6 minute read
Dressage Coach Jessica Gale asks - When to move
Rachel & Ben...
Advertisement
Rachel was visiting a private farm in Rosewell, Scotland, to ride her friend’s horse, Ben. She was thrown from the horse after attempting to mount him which resulted in her fracturing her spine in four places as a result of the fall.
Rachel called for help, and after trying to describe her location for about 5 minutes, the handler asked if she could share the what3words address. She identified her what3words address as ///parsnips.risen.bulky. Using this information, the call handler was able to immediately locate Rachel, and the Ambulance Service arrived within twenty minutes to take her to the hospital. Rachel recalls her experience: “I was a woman all on my own with spinal injuries, and the ambulance service was able to prioritise me. I was so relieved that they found me quickly, I don’t even want to think how much worse the pain would have been if I had to wait any longer. “I was honestly so relieved I had the what3words, you never really think that stuff like this can happen when you are doing things that seem ordinary. It’s really important to have the app on your phone just in case.”
WHEN TO
MOVE UP A LEVEL?
This is a question that every rider asks themselves. When is the right time to move up a level? Is it too soon? Should I have moved up earlier?
It can be one of those questions that can have you going back and forth and I’ve seen many a rider spend months in that conundrum! Ultimately though every single rider is different; with different goals and aspirations, different horses, different experiences. What is right for your friends or fellow competitors might not be right for you. So, ultimately the focus has to be on what is the right decision for you and your horse. There are a few questions you can ask yourself that will help you to clear up exactly where you’re at and whether now is the right time to make that move up. Is this move going to help you to achieve your goals with your horse? I speak about it a lot but setting goals is really important. It helps to keep you motivated and gives you a direction both for your training and for competing. Everyone’s goals are completely individual to them and the reason why one person competes will be very different to another person. JESSICA GALE IS A BDCC AND UKCC LEVEL 2 COACH WHO HAS COMPETED UP TO SMALL TOUR. JESS COACHES RIDERS UP TO SMALL TOUR AND RUNS ‘DECOMPLICATING DRESSAGE’, A SITE DEDICATED TO ACCESSIBLE DRESSAGE TRAINING AND INFORMATION. THE SITE INCLUDES PODCASTS, TRAINING ARTICLES, VIDEO INSTRUCTION AND CHALLENGES.
Continued from previous page...
So its really important that firstly, you are very clear on why you are competing in the first place: - Do you use it to see how you’re doing in your training? - Is it because you want to win or qualify for a championship? - Is it because you enjoy seeing your friends and it’s a fun social time for you? - Is it because you want to get to a certain level? Think about why you compete and what your goals are at the moment (both your competition goals and your training goals) and see if going up a level aligns with those goals that you have set yourself. Your goals work almost like an equine version of a moral compass to help you to make decisions that are going to benefit you and your horse in the long run. Can you ride the movements for the next level confidently at home? This brings us quite smoothly onto my next point: what level are you training at? Before you move up a level you want to make sure that you are confident riding the movements required for the level you want to compete at. So say you’re thinking of moving up to Novice level; you need to make sure you are able to ride a counter canter and a medium trot and canter. And if you want to make the move up to Elementary you need to make sure you are confident with your leg yields and simple changes. I always suggest training a level above the one you compete at. So if you are competing at Novice you should be training at Elementary level at home. It has double the advantage for you because it means that you will be stepping down a level in competitions so you will feel more confident and, in comparison to your training, the movements and requirements should be relatively easy. And whilst you are competing, you will be consolidating and becoming confident in the work at the level above so by the time you come to compete at that level you should feel confident and ready to go. Try looking at some tests for the level above and running through them at home to see how it is to link all the movements together. Sometimes it can seem really easy to do the movements alone but when you have to link them together it suddenly seems more difficult. If you are able to run through the test and feel confident in the movements then it sounds like you are on your way. How are you and your horse feeling at shows? I think this is a really important one to talk about because there are some horses (and people for that matter) who really step up and feed off the atmosphere of a competition and there are some who feel nervous, anxious or pressured.
Are you happy with your current scores? I’m not a fan of just using scores to determine when the right time is to move up a level. They can be impacted by so many things. However, it’s always a good idea to think about how happy you are with your scores at the moment. Everyone’s idea of a ‘good’ score is different: some would be happy to get over 60%, some wouldn’t be happy unless they’re in the 70’s and for some, the score is irrelevant. If you look at your test sheet and you can see loads of areas where you still feel you could improve then maybe it’s worth holding off for a bit and really confirming the work you’re doing now before moving up. If either you or your horse does get nervous or anxious, or the other way and they get overexcited, and you’re still not able to get that easy clear round, it may be better to hold fire and focus instead on building your confidence in the arena with these easier tests. That problem will still be a problem at the higher levels but you will also be having to ride harder movements and sequences. You’re much better working and fixing the problem now before you move up. A horse’s welfare is always the number one priority so consider whether this move will benefit you and your horse. What does your coach think? It may seem simple but people rarely do it. Ask your trainer outright if they think you are ready. They will be the person most likely in the know about what you are capable of, where you’re at currently and if you’re ready or if it would be beneficial for you to make that transition up. So keep these points in your head for the next time you start wondering when to move up a level to help clarify what you’re really thinking. Remember, the main reason we all do this is for fun, to enjoy it and because we love our horses. So any decision you make that will make you enjoy dressage more, and that puts your horse’s welfare as priority, is always going to be a good decision in my book!
