For memorizing tests it hels to draw them out. If i know the grounds I’ll be showing at I try to visualize myself riding the test in those rings and practice how I will ask my horse for an extension / half pass based on his stronger or weaker sides. It’s also really important that I center myself before starting my warm-up and going into the ring. I want my breath to be deep and not holding anywhere in my body that I shouldn’t be. I use the corners to not only set up my horse for the next movement but to check in and body scan myself to make sure I’m breathing.
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“If you want to hit the centerline the first try, you can ride an appropriately sized 90 degree turn in the corner of the court, go straight, then do another appropriately sized 90 degree turn onto the CL which will, when well ridden, score a boatload higher than doing half a 10 m circle. Sheesh!”
A 90 degree or “square turn” is something that a lower level rider (to whom I was addressing my comment) is not ready for. To ask that of a lower level rider is a recipe for disaster, not a “boatload higher” mark. Not sure what the “sheesh!” is about, but whatever. I know my students get very high marks for their CL trips and that is what I teach them until they are ready for square turns.
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I said a 90 degree change of direction in the text preceding that you quoted, nobody does an absolutely square turn.
As I also said in my original response, doing a 10m diameter 90 degree change of direction is not appropriate for all levels. That’s the point.
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I was curious about the turn onto centerline discussion, so I looked it up on the USDF website. Here is what it says:
“Half circles of ten meters in diameter are used in First Level tests and also at training and First Levels for turning down the center line at the conclusion of the test. But at Second Level and above, instead of making a half-circle to go down the final center line, the tests require the horse to turn onto the center line—a more challenging directive because the turn is less gradual.”
http://www.usdf.org/edudocs/competition/geometry.pdf
This whole article had some good tips on ring craft related to ring geometry.
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There are no corners in circles. If you are on a circle at A, then you need to cut the corners.
If the test calls for trot diagonal hxf, then 20 meter circle at A, then down the long side
you would ride deep in to the corner f-a, cut the next corner (because you are circling), cut the f-a
corner at the end of the circle, go deep into the a-k corner.
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Halts - I learned something from Anky on Salinero. He never could halt and stay in the halt, so Anky did a very rushed salute in order to catch up with the horse as he continued on…so now I make sure the halt is square and the stand in as long as I make it. The point is to avoid anticipation.
We also do not back up much, to avoid the dreaded step back at the halt.
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Always use your corner’s as others have said.
If your horse has a moment where he/she attempts to turn into a giraffe or a giant horse eating monster may have appeared. Just keep going and don’t let it shake you to hard. Yes maybe bad score for that move but the more shaken you are the rest of the test the more the horse will pick up on it.
My own horse occasionally has a moment where he thinks he is back on the track again…
GEOMETRY!!!
I can’t tell you how many stretchy circles I’ve judged or scribed for that are partial squares - ridden deep into the corner, on the short side! Know when it is a corner and when it is NOT! A 20 meter circle has no corners. Going through the short side to a 3 loop serpentine has ONE corner, then one loop of the serpentine, NOT a 2nd corner.
Riding a shallow single loop serpentine (trot at Tr level, Canter at 1st level) needs to go to X - don’t make it too shallow.
20 meter circles touch (TOUCH only) both sides of the arena - but they are circles, so don’t trot along the long side for several strides otherwise it is an oval.
Stretchy circle requires contact - don’t throw the reins away and hope the horse will lower its head. OTOH, free walk should be FREE - as loose a rein as possible (don’t restrict the horse’s freedom).
Lots of other good points here, so I won’t reiterate those.
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When you are just riding in the ring, maybe not working on a particularly movement, always, always ride correct corners, always, always work for that turn up the centerline. Always, always ride your transitions correctly. always always deliberately start a movement at a letter.
That way that is stuff you never need think about in a test. You automatic brain takes over, letting you worry about remembering your test.
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Read Laura Graves’ article in USDF Connection (came yesterday) about how she got to her 80%. It is applicable to EVERYONE, even if we don’t have to go from passage to extended walk.
I have a trainer who is somewhat obsessive about centerline entrance and finish. We work on them often. There are days I want to pound my head on the rail, but once at the show - I’m thankful for that attention to details. Test riding is both art and science.
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