ridden! It was a light-hearted phrase to indicate the fact that many of these riders have obviously done an awful lot of dressage before. Just as intimidating to beginners would be the experienced child on a smart pony or the accomplished mature lady on her shiny cob.

A lot of people starting out in dressage would feel more comfortable competing alongside people of a similar standard to themselves - not so much because they have more chance of winning, but because they don't want to stick out like a sore thumb as the one person who doesn't know what they are doing! Yes, if you are hugely confident then you won't be worried about looking the odd one out, but if you are hugely confident then you are unlikely to doing W&T tests anyway!

 

[PucciNPoni]

This has already been said and alluded to but I will just agree wholeheartedly - that without WT tests, I personally would not have the interest in dressage that I do today. It sparked that interest and the fact that I could tiddle away at WT, gain some comments and a goal to work toward with a non-traditional dressage horse meant that eventually I would go on to get something that might be a bit more savvy and work away at higher levels.

I agree that if you and your horse are capable of cantering a decent/safe 20m circle then you shouldn't enter WT, or if you do, do it HC.

I can't speak for the affiliated stuff, but comments here have been enlightening. But I would love to see more RC comps put very strict restrictions on their WT tests...and would love to see them upheld! I've seen horses that were accomplished show horses or young horses being produced by show producers in WT tests competing and winning with huge scores against real novices. WHY?

 

[Lolo]

Not sure if restrictions can be achieved properly though. We thought that when the RC first introduced the WT tests, but its really hard to enforce and be fair. Our new boy is fairly calm SJ, and A finds pretty manageable. In the dressage, he did most of his test in working rear with the occasional freak out. However, see him SJ and you'd think he was fairly experienced as it was a very smooth round from a calm, sweet, well balanced canter.

 

[spookypony]

I think they have a place, as do cross-pole classes and lead-rein classes, in the education of both horses and riders. The riding school where I go for a lot of unaffiliated stuff runs a dressage league with Intro, Prelim, and Novice (or pairs or DTM). Intro is limited to riders rated below a certain level in the RS's grading scheme; others compete HC. Riding a solo test is a very different experience from being in a group lesson, especially for those who don't have their own horses, and I think the kids especially really benefit from learning about competing right alongside learning how to ride. Experienced affiliated riders have also brought baby horses to do the Intros, and I don't see anything wrong with that either. I started with the Spooky Pony at Prelim, long before we had a balanced canter, and we've had our share of 2's for...exciting...canter transitions; however, the aim of the exercise was mainly getting him to be confident about going different places and doing normal things!

I can see that one might not want to run Intros at affiliated shows, if there is a danger of their crowding more advanced classes out of the timetable, but if there is no such danger, then I don't honestly see a problem there either.