An Introduction to Dressage

From the February 2015 issue of The Stable Magazine – www.thestablemagazine.com/february2015

DRESSAGE: "Also known as ballet on horseback; the harmonious development of the physique and ability of the horse to make him calm, supple, confident, attractive and keen, thus achieving a perfect understanding with his rider; derived from the French 'dresser' ('to train'). An Olympic sport since 1912."The Allen Equine Dictionary

Dressage is a wonderful equestrian sport! It encourages horse and rider to work together, communicate well with one another, and develop both horse and rider into athletes. Dressage isn’t just straight out tests - of course, you can compete in dressage events, but this sport also makes up one half of combined training, and one third of an event! Dressage to music or freestyle dressage is also a popular dressage competition. In all dressage events, horse and rider pairs are aiming to achieve perfection and unison - and making it look like the easiest and most natural thing in the world, and this takes years - in fact decades - of training.

Even if your focus isn’t so much on dressage itself, a low dressage score will most likely set you back in any eventing competition. You may be able to jump clear and fast, and go boldly across country, but your dressage score will set the pace. If you’re an eventer, that’s still not the only reason to strive to improve your dressage! Dressage develops great skills that are very useful in many aspects of riding - developing strength, communication, suppleness, rhythm and timing, among other things, and practising your dressage with a few sessions of flatwork a week can do wonders for you and your horse.

Riders of any age and skill level can try their hand at dressage - on any size horse or pony, as competitions cater to a range of levels of experience.

THE DRESSAGE ARENA

A standard dressage arena is either 20x40m or 20x60m in size. The letters are labelled around the arena and are used as points of reference during dressage tests.

There are two easy ways to remember the order of the letters around the dressage arena - or you can make up your own!

Try: All King Edward’s Horses Carry Many Brave Fighters.... or

A Fat Black Mother Cat Had Eight Kittens. (This one goes anti-clockwise!)

If you don’t have access to a marked arena, you can measure out your own. The more you ride in an arena that is marked with letters, the more familiar you will be with the layout of the arena.

Another great way to learn the letters of the arena is to ask your instructor, or a friend to call instructions, as you would have to follow in a test. ‘Canter on at K’, or ‘Trot at A’ will help you learn very quickly!

Attire and Presentation

The presentation of you and your horse is important. Turning up with muddy jodhpurs, and a scruffy pony just shows that you’re either not interested in what you’re doing, or that you’re lazy. You want to make a good impression on the judges and take pride in your appearance!

Check the rules of the event to be sure that you’re wearing the correct clothing - for example, riders under 15 should wear short boots - and check that your horse’s tack complies with the rules of the event. Your test may specify a snaffle bit, or no spurs, so check prior to show day. It’s also best to avoid using brand new tack on show day, in case there are any fitting problems. If you’re allowed to, stick to what you’re used to, for the comfort of you and your horse. If you need to ride in a different bit, ride with it in the weeks leading up to your event.

Finally, show ring bling is fine, so is horse glitter and make up - but go easy on these extras - and on your own make up - you don’t want to ride into the arena looking like a drag queen on a sparkling unicorn!

Preparing For Your Dressage Test

It’s useful to set aside time to practise the basics before your test. Getting a few extra lessons would probably be a good idea, or getting a friend to critique your position and overall appearance can help to get things polished up before your big day.

Things to work on include...

• Riding into your corners
• Perfecting your salute - and square halt!
• Getting transition timing accurate
• Working on shortening and extending strides
• Working on movements - serpentines, circles
• Keeping your position while riding
• Riding straight lines (Sounds basic, but it’s not so easy!)
• Meeting/leaving the track exactly where you should; timing of your transitions.
• Any problem areas for you and your horse - eg. sitting trot, canter circles, etc.

And out of the saddle...

• Make sure you’ve entered the event correctly
• Organise your clothing and saddlery
• Pull manes, practise plaits, trim tails, trim ear hair
• Learn your dressage test TOTALLY off by heart
• Make a show day packing checklist

Have everything prepared and done well before the eve of the show - you and your horse need to get a good night’s rest before the big competition, and if you’re up until 3am grooming, plaiting, or cleaning tack, then you obviously won’t be as sharp at 6am when you’ve got to get loaded and get going! Preparation is the key, and the more time you spend both in the saddle and out of it preparing for your competition, the better your result will be.

