Worst dressage tests ever??????

charlimouse

charlimouse

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Following on from Pidgeon's post below got me thinking about my worst dressage test ever. I scored 25% in a prelim about 3 yrs ago, with a 0 for the non existant halt
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! So I was wondering if any of you guys could beat that????????????
 
I got something like 49% in a Novice test once when my (then) baby horse had a complete meltdown in a scary spooky indoor arena and refused to go anywhere near A for the entire test. Luckily he did a nice test outdoors later on and redeemed himself.
 
i've had scores in the low 40% a few times... usually with the comments 'tactfully ridden,' 'well sat' or 'horse not really in the mood today.'

same horse now gets affiliated scores of 70%+ so it was worth the embarassment in the end!
 
I once got 42% in a test at Merrist Wood at christmas time, there was flashing fairy lights, giant santas and xmas trees around the arena, horse had a breakdown, wouldn't canter and refused to go to the C end of the arena so we did the whole test in one end! The judge was very generous!
 
As on other post - I've had the big fat E!

I'm sure it was at Sheepgate Tack + Togs final - horse decided that the flower pot was really a SJ and popped very nicely out of the arena - just wouldn't 'pop' back in!
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Had a 41% on him when I got conned into 'making up the numbers' at a RC show - didn't 'do' dressage in those days - was a prelim test and horse (same one as above) did a series of changes when cantering across the diagonal, let rip at the other end and took me 3 movements to get him back (judge v lenient) - managed to finish the test and then he shot across carpark and bronked me onto someones lorry ramp!

In his defence he is a bit OCD about things being exactly he same and the show was held on his yard in his turnout field for the first time ever
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He did win the open sj to make up for it and has since gone on to Adv Medium!
 
I don't remember scores but once at an ODE my old horse did his halt at C on two legs, in fairness it had just start raining horizontally
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Another time on the same horse, at unaff dressage in anoutdoor arena (at Yorkshire Riding Centre) horse threw all his toys out halfway through the half 10m circles E-X-B, reared, napped, ran out the arena through the lorry park down to the lower indoor school.
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I trotted him back in and pretended like nothing had happened
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How does having to retire in a walk and trot test make you feel?
I might even have it on video
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[/ QUOTE ]

We HAVE to see that Polar Bear!! May be able to top it though - I was very, very young and on a serious hairy, shaggy little monster. Went beautifully down the centre line and then carried on to Judge's car, stuck head through window and ate the writer's sandwich which was sitting on the dashboard!
 
I still remember my one and only attempt at a Novice test (in 2003!), with my Welsh Section D
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I keep all my test sheets and have just found it - judges comments were "horse showed no correct outline throughout the test, unbalanced particularly in turns and circles"
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I got 42.6%
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Now I remember why I am so nervous about attempting a novice test with Bob....
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Wow 25% is quite an effort!! I managed 43% at Patchetts once, can't remember if it was prelim or novice but it was affiliated which was very embarrassing. Basically we did the whole test in the centre of the arena as she was scared of the mirrors at A, the judges at C, the gallery and the door!!! I do remember going home in floods of tears but a few (quite a few!!) years later we've qualified for winter semis at medium level so there is always hope!!
 
My worst dressage test was my first one!

I was at college and it was for a intergroup dressage comp - I rode a horse who "I thought looked lovely" (rolls eyes, I was only young lol) and had only ridden him the once. In the test he was so so strong, like a train, grinding teeth the works.

My test was over in literally 2 and a half minutes when it was meant to last 4 and a half, and I think I got about 50%?!
 
Took an ex-flat racehorse out rather sooner than I should and she would only go down the centre line backwards. The judge popped her head out the window and very kindly said that she'd have to eliminate me, but that I'd paid for 7 minutes of her/arena time so I should feel free to use them to school in the arena
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She went back in for the next test and went fairly respectably (well 55%-ish)
 
Worst test was recently a w-up comp for the VVE Petplans, 3/4 way through i retired
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I have never retired from a test in my life so was gutted, it was quite a hair raising test though
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. Was the right thing to do judge agreed as well, think she was panicking a bit from the look of relief on her face lol
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The petplan test wasnt much better but at least we completed it, was 50+mph winds though.
 
Oh how i love this sort of post. Horses can be such a show up some times and so
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, For me getting to a test would be a start. I have entered for 2 recently and they have both been cancelled. Booked in now for for my 1st attemp at a prelim on 14th eeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkk
 
Worst I got was around 35%. Havent got a clue why, either the judge was increadibly mean, or I went wrong at some point. Horse before me was rearing and bucking and still got a better mark!
 
Cant beat 25%, that is pretty impressive!!

Our worst was 49% - first dressage outing as a 4yo. We exited the arena 3 times, tripped and nearly fell flat on his face, cantered on the wrong leg on BOTH reins and screamed for his buddy at around 10 second intervals. Got a sweet comment tho 'well tried, looks quite young!'
 
Wow polar bear that was pretty impressive!!!!! I'm taking my 4yo to go do his first ever walk and trot in a couple of weeks, i'm thinking it might be rather similar to yours, possibly with a few airs above the ground added in just for fun!!!!!
 
