'Fun' dressage test?

Ruby73

Ruby73

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Jun 14, 2015
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My RI decided we would do a prelim dressage test for fun in my riding lesson today. Oh my goodness. It was an absolute disaster! I completely went to pieces, forgot where I was going several times and was so tense I rode really badly :eek: She gave me 52 but I think even that was being kind...

How do people do dressage tests for real?! I found it terribly stressful and I honestly can't think of anything that went well during the test :(
 
Firstly I never try to remember them! You are allowed a caller so why not have one! Can you work out why you were nervous? If you just did an exercise where she called out instructions one after the other and she happened to call a test I'm sure you'd have been fine. What was it about Doing A Test that freaked you out?.
 
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Forget the word "test" and change it to "pattern"
For fun I will learn a pattern and ride it. It gives me something to do for five minutes in a session.

I longrein patterns as well though more likely intro a, b and the one I made up I call C :)
 
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KP nut said:
Firstly I never try to remember them! You are allowed a caller so why not have one! Can you work out why you were nervous? If you just did an exercise where she called out instructions one after the other and she happened to call a test I'm sure you'd have been fine. What was it about Doing A Test that freaked you out?.
Click to expand...

I think it was the whole idea of Doing A Test that sent my brain into a tizzy. There were a few people watching too, so I felt - probably mistakenly - very under scrutiny. My RI did act as my caller but I was so anxious my mind was in panic mode and I almost blocked her voice out.

Partly too I was riding a horse I'd only ridden once before and she put in a massive buck during our warm up canter which unsettled me, I think. She definitely picked up on my tension during the test and was quite tight in her body with cross looking ears, so I was worried about her bucking again but I just couldn't relax.

I'm riding again tomorrow on a horse I know a lot better so I might ask my RI if I can have another practice at 'patterns' rather than a 'test' (thanks @newforest).
 
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