Scared! First test!

[RachelBraz]

Ok it's only a prelim 7, but I'm really worried! I've had the ride on my friend's horse for a few weeks now, and I've only had a couple of lessons and a few schooling sessions, but I've managed to get myself talked into entering for a dressage test!
The thing is, I have a habit of getting very wound up before any kind of competition, I remember before my first showjumping round ever I bit the heads off my mum, my best friend, my best friend's mum and the collecting ring steward one by one! ARG! lmao (luckily I left the head on my pony and we got all the way to the third fence before being eliminated! Not bad, eh?!)
I'm planning on taking some Bach flower remedies and maybe some Kalms tablets, and lots of horlicks the night before... I don't want to overdose but any more suggestions?
And to keep this slightly more horse related, any suggestions on how to work my horse in without getting her or me tight? I was schooling today and rode the test, and before we started I had Cracks lovely and soft and round and through, and I was cantering large around the arena no problem (she has a habit of motorbiking the corners and accelerating along the long side), but as soon as I got to the second canter in P7 we went completely tense and got the wrong leg and made a complete mess of the whole thing!
Anyway the show is next saturday 21st (at Sparsholt College in Hampshire, anyone else going?) so I will post on here any pictures and how I did!
Rachel

[can't_decide]

when you're practising, ride lots of different tests as i find that riding a specific test is a very different experience to general schooling. but obviously don't ride prelim 7 over and over again!! i don't know if it's relevant to you and your horse but i always ride differently if i'm riding an actual test, even just for practise, so i do loads so i get used to it.

have fun and good luck :D

[Eli_Jay]

Getting wound up is not nice :( My advice is not to practice the whole test over and over, just practice parts of it each schooling session (this way the horse still maintains its interest) and try not to fret, my first test involved me confusing the judge so much that she got out of the car - lmao~! and you wouldn't have been asked to ride your friends horse if they thought you'd do badly, obviously people have faith in your riding ability :)

[RachelBraz]

Thanks you two for your comments!
I had a brilliant schooling session with Cracks yesterday, even while her owner was watching (that usually winds me up as I want to do well!) I was in a really good mood as it's my last week at school this week and I'd had a really fun jumping lesson on another horse on Monday (first time I'd taken off in a year and a half!), and Crackers was so good! Walk was nice and relaxed, the trot was springy and forwards (she usualy springs but doesn't go forwards) and the canter (which poor Crackeroo has so much trouble with, she tenses up and changes back and forth in the right canter, and goes on three tracks in left canter) was really good, relaxed on the circle and I got her to stop changing on the long side in right canter! So I'm chuffed, much more confident, especially as I practiced my canter test movements and they went ok!
In fact I'm so confident that I've entered for a prelim 4 test on the 28th of May as well! :D
Fingers crossed!!!
Rachel

[Cheeky]

Heya ...

I thought I wuld b worried on my first test- I was totally calm which made my horse calm. Dont worry about it :) Ignoor anyone if they are watching - but if u cant help but notice, then show off ** hard work! You have worked your way to a DRESSAGE TEST level - be proud! I am sure that everything will run smoothly :) goodluck

[RachelBraz]

Well I'm very pleased, we did a Veteran class and came 2nd so that set me off well for a good dressage test! The warm-up arena was absolutely waterlogged (it really chucked it down all morning and early afternoon!), there was a big puddle at A and practically a water jump at E, so we scooted round those and got a grand total of 10 minutes of warming up time before I was called! (So many people hadn't turned up because of the rain that they slotted me in an hour early). Cracks knew it was a test and so she tensed up accordingly, but (from the video mainly) we did a good test, the canters were the best (surprisingly!) and she began to settle a little. I was quite pleased as it was in the indoor school and the judges' box is open, so when I rode past at one point I heard the judge giving me a six, which made me relax a little!!!
I think the class was marked a little high (but consistently so) and the winning score will be 73.5% or above (wasa the highest when I left) and most of the scored were in the 60% region (lowest I saw was about 58% I think), but...
I got 64.5%! :D YAY!
Rachel

[Hollymead]

Well done Rachel! That's a great score for your first test. Onwards and upwards :D