Backyard dressagers, I want to go to a show

[eightpondfarm]

@Scribbler

So it really doesn’t attract an audience, people ride their test and then take their horse back to the barn.

i drove up to watch a bit of the regionals yesterday. It was surprising to me that there was so little audience… But i just thought that maybe there were just not many competitors. At the lunch break i took a little tour of the place (NEC in St.Charles, MO) and saw well over 100 stalls, maybe even twice that as i didn’t walk through the barns, just passed by the doorways, packed with horses and people in chairs in the packed aisles. I suppose it’s no big deal to watch other performers when you’ve beenthere/donethat many times.
While watching the performances, i was thinking about how nice it would be as an audience to watch the scoring in realtime. Like at a bowling alley. So much information could be passed along that way. I suppose it would call to task judges too much though.

Like OP, watching the event gave me confidence that i was ‘good enough’ to do this, and conditioned me to the hubbub of so many people. It does seem that few people are paying attention except the judges anyway…

[outerbanks77]

@eightpondfarm

While watching the performances, i was thinking about how nice it would be as an audience to watch the scoring in realtime. Like at a bowling alley. So much information could be passed along that way. I suppose it would call to task judges too much though.

I don’t know how it is with live spectating, but you can see the movement scores posting during the tests when watching the broadcasts of the bigger comps (like Festival of Champions that just finished up a few weeks ago).

[Long_Time_Lurker]

The technology to do that is expensive, so usually only used at the very expensive Big Deal shows. Scribing is a good way to hear scores and comments as they are being given.

[Pehsness]

So today I was running through the tests and yes, my homemade ring leaves much to be desired but in my anxiety riddled efforts to remember the tests I couldn’t ride a circle. Definite hardboiled egg geometry. And I won’t want to warm him up too much because he’s a cranky old man but being an old man he needs a good warm up. But then we’ll run out of steam for intro c.

Last week I thought we’d kill it. Today I’m picturing us never getting out of intro

[SillyHorse]

There’s no law that says you have to ride all three tests. You are free to scratch, and there’s no shame in it. If that’s what you decide to do, be sure to let the show secretary know as far in advance as you can. No one likes a “no show.”

[Pehsness]

Yes, that’s my plan. If I really lose confidence I’ll scratch c - I assume it will run last.

In case it’s not evident this has taken over my life. If all goes to plan in a few years we’ll be showing first and I’ll look back and cringe at what an idiot I was, but right now I’ve got tunnel vision.

[alicen]

@Equibrit

(A can of beer can be a helpful riding aid.)

Back in the day, and I mean way back, I had lessons with an instructor who requested that I arrive early so I could drink a beer, for relaxaton purposes, before the lesson. I was thrilled when she said that I didn’t need the beer anymore.

[Djones]

I will say this once and drop it- stop taking this so seriously.

If you’re this tight-minded about intro you are going to wear yourself out.

I loooove dressage for what it is…methodical, intentionally designed developmental learning and education. Please have fun and take a deep breath. Please consider taking a friend to wipe your boots and hold your test copies and hand you a bottle of water. I’ve shown solo and with my instructor and my gosh it’s ever so much easier and fun having her there. I can do it alone but I have to remember which person I handed my water off to

Just a thought!

[Pehsness]

Ha! Maybe the tone isn’t translating. I’m not taking it seriously! At least not to any serious degree

[SillyHorse]

@Pehsness

Last week I thought we’d kill it. Today I’m picturing us never getting out of intro

Normal, normal, normal. You’ll be fine.

[Pehsness]

We did it. We didn’t die, and I have to say I love this way of showing. I love the comments on the tests, so you know what exactly to work on. I love knowing exactly what time to go in to the ring… brilliant.

We got 61.9 for intro a and 61.3 for b. All I wanted to do was go in to the ring and make it happen. Kind of like a baseline. So now we can get down to business.

So question, is there a score one should aim for before moving up a level? I know online it says 60, but there’s no way my rides today merited moving up, so I’m curious. Should it be a season earning 65s? 70? I’m devising a plan (with my coach) to address all of the things identified on the tests for next year.

Dressage really is brilliant. How I WISH I could have done this in my formative years.

[Scribbler]

@Pehsness

We did it. We didn’t die, and I have to say I love this way of showing. I love the comments on the tests, so you know what exactly to work on. I love knowing exactly what time to go in to the ring… brilliant.

We got 61.9 for intro a and 61.3 for b. All I wanted to do was go in to the ring and make it happen. Kind of like a baseline. So now we can get down to business.

So question, is there a score one should aim for before moving up a level? I know online it says 60, but there’s no way my rides today merited moving up, so I’m curious. Should it be a season earning 65s? 70? I’m devising a plan (with my coach) to address all of the things identified on the tests for next year.

