YOUR FIRST DRESSAGE SHOW

Here’s everything you need to know before you trot down the centre line for the first time.

First up, you need to choose a dressage test. You need to think about what you are riding at home and in your lessons. Are you happy to canter in your test, or would a walk and trot test be a better option? Speak to your instructor, and they should be able to help you make the best decision for you and your pony.

You’re allowed to have your test called out for you on the day, which is superhelpful, particularly if you’re feeling a little nervous. However, it’s still important to learn and practise all the movements so that you can ride the test from memory if necessary. This just gives you an extra bit of confidence going into your first test.

Over-preparedness is a real thing

Believe it or not, it is possible to over-prepare for your first dressage test. You should ride through your whole test a couple of times before the show, maybe in a lesson with your instructor, but after this, just practise the bits that need the most work. This is to avoid your pony starting to anticipate what is coming next or switching off on show day, as he knows the routine. If you are worried about forgetting the test if you don’t ride it enough, simply walk it on foot yourself or draw it out a few times on paper.

Kit list

• A dressage legal bit – There are rules about the kind of bit you can use in dressage. Make sure your bit is dressage legal before going to the show.

• White dressage square

• Long whip

• Gloves

• Show jacket

• Stain remover

On the day

One of the fantastic things about dressage is that you are given a specific time for your test. This makes it easy to work out what time you’ll need to arrive to get ready and warm up adequately. In the warm-up, practise bits of your test if you feel you need to, but otherwise, just make sure your pony is nice and loose before going into the test.

The test

Once the steward tells you to go in, you enter the arena or designated area. You then ride around the outside of the arena in a walk, trot or canter (according to your preference). You will be told when to enter the dressage arena by a buzzer or bell. Try and enter on your pony’s best rein so that you ride down the centre line as straight as possible.

Our best tip with dressage is not to be afraid of mistakes. You will make them! The most important thing is that you don’t dwell on mistakes or mess up the rest of your test because of a mistake you made early on. Keep going – the previous movement is over, and you are now being scored on the new movement.

Scores

In dressage, every movement gets a mark out of ten, and some movements like the free walk get two times the marks awarded – so the score you get for that particular movement is doubled. The judge will sometimes note down why you got the mark you did, and this information is invaluable for your future schooling sessions.

At the end of the score sheet, you will also receive marks for how you and your pony performed overall; these are called collective marks. They are also out of 10, and you receive them for the following (dependent on the type of test):

• Paces – A regular rhythm will boost your marks

• Impulsion – This is about your pony moving forwards off the leg and feeling energetic without being too speedy, which means he’ll be powering himself along from his back legs.

• Submission – The judge will be looking for your pony to be relaxed, moving freely and listening to you.

• Position and seat – Your position will be marked here.

• Effectiveness of the aids – This mark is given for how your pony responds when you ask for them to move forwards, slow down, turn etc.

Finally, there is a comment box where the judge will write general observations about you and your pony. The notes written here can be really valuable for improving your performance next time around, so make sure you read them carefully!