51% from a very generous judge. Horse had never been to a comp before (not a youngster), carted me out of the warm up 3 times, napped going into the arena, had never seen an indoor arena, and went round with her eyes on stalks, napping from everything. We couldn't get near either end, any of the markers, and she p'd off with me back to the lorry when we'd finished. Judge said "hard luck, not your day, tactfully ridden". lol, we haven't tried dressage since, although now she's 27 and marginally more mature than when she was 15, we might have another go!
 
Actually I just remembered one even funnier! I was riding my Mum's mare years and years ago and it was on grass and a bit wet, she was quite young and not very well balanced and we literally fell out of the arena boards, ie she fell over, got up and carried on! The judge said something about me being eliminated but to carry on - I was mortified as my friends Mum was expecting great things from us!!
 
When we first got our previous quarter horse, it soon became obvious that she hadn't been ridden in English tack very much and was also a bit neurotic about being in an indoor school on her own (got absolutely flattened by some idiot in the warm up and didn't bat an eyelid, bless her!)
She proceeded to do a flying change every time I put my leg on her, and this in a prelim test! Think we got about 40%, although the judge was very admiring of the changes when we spoke to her afterwards
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This mare never improved much - two years later she legged it out of a grass dressage arena and I was almost back at the lorry before I could pull up
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I can relate to your predicament ironhorse - although mine has been brought up and schooled in English tack! If she gets too worked up or actually just decides canter wont be flavour of the day we can do a 20m circle of flying changes - often changing behind too which is very uncomfortable. I always used to measure my 53% as my worst in an indoor arena with mirrors and horse was terrified of them. Moved in such a funny way judge pulled me up to ask if she was lame. she eventually settled and judge apologised afterwards. THEN I did 44% - kept thinking I should retire - I should retire but everyone always says it looks better than it feels. I should have known that 3 flying changes down the long side was not a good omen lol. I still wish I had retired as everyone says - oh I saw your 44% what happened
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I cant even use the excuse that she is young or green!! Been trying to get it right for 3 years now.
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[ QUOTE ]
How does having to retire in a walk and trot test make you feel?
I might even have it on video
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[/ QUOTE ]

You're not alone!! Me too! My baby horse was not having ANY of the mirror in the arena OR the judges box at the end, so we were doing permanent 15 odd metre circles at one end in the corner
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Doesn't bode well for a dressage test does it!!!!!
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cant beat 25% sorry!!
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i have only done 3 dressage tests in my life (im really not a diva
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lol...im a showjumper thats it! haha)

my first was 58%, the second was 61% and the third was 55.5%...so that is my worst

and i think that was pretty awful, monty isnt a dressage diva either bless him
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haha xxx
 
Well since you asked I have found my Dressage Test Folder and last year on one horse alone I achieved . . . a 46.4 in D Level 2 (For those that don't know it it's the simplest PC test that involves any canter, it literally involves going round the arena, doing big circles and changing the rein . . . once!
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), I then went on to get a 49.1 doing the PC Intro test, a 45 in PC Novice Dressage, then I decided to do two prelims and really excelled myself with a cracking 36.3 followed by a 44.17 which involved free styling sideways and crashing into the arena wall
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! On the 36.3 I have 4 comments from the judge before she decided not to bother and told me at the end it was a complete disaster and would I like to try and get a trot before I left the arena
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But if it's any help we cracked it and only had 1 score BE above 50 and even achieved a 38
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. I'm easily pleased
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! Lol, so Pidge I'm sure you will have absolutely no trouble gaining some great scores BE considering I went from a 36.3 to a 62 in the space of 4 months!
 
Polar Bear, OMG that looks like a hellish test!

Think the worst mark I ever got was 45% which was our first outing with my new warmblood (after moving up to him from ponies) - it was horrendous. We left the arena twice and he napped all over the place. Just awful!

Only other memorable test was on my current horse at a BE event a couple of years ago on a really windy day. He's quite a spooky horse anyway and he held it together really well all the way through but as I halted at the end to salute, he just couldnt stay calm any longer and went nuts. He leapt sideways dumping me at G and galloped out of the ring, across the warm up back to my mum! I got back on, went back in and did my salute. Lol.

Otherwise though our dressage is NEVER good. Its our absolute worst phase and we only do it to get to the jumping bits :P I have ended up in tears quite frequently in the past after tests (I get myself very wound up which is the main issue!). Now I don't care less, I've realised we'll never be any good!
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Zoomy is crap at dressage since she is ex-polo and likes to be a giraffe. She won't accept a contact most of the time so she chucks her head around is fizzy like a can of coke and has a banana neck.

Having said that, she has never done anything 'wrong' in the 3 dressage tests we have done and tries really hard, she just doesn't get it yet. There seem to be alot of people saying horse bronked/bucked/jumped out of the area/spooked etc for around 45%. She went really well for her and we still got 46%!

This is our first test that got 46%:



Feel free to laugh
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I was actually quite pleased!
 
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