Dressage really is brilliant. How I WISH I could have done this in my formative years.

Wonderful!

I would take many factors into account about moving up. Your own nerves and ability, the horses attitude etc. Also you do not need to move up showing to start training at a higher level. You should be training higher than you show.

For you, nerves, learning ring craft and learning show routine are things to work on that might make it useful to do a few more shows at a level you now feel comfortable at doing.

Also it depends what comments and marks you lost.

Let’s take a totally different scenario. Trainer has a young horse, wants to get some show exposure. Only gets a 61 because of some baby horse bobbles they know will sort out with more saddle time. They might feel just fine about the next outing in a few months being first level (which is still pretty basic).

[Pehsness]

We mostly got 6’s across the board, a couple of 7s and 7.5s for our med walk . He needs to be more forward and supple, I need to be more balanced and effective. I had zero idea what to expect, and we’ve only been back riding after my concussion for a month, so I was ok with everything. And now I LOVE that I have a game plan!

[Pehsness]

And to answer my own question… I’m kind of feeling like I would really want a season of high 60’s, low 70’s. If we’re not achieving those scores… I don’t know, I’m not sure I’d feel right about it.

Can one stay in intro for multiple years??

[SillyHorse]

@Pehsness

We did it. We didn’t die, and I have to say I love this way of showing. I love the comments on the tests, so you know what exactly to work on. I love knowing exactly what time to go in to the ring… brilliant.

We got 61.9 for intro a and 61.3 for b. All I wanted to do was go in to the ring and make it happen. Kind of like a baseline. So now we can get down to business.

So question, is there a score one should aim for before moving up a level? I know online it says 60, but there’s no way my rides today merited moving up, so I’m curious. Should it be a season earning 65s? 70? I’m devising a plan (with my coach) to address all of the things identified on the tests for next year.

Dressage really is brilliant. How I WISH I could have done this in my formative years.

Well done! As far as scores go, 6 means satisfactory. The movement was performed, but lacked the qualities that would allow a judge to call it even “fairly good” which would merit a score of 7.

Personally, I have never considered moving up until I was scoring in at least the mid to upper 60s. But it depends on what your goals are. Moving up, only to get scores in the 50s, can be discouraging.

In addition to your scores, you want to consider that many people, and I think rightly so, feel it’s best to show at least one level below what you are schooling at home. So until you feel comfortable with first level movements, it could be best to stay at Intro. People will disagree, but IMO you are there to show the judge what you can do, not what you’re working on.

Can one stay in intro for multiple years??

Yes, of course. You can stay there for the rest of your life. But with the scores you got your first time out, I don’t think you’ll be in Intro very long.

[Pehsness]

Oh thank you! That is exactly the explanation I was looking for. 6 meaning satisfactory.

It was just such a good morning. One of those bucket list kind of days. Hopefully next year we’ll have company.

[MsM]

Great start! Low 60s generally mean to me that you are showing at the appropriate level. You can do what is required but lack polish etc. There are plenty of exceptions, of course in individual tests. Sometimes you are getting 7s and 8s but had a big spook that lowered a few scores. If you have a big, beautiful mover, you will score higher than an average or limited mover with the same training so you take that into consideration.

And then there are the tests themselves and the particular strengths of you and your horse. Some tests seem to suit different horses and riders even if they are supposed to be more difficult. At times only having big circles and long sides is more difficult for a nervous horse than a test that keeps them busy!

Enjoy the journey. Try out the tests with your coach and together you can decide what suits you in the future. (Currently I like First 2 and Second 2, but not First 3 or Second 1!)

[outerbanks77]

If you’re comfortable with cantering in a show setting, there’s no reason not to move up to training level. It also kind of depends on timelines. For instance, I showed my mare at training and first a couple times late last summer. I think we got a 67 at T-3 and like a high of 63 for in the first level tests (she is QH, not a fancy mover who is going to get 8’s for lengthenings or gaits). We went home and schooled for 11 months, then I showed her first and second a few weeks ago. Schooling the first level tests, they felt much easier than when we showed last year, and the 2-1 test felt very achievable at home. Next year I expect the 2nd level tests to feel considerably easier than they do now. In fact, I think showing 2nd pushed us to where our work quality has leveled up in the last couple weeks. So I’d say, don’t be afraid to stretch a little, because that is where the growth happens. If your horse is steady and obedient, there is no reason not to start the training tests and aim towards first. Enjoy!

[Pehsness]

Thanks!

Right now the plan is to work hard all winter and do training next summer, but after today I’m thinking maybe stick to intro for a bit longer - or find a winter series to see if we can improve the scores. How fun to think about all of it!