New Test are Available

your local schooling shows should not be using the 2023 tests. The judges are not ready for them. And, as a mention , they should only put rides in small arena where they were written FOR the small arena

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Is T3 the only Training test that got changed at all? I’m not seeing much (any?) difference with T1 and T2.

I LOVE that they finally changed 4-3! That was the worst test for larger horses! Although when I was showing a GRP it was a blessing and he did so well against the big fancy horses because he was so maneuverable! Glad to see that test more rider friendly!

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4/3 is often the test that gets changed and vexes many people when they do.

I dont think anything was as pretty and fun as the PSG that had the “Niggli Squiggly” perhaps the 1987? when they finally changed it, such an uproar

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Omg, I hate the new 1-3! It’s so disorganized! Lots of long stretches of trotting on the rail doing nothing, and the canter tour is broken up so bizarrely with walk and trot - including a trot lengthening - between the leads. I can’t think of any other test at any level that has the canter broken up like that, including the FEI levels! It has no symmetry and seems so contrived and unnatural. Plus, why make the free walk even longer? It already wastes so much time. Ugh.

I really liked the old one, but if they wanted to change it, who came up with this?

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I don’t see the canter broken up at all except for a simple change across the diagonal?

Edited: for context, this is a reply to discussion of the new 1-3!

Movement 6, working canter right lead. Single loop, circle right 15m at C, lengthen M-F, change rein K-X-M and trot at X. Then at C, medium walk (movement 11).

Then the walk tour.

Then the left rein trot work - leg yield, circle right, trot lengthening M-X-K.

Then movement 17, canter left lead.

The trot and canter work are broken up. In this first level test, the tours are in this order: trot right, canter right, walk, trot left, canter left.

I mean, what is this? There is NO other test like this.

Edited: and the change of lead through trot is now one of those weird ones with a “stub” of canter that serves no purpose except to show the change of lead, movements 21-22.

Whoops! I accidentally opened the 2019 1-3 test :woman_facepalming:

Yeah, it is kind of odd and not symmetrical. It does follow the rough format of trot first direction, canter first direction, walk, trot second direction, canter second direction, but super awkward and jumbling all the movements.

It seems like a first level version of training level test 3.

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I just like that they have removed the transition from free walk-medium walk-trot-canter all within ~15-20m space. That was a hard movement for a first level horse IMO

Without having the words of the test writing committee one can only guess that the change was to soften that piece to get into the canter tours.

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My exact thought
 Maybe I’m dense, but I’m just not seeing the reason for uproar here.

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This!! Also as someone who has been doing 1-2 and 1-3, the 2019 tests having the EXACT same sequence free walk-med walk-trot-canter was really a PITA. So so relieved to see any change so that I’m not doing that same exact section in two tests over. and over. and over. again.

One interesting thing in the new first level test is that the canter lengthening and the transition to working canter are now one score instead of two. I haven’t decided if I think that will be to our advantage or not, ha!

3-1 looks identical – love the flow of that test!

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They also eliminated the half-pass/10 m circle/shoulder-in up center line in 4-1. I get why - that is a difficult set of movements to do well, as you have to have consistent bend, move from sideways to two tracks, then back to three tracks, and then back to two tracks, and maintain forward, impulsion, straightness and thoroughness. It is such a good schooling exercise. Plus SI on the centerline - you had better be exactly on 3 tracks and not waver one bit, plus have absolute control of the shoulders to straighten back to two tracks (in front of the judge!!) before your turn. The half-pass zig zag is now in 4-1 and 4-2, and we see SI to half pass in 4-3.

I understand why they did this, as 4th level is prep for FEI and half-pass zig-zags are everywhere, but I did appreciate the complexity and training benefit of that movement series in 4-1.

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Does anyone know if there will be symposium content/videos about the new tests available to USDF/USEF members?

Yes. The On the Level videos have been filmed. Not sure if they have been released yet. The go through each test and someone comentates the movements.

Our GMO is going to do something, just not sure what yet. I think last time we had a judge evaluating riders going through the new tests.

The CDS San Diego videos with Kristi Wysocki were a huge help with the last batch of tests - I hope someone does that again!

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Agree! Apparently it was against rules to post all those videos on youtube, but I’m glad someone did it as our GMO didn’t have a similar thing and the ‘on the levels’ videos came out much, much later

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