So why care about other riders above your level? For all you know people are saying you won’t move up just to win.
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57% is kind of like C minus in a college course. You passed but barely. There were 4 other rides at this level; you didn’t see them yet clearly they all got below 57%? My guess is this area is struggling to fill upper level classes and everyone in the class was pushing it to ride above their real level of competency. Maybe some of them had better position but their horses couldn’t do the moves. Who knows.
So now you know there isn’t depth to the pool of PSG riders locally. That doesn’t mean there isn’t competence at Level One. We’ve had this discussion before on COTH, most riders never go above Level One.
Just do your thing and don’t get sucked into cliques of railbirds either for or against certain riders.
You might want to avoid taking lessons with the trainer responsible for this, because it suggests a lack of self awareness.
But nobody else’s bad riding and low scores at PSG has any impact on your own journey to ride Training and Level One.
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In Canada if there is one entry in a class the ribbon awarded is based on the score. I can’t remember, but don’t think 57% will earn a first.
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??? You are riding Training level and consider to ride with a Double Bridle… Somehow you are missing something. The double bridle is not supposed to keep your horse in the right frame… The horse is supposed to get into the right frame by your correct riding…
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Manni she was trying to be an a** towards your comment. Don’t waste your time.
How dare you show 4th level riding like crap!! That’s her point. Her point is riders shouldn’t show until everything is perfect, at least in front of her while she’s standing at the rail. Let’s not offend the training level riders after all.:lol:
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Please learn how scores are given. RIght now in the FEI tests (such as PSG), “Rider position” gets 10 out of 340 points. Scores for each movement do not include rider position except as it interferes with the horse’s ability to do a movement (for example, a rider inthe wrong position may result in a 6 for a movement rather than a talented rider getting a 7 or 8). Additionally, did you know that at the FEI levels you qualify for Regionals with a 60%? Not far from the 57 your example got. A 57 is a respectable FEI score at local competitions -
ANd frankly you should move up with a 69 at TL3. you DO realize those percents are NOT analogous to school grades? (Do you know the “words” that the numbers mean?)
And I should ask just what movements you were practicing on that schoolmaster. Again I ask - what kind of big trot? Canter and walk are easy to sit - changes, too. And of course P/P is fun and relatively easy to sit.
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Yes I agree with you totally and I never wanted to offend training level riders, why should I?? My answer was specifically for her and not for training level riders in General.
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And clearly you offended her sensibilities.:yes: Your point was missed entirely.
My training level riders comment was because that’s what the OP shows.
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I wonder where the OP lives… If the PSG was 5 or 6 riders and the best one was 57% what did the others get :eek: ?
OP said she is new to the sport…new eyes see things from a different perspective. I think as I get older and have been swimming in the same dressage pool for over 20 years I have more of an understanding or tolerance for riders who don’t have the best equitation. Everyone has there own set of strengths and weaknesses and as observers/rail birds none of us knows what a person may be dealing with either physically or mentally. Truthfully it is hard to watch especially at the upper levels but I know that person is doing the best they can with the skills they have and that is enough.
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Well thank you all for putting me in my place down in training level. Now I know better and will not ever pose questions to you upper level riders again. Thank you Scribber for trying to understand my point/question
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That 69 score put me in 4th place. We have so many good low level riders. Or perhaps no one is moving up because we are too worried about not being good enough.
Thank you for clarifying how points are calculated and yes I realize that those are not school grades. The 69 was on my first schooling show. Been working with my mare for a while to get past rearing. She has a huge trot and I’ve worked very hard to be able to sit it.
I think you have to remember that most AAs riding at the upper levels have been working away at this for a VERY long time, and have various aches, pains and disabilities to go with it, AND those of us who are a bit older haven’t had the training opportunities that you young folks have had, especially out in the dressage hinterlands, so no, we don’t have the shining equitation that you would like to see.
Consider yourself extremely fortunate that you have had the opportunities you have had to make you so much better a rider than those of us who grew up before the age of dressage enlightenment, but give us a break, we’re all out there trying not to suck.
And a 57% for an adult ammie at FEI really isn’t horrible, especially if they haven’t been doing that level for long. It doesn’t really equate to the same score at the lower levels, but you’ve kind of got to do it to understand it.
Sometimes I wonder if people get really caught up in the international scores and assume that everyone can score like that. Well, no, we can’t, neither can our nice but not international quality horses. But, we go out there, we have fun, we don’t hurt anyone apart from apparently making a few railbird’s eyes bleed, and we pay for your sport, too.
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Gosh I wish I was a young AA. I failed in hunter jumper world after a bad accident and was terrified to jump again. After having kids started school I was able to buy my first horse. Have been working my ##$ off to pay for a lesson here and there and mucking paddocks on weekends along with my full time job to pay for this sport.
I read and watch everything I can get my hands on in an effort to get better at riding. Maybe I’m too hard on this rider but it was hard to watch after I let her build up such a different picture in my mind. Big fish in a small pond.
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Yeah, it’s not really just about the riding. I bet if you saw a total stranger riding like that you’d shrug and turn away. You’re ticked off because you believed her and feel cheated or lied to.
Moral of the story is never believe anyone’s assessment of their own riding ability until you see them ride. That goes for people coming to try out lease and sales horses, or instructors evaluating new students. People can be way too modest or way too unrealistic about their riding. Or just have a very different style than you expect.
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Moral of the story might actually be that you might not know what you’re looking at. I don’t know that this rider, right now, is actually capable of making an assessment of what is or is not good riding. In other words, don’t judge what you don’t understand.
I can only only assume by making this thread that she seems to feel she could have done better. That’s a whole lot of ego for someone going to schooling shows and taking a couple lessons “on a schoolmaster.” I’m really not willing to judge based on this one person’s assessment. It’s fine if she feels lied to, but it’s really easy to tell yourself that when really you’re jealous as h**l and are doing it to make yourself feel better that you’re really the superior rider here.
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My tip for the OP!! Don’t really believe what anybody tells you until you see them riding.
And if you want to progess with your riding, develope a plan and go for it. Show whatever you think fits for your plan. And if its a bit bumpy in the beginning so what… When I started to show 4th level my scores were horrible but it really helped me to evaluate what we needed to practice…
Its all great if you have trainer coming several times a week but if you don’t some things are just harder… And what I want to tell you don’t look at other people and how they ride…It doesn’t really matter… Imortant are your goals and how you reach them… In your situation focus on your horse and how to keep it sound and happy and then you can improve your riding and try to move up the levels…
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Life Lesson RE: Showing
Sometimes you are the Pigeon.
Sometimes you are the Statue.
If you are seriously interested in improving your ride, next show AFTER it is over, try to speak with the Judge(s) about your score.
Do NOT bring up other rides - they are None of your Beeswax.
& Shame on your coach for being a gossip.
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I think the training model of dressage and the modern business model of competitive dressage is that they presume or require really different things of the rider:
Dressage training always assumes complete knowledge and competence of the rider, i,e. he (probably a man) has already been to GP and so he’s bringing up the horse from what he knows; he’s giving the horse the ride he needs in order to get there. Modern business, on the other hand, more and more seem to be composed of trainers and riders/clients. Nothing about the latter presumes equitation skill. And sometimes, I think limited time so many working ammies have to put into their riding plus the possibility of having a pro put rides on your horse means that the showing rider is not required to be ahead of his horse in terms of skill, fitness and knowledge.
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