Learning your test is also really important - even in low level competitions. And honestly, there’s nothing worse than riders who have to have their tests called without a good reason - it shows that you didn’t put the time in to your preparation. No matter how nervous you are, if you know your test well, you’ll remember it. Nerves are NORMAL, and every other competitor has them, too! Just prepare well, allow yourself plenty of time, and do your very best. If you do that, you’re a winner no matter where you place.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR TEST

When you first receive your test, take a good look at what movements are involved, and try to plan out how you’re going to ride your test. Before you even begin to learn your test, read it out loud, think about what is involved, and try to figure out any areas you might have difficulty with.

Reading your test paper is simple - but you MUST UNDERSTAND it, too! The aim of your test is to execute all of the movements at the right letters, and do it as flawlessly as possible. According to our example test, you are to enter at A (which you will in every test!), at a working trot. When you reach X, you are to halt and salute. This means that you need to work on your trot to halt. Walking ten steps before X will NOT score you any points. If this is what the test calls for, this is what you must do, and as BEST you can. You’ll find that all tests cater to your level of experience, so there shouldn’t be anything too scary or anything that’s out of your league.

The salute can be confusing for riders who are new to dressage. A salute is simply where you ride to X, halt (squarely if possible!), take both of the reins in your left hand, drop your right arm down to the side, and drop your head. If you haven’t seen it done before, ask your instructor.

When your test asks for a trot, and doesn’t specify rising or sitting, you can do either. If your sitting trot is anything but outstanding, go for a rising trot. A ‘working trot’ is one where you need to show energy and rhythm. All gaits should be at a steady and controlled pace, and movements in the test should be followed as closely as possible! The more accurate you are, the better you’ll score. Spend time thinking about your test, work on the areas that need improvement, and if you don’t know how to do something, or don’t understand something, ask your instructor or the show organiser well before the show, so you have time to work out your test!

RIDING YOUR DRESSAGE TEST

One thing we can’t stress enough: a warm up is so important! Ensure that you and your horse are warmed up and ready - but don’t overtire your horse. You will be the best judge of how much warm up is enough. Use your warm up to relax, stretch out and mentally prepare for your test.

Always ride your horse to the arena in plenty of time for your test, so when you are called, and the bell (or car horn!) sounds, you are ready to go!

Once you’re in the arena, it’s up to you and your horse! All anyone can ask of you is your best, so give it everything you’ve got! Your mind will be whirling at a mile a minute, but focus on one movement at a time, relax, and enjoy yourself. Try to make your aids invisible, and really feel what your horse is doing. If you’re used to your horse, you’ll know how he responds to aids, so always think ahead. If your horse takes three seconds to trot from a walk, allow for this, so your horse trots exactly where the test dictates. Ride confidently, with quiet aids. Always look ahead to where you’re going and ride into your corners, on the track towards your next marker.

Ride where YOU think is correct. If you’re third to go in a test, and you’re supposed to do a 20m circle, don’t just follow the hoofprints of the other competitors! Judge for yourself, ride where you think you should ride, don’t just follow the crowd.

If a movement doesn’t go to plan, or if you make an error of course, don’t stress - pick up where you left off, stay positive, ride your very best, and SMILE! After all, you’re showing off your awesome riding skills, and the beauty, athleticism, power, and grace of your beloved horse!

Things to Remember:

• Be a good sport - do your best, stay positive, and don’t chuck a fit if things don’t go your way. Be mature, and congratulate friends on their victories - even if your normally well behaved pony decided to dump you mid way through your test. Manners are also essential. Don’t forget them!
• Smile! Geez, you only have to keep your cool, have a perfect seat, control your pony, keep your heels down, remember your test, be immaculately clean - and look good doing it!
• Remember the pony - after all, he’s there working hard for you - and he deserves a nice lunch break, bonus carrots and a big pat for putting up with the grooming and exercise!
• ALWAYS pat your horse as you leave the arena on the long rein. Remember again, that he’s worked hard for you, no matter how you scored.
• Excessive use of whips, spurs and disciplines have NO place in the dressage arena - or at home, for that matter.
• The judge is watching you at all times! Even if you’re out of the arena waiting to ride in, they will be forming an opinion, so be on your best behaviour at all times!
• Don’t be LAZY - get your horse moving forward, and put energy into your riding! Sit straight, don’t slouch,  and get the best out of your horse.
• Even if you can’t quite get that really nice extended trot, show that you’re trying to get it right!
• If you test calls for a canter, and you strike off on the wrong lead, you’ll get points for noticing, and correcting the canter lead - even though your horse struck off on the wrong leg. Fixing it is much better than ignoring it and cantering on the wrong lead!
• If you haven’t got collection down pat yet, and your horse isn’t on the bit, don’t worry - ride the best you can. An accurate test will be better than trying to force your horse into a false frame. A judge will much prefer to see you working straight, forward, with rhythm and impulsion.

