So what can be done to make Dressage more affordable?

[eightpondfarm]

@Feathered_Feet

And don’t forget how many people can’t sit the trot (no judgment from me on this, just stating a fact).

i can sit a trot…rising trot is my bugaboo right now. I don’t know i’m on it and have to ask and coach has to tell me all the time that she’ll let me know when i’m wrong. So, maybe i just get lucky, maybe my body remembers but my mind doesn’t?

In breed shows you can catch dressage class and compete against your own breed. That is sort-of a level playing field.

I was in my lesson yesterday and next student was observing and she said “what a clever pony.” My horse is about 16h and i feel she’s giant lol! told her: “pony”…hrrrrmph. i GOT a pony for ya…wait til you see HIM". (14h and cuuuuuute~!)

[McGurk]

You’ll find as you continue in your dressage journey that there’s a BIG difference in sitting a ordinary trot, sitting a good Training Level working trot and sitting the medium and collected trots required at Second.

Most experienced riders can do the first one competently. The fact that so few riders could sit a Training Level working trot without interfering with the horse’s gait is the reason the requirement to sit at Training and 1st Level was removed.

For myself, after a lifetime of riding, it still took months of lessons on a lunge line on a schoolmaster to be able to sit a true medium trot.

[Scribbler]

Sitting a true extended trot is not easy.

Even though the “educated” trot has more cadence than the “natural” trot, it’s still not easy.

Sitting a Western jog, a collected trot, and an under tempo working trot are generally easy enough.

Also the size of the gait matters. The catch 22 is that a horse with enough oomph to the gait to be able to do a nice medium or extended trot is generally going to be harder to sit. Whereas a smaller moving horse is easier to sit but has less dressage talent.

The