Help remembering dressage movements

Nierva

Nierva

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Mar 13, 2023
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Hi all, I’ve been doing some intro level practice dressage tests with my coach. I don’t have any problem remembering the letters in the arena or what a 20 metre circle should (!) look like any more, but am still struggling to remember where to to go/which letters to use to help me with “half” circles and three loop serpentines.

Does anyone have any personal tips or useful links which could help me visualise it better for when I’m riding? I’d like to be able to physically walk these things out on foot to get them firmly ingrained in my head so I don’t worry about them and end up messing things up and losing confidence/getting frustrated when I’m actually on a horse. I would ideally like a bird’s eye view using a small dressage arena - most of what I have found so far uses the larger arena which is too confusing for me at this stage!

Many thanks in advance. 😃
 
Jessey said:
Practice is the best thing really, but you can buy small white boards with an arena on them so you can draw your test onto it to help you remember it, which sounds like what you are after.
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Thanks! I think that could be really helpful once I actually understand all the terminology properly. 🙂 I feel like I’m really still at step 1 for now, though, i.e. just working out what all the things mean, where I need to start and finish circles, etc. I just can’t consistently get my head around how to form half circles and serpentines in particular.
 
Ah ok I get you, I think everyone learns slightly differently there, it's a bit like map reading! A standard school is 20x40 meters, so a 20m circle is half the length of the school, 10m is 1/4 the length and half the width, so knowing that I can work out where I need to be by dividing it in my mind into a grid - that sounds way confusing but it's not honest!
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Bd have an app “test pro”. It has all the tests in there and various ways to learn. You can see the movements drawn out to start to show you where to go. Then you can start to learn them by drawing on the app and it gives you prompts. There is also the choice for the test to be spoken to you.

Also bd do hard copies of the tests. You can choose to get the tests with diagrams on laminated sheets that you can keep. Those can be found in the bd shop.
 
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I bought print outs of the dressage tests I did. I printed some at home on A4 paper and others I bought on line.
I was taught a rhime to remember where the letters are but still dont know the letters except for A and C and X. I remembered the shapes that I was riding.
I did have some laminated sheets but I prefered my paper print outs as I could fold them up and put them in my pocket.
 
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@Skib if I was bd tests then actually you were breaking the law. They are copyright so they can make lots of money with people having to buy the tests. They do a5 paper sheets that you can fold up. The diagram ones only come in a4 laminated tho.

BE however are quite happy for you to print out and all the tests are on their page.

A King Elephant Has Crushed My Bloo** Foot was the cheeky one my instructor taught me when I was a child 😂
 
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Jessey said:
Ah ok I get you, I think everyone learns slightly differently there, it's a bit like map reading! A standard school is 20x40 meters, so a 20m circle is half the length of the school, 10m is 1/4 the length and half the width, so knowing that I can work out where I need to be by dividing it in my mind into a grid - that sounds way confusing but it's not honest!
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This is fab, thanks! What was a half 20 metre circle again, though?
 
Doodle92 said:
@Skib if I was bd tests then actually you were breaking the law. They are copyright so they can make lots of money with people having to buy the tests. They do a5 paper sheets that you can fold up. The diagram ones only come in a4 laminated tho.

BE however are quite happy for you to print out and all the tests are on their page.

A King Elephant Has Crushed My Bloo** Foot was the cheeky one my instructor taught me when I was a child 😂
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Your poor foot! 🤣
 
If you are doing a half 20m circle from E Or B then you need to visualise a point on the center line half way between X and half way between A or C. The arena is 20m wide. And 40 long. So half a 20m circle is 10m wide. So your points are E, half way between X and the end of the school and then B. (Or vise versa)

A half 20m circle from A or C is simply from A/C to X.
 
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Doodle92 said:
@Skib if I was bd tests then actually you were breaking the law. They are copyright so they can make lots of money with people having to buy the tests. They do a5 paper sheets that you can fold up. The diagram ones only come in a4 laminated tho
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I worked in publishing and bookselling so I know about copyright. Maybe you are right to remind people. But I dont need to be w arned.

I bought them legally in a blue plastic folder. At considerable cost, you are right. Possibly at Olympia one year. For I have them all (as of that date) including the grand prix. I dont think it infringes copyright to make a copy to take to the RS for my own personal use. It would infringe copyright if I were to make copies for you.
I must have loved riding those tests becuse I feel quite nostalgic for those lessons and those pre Covid days,
 
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Fair enough. I read your post wrong.

I do think they are a bit mean that you can’t even take a picture and show a friend.
 
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I think you can show a friend. I showed the RI who held my copy in her hand and called it out for me.
My children years ago used to play in music competitions and there was the same problem. One had to have 2 legal copies of the music. One for the child to play from and one for the judge. My daughter was something of a clarinet virtuoso and OH and I had to go to Paris to the flat of the widow of the composer to obtain a second legal copy.

Just to be clear. I didnt learn to ride till I was old and I have never had the fitness or stamina to ride a complete dressage test. I would stop the horse half way through the test, get my breath back and then complete the test.
 
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