GETTING YOUR TEST BACK

After you’ve ridden your test, cool your horse off, untack and groom him. When you’re done, it’ll be about time to pick up your test results. Not only can you get your score, but you can also read the judge’s comments on each movement you executed, and get an idea of where you need to improve. Don’t hold your breath for a score of 10 - aim for it, of course, but don’t be disappointed if your score sheet is full of 5’s and 6’s. This means you’ve done pretty well!

Any mark about 7 is something to be ecstatic about! A six means that the movement was shown adequately, and anything above that is fantastic! If you do receive some marks that are below five, that’s ok, you know what to work on for next time. As mentioned previously, judges will give you points for effort - so even if you couldn’t quite crack it for that correct canter lead the second time - at least you recognised the problem, and tried to fix it.

Most commonly low scores can be attributed to the rider - usually forgetting the movement! A score of 0 doesn’t mean terrible - it means ‘Not Shown’. For example, if your test called for an extension across the diagonal, and you totally forgot to ask your horse to extend his stride, you might get a low mark if the judge can tell that you have made no effort to extend the stride.

Some judges mark differently to others. Some higher, some lower, but all will give you their comments. It’s these comments that are very useful. You should always keep your test results, no matter how disappointed you are. They can really help target problem areas that you can ask your instructor to work through with you.

When you evaluate your test, think back to each movement. There will be reasons why you scored as you did, and hopefully these reasons are explained in the comments section. Another useful part is your collective marks, where you are scored as a rider, and the horse is given marks separately. This will tell you if your horse is carrying you through - or if you need to spend time working on his suppleness and obedience, for example.

Some comments are easy to understand. If you don’t show immobility in your halt, next time, halt and count to three slowly before asking your horse to move on.  If your comments say a movement was ‘rushed’, you know you need to spend time working on control, and working at a consistent pace. If your extension was ‘not adequate’ do some gridwork, and practice shortening and lengthening strides.

Above all, if you don’t understand the comments made, or can’t understand why you scored what you did, ask! If you have the opportunity after the show to ask the judge, do so politely, or talk to your instructor in your next lesson. Don’t be frustrated with poor scores; attempt to understand why the judge marked you in the way that he or she did, and work to improve! After all, practice makes perfect!

WHAT JUDGES ARE LOOKING FOR

In short, the judges are looking for a horse and rider pair who accurately complete each movement of the test, working together. Ideally, the pair will show great communication, so much so that aids appear invisible, the horse appears athletic, graceful and strong, and moves forward with energy. They want to see a nice quiet rider, with a lovely position.

Judges will also look for faults in your performance, so try not to show any!

Common faults can include...

• Resistance from the horse or pony.
• Tail swishing. (Can be a sign of resistance or discomfort)
• Rising on the wrong diagonal at the trot
• Forgetting to change diagonal at the trot when required(Which should always be done at X when crossing the diagonal!)
• Errors of course

Some judges will also mark you down for talking to your horse, depending on the level at which you are competing.

The right attitude in your test will earn you the respect of the judges, so remember your manners and always treat your horse with the respect he deserves, and reward him for a job well done.

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• Dressage horses for sale on HORSEZONE

• Dressage STALLIONS AT STUD on STALLIONZONE
• SELL a horse on HORSEZONE HERE

 

Thank you to The Stable Magazine for this article, which was originally published in their February 2015 issue. Check out The Stable Magazine online now for FREE. Read this article and many more at www.thestablemagazine.com