what would make you more interested in giving dressage a go? :)

I like the jumping idea but I would be more interested in dressage if I didn't have to Plait up for it, it is a lot of work for a couple of minutes glory!
 
the thing i hate about dressage its about who you know... well around here it is. i know some people who go to a competition their horse goes like a heap of crap, pisses about the whole time is doing quarters in the whole time when its supposed to be going straight and they will get placed in the top 3 above many horses that went incredibly against them just because they know the judges which really pee's me off... but im not sure what you can do about that :o
 
Tilda said:
I like the jumping idea but I would be more interested in dressage if I didn't have to Plait up for it, it is a lot of work for a couple of minutes glory!
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You don't have to plait although personally I think it looks neater and more elegant. I've not come across a judge that seems to be bothered about plaits.
 
Some fab ideas! Our local dressage does a members points league for each class and is quite strict about people entering the correct class which is important as it's rubbish for a genuine W/T rider to be beaten in the W/T class by people using the class as a warm up! You could always run the first one as not show turnout, just light jods and a dark top, dont have to plait etc? This might encourage people who dont have the gear to have a go!

Then if you are trying to get local dressage riders to come the most important thing is decent judges, again our local club uses bd judges, which means the scoring should be fair! Good luck!
 
StormyMoments said:
the thing i hate about dressage its about who you know... well around here it is. i know some people who go to a competition their horse goes like a heap of crap, pisses about the whole time is doing quarters in the whole time when its supposed to be going straight and they will get placed in the top 3 above many horses that went incredibly against them just because they know the judges which really pee's me off... but im not sure what you can do about that :o
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A great thing for you to do would be to volunteer to write for a judge - it's great for understanding what they look for - I love it. I've noticed they have their favourite issues they comment on (they are human after all) but overall I've never seen them show any favoritism. I've certainly seen them pick a horse at lower levels that is not quite on the bit but is rythmic and loose over a horse that is ridden in a tight frame that looks pretty. Sometimes a horse may lose it for a movement so they may get a really bad mark for that but the next movement is a fresh start and they don't take into account previous behaviour.
 
The main reason I will not do unaffiliated dressage is the warm up. It's so dangerous! People in there with very little control of their horses and no idea about school rules (left to left, no walking on the track and give way to riders doing lateral work) or sitting on their horse/pony, surrounded by their entourage, blocking the track. Grrrrrrrrrrr!!!!

I used to do unaffiliated with young horses having their first taste of competition but having been run into the fence and had my horse whipped across the face (accidentally but the horse didn't know that) several times it's simply not worth it. I don't want my horse to learn that going to a competition is frightening and painful.

So in order to get people like me to come and do dressage at your club you'd need to have a steward in the warm up arena and a limit on the numbers allowed to be there at any one time, just as they do in showjumping. You'd also need a sign of the school rules and make sure they are enforced.

Something else that's important is to have the dressage running to time. Allow an extra minute per test if you need to or 15 minutes between classes so the times don't get later and later throughout the day.

Beautiful rosettes help.

Generous judges are a must. As a rule of thumb unaffiliated dressage should be marked 10% HIGHER than affiliated so the winner should be getting marks in the high 70s/low 80s.

A comment for any mark below 7 is important.

Good surfaces including the warm up are a must.

Catering is nice to have but not essential.

A points system towards an end of year award would help boost entries too. That way the dressage series would be seen as being just as important as the showjumping and showing.
 
If the judges marked according to the FEI rules and not what's popular. Poll the highest point, nose in front of the vertical. Instead of marking well for people that ride over bent and behind the bit.
 
I don't currently compete but would love to have a go if I could get to venues - transport an issue; if it was a training event for us beginners - like the idea of taking a test, seeing the comments and riding again; and not having to have the full kit from day 1. Oh, and I suppose a compliant horse and better riding skills might help!!
 
Important things for us are:

Running on time (and not cancelling unless weather terrible)

Good stewards getting riders in and out (so basically well organised events).

Qualifiers are good!

Constructive judges (and judges that don't beep horn loudly when Dolly pony is right next to bonnet of car!!!)

Classes by age (ie under 12s for us) or ability (so Riders not allowed to enter intro classes if established in canter tests).

Quick marking and nice rosettes!!!

I don't think we ask too much (!!!) but we're stopped going to one venue because daughter and dolly were doing intro tests (early days!) with riders aged 25+ who then went on to win novice test classes. Just didn't seem right to me.

Good luck!!! X
 
not read all the commets so no idea if I'm cross posting with somebody but what about a regular thing on one night a week say where there is a clinic and then a test?

Or a clinic one week and a test the next so people can know exactly how to improve :)
 
I've started dressage with my cob a couple of months ago so have a few things that put me off certain venues or encourage me to go to others:-

I like the idea of restricted classes or split sections. One venue near me splits prelims into horses that have never competed at Novice level or above or affiliated, and horses that have. If there's two shows on the same day I'll go for the one that has restrictions on the classes even if it's further away. I've only started Prelim, and have noticed that we've been competing against horses that are regularly competing at Elementary when we do unrestricted Prelim classes. If my horse was competing at Elementary level, I wouldn't want to still be doing Prelims too! :confused:

An offer of a caller would be great. I often go on my own to shows and although I learn the tests, it's good to have a prompt.

A league seems to attract more people too, as well as qualifiers for other championships.

A limit on the classes is another thing that encourages me as I know I won't be waiting too long. Although having said that, I entered a class last week that said it was restricted to 20 entries, but when I got there it had almost 30 in the class so there was lots of waiting around.

As other people have also said, having different judges is good too.

Maybe also some basic warmup rules? I always thought that the general rule was left to left but it seems I am wrong as I am regularly cut up!
 
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