exactly. I broke them down to memorize the same way as hunter rounds, logical series of combined moves
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This really nails it for me. We don’t practice this - in fact when I ride through tests with my instructor she really encourages me to take advantage of not being at a show and do things that I wouldn’t be able to do in a real test. Of course, everything in moderation I suppose. Setting aside time to ride just the test, or portions of it, and go in with the mindset to just ride through it (and nitpick later!) is sounding more and more like what I need to do.
Lol you’re assuming I can remember the dressage letters to begin with!
I suppose fortunately for me, the tests are all just shapes and patterns in my head already. I was helping a friend review her test before she went in the ring and I looked like a deer-in-the headlights when she started saying things like “lengthen trot H to P” instead of “zoomies on the not-quite-diagonal” 
I assumed everyone’s brain worked like mine 
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Try using each movement to prepare for the next.
Many years ago Training Test 3 had a series of small movements at consecutive letters (going from free walk to working walk to trot to canter) that were tough to ride in the 20x40m arena. As soon as I stopped trying to make each gait better and started using each to prepare for the next transition, every gait improved as well as every transition.
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Mine does! I would usually remember tests not by actual letter, but more like “corner letter” “middle letter” or “in-between letter” (the RSVP ones). Or sometimes just a string of code. To me, the canter tour for Grand Prix is “2EZ1PP” for 2-tempis, extension, zig-zag, 1-tempies, pirouette, pirouette”. The shapes are just diagonal, diagonal, zigzag up the middle, diagonal, up the middle.
Of course, my favorite part of any test is “halt, salute, go home.”
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drills with cones and poles! My coach set up an exercise for us yesterday that didn’t allow much room/time to turn in a ‘cancer ribbon’ sort of arrangement. And then switched up the pattern for us to ride. When doing a tight pattern like that, that comes up very quickly it requires focus, directional attention and precision. I only got it right about 2/3 the time! Because occasionally i/we(mare and i) couldn’t hit the shaft between the poles and had to ride along the outside of them.
How does that help with an actual test?
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Spoken like someone who doesn’t own/ride Arabians.
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Really? Are you telling me you can enter the ring, let your horse go, and your horse will perform a test by itself? That’s remarkable. 
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When my grand prix horse was in training and first level, she was so insecure that knowing the test was a comfort to her. I could only ride the highest test of the level (so that I could qualify and ride in championships) and we practiced it a lot. She never tried to take over at those levels. As she became more secure at horse shows, knowing the test became a detriment because she would take over or would be less expressive. Then I had to ride other tests of the level to break things up, and school tests very very rarely.
Exaggerate much? But, yes, if you ride a series of maneuvers more than a couple of times on a very smart horse, like an Arabian, they will absolutely “memorize” what they believe should be next. And it is very, very, very difficult to untrain that habit. It why I almost never rode full hunter courses at home on my old Half Arab hunter and why I don’t ever practice reining patterns or perform common maneuver sequences at home on any of my current Arabs or Half Arabs.
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No, I don’t. I said that a horse won’t memorize a test, and you implied that an Arab would. Many horses will anticipate if your drill a series of movements. Arabs aren’t special in that regard.
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I don’t have time for silly pedantic arguments. Of course no horse thinks, “Okay, today we’re doing Training 1”. But, if you haven’t ridden Arabs, then I guess you don’t understand how quickly they pick up on patterns. You don’t have to “drill” a series for them to memorize the sequence.
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LOL, I love when someone can’t defend what they wrote, so they just double down. Enjoy your Arabs.
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And I love when someone clearly isn’t capable of reading for context and pretends to be an expert about something they don’t understand.
Oh, please. You CLEARLY implied that your Arabs can memorize tests. Again, enjoy your Arabs.
So, the point I want to make is that riding a test once in a while will not cause your horse to memorize or otherwise anticipate. If I ride for at least six or seven minutes at a stretch and once every three or four days those six or seven minutes is a test, a horse cannot know what is a test and what is not. Not even an Einstein Arab. 
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LOL, Arabians or you can also include Welsh Cobs. Owned/ridden/shown both and they definitely do memorize tests in my limited experience 
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I will agree but also have made that huge mistake in the past of drilling and showing the same test for a couple of years. Have definitely had anticipation issues when switching a test at the same level from during a test change year like this one. Made me have to convince said mount that no, this is what we’re doing now. Problem does resolve with the exception of those who equate coming through the corner across the diagonal as always a medium or extended gait - does force one to train better and get your horse listening to your aids.
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The first time I showed my old horse in an indoor he was worried by the judge at C so she gave him a peppermint and for the rest of his life I struggled to keep him going when we got to C because he was always looking for a snack. They’re definitely capable of making connections.
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And my horse gets excited when he hears the grain cart coming. Of course they can make connections, but that’s hardly the same as learning a dressage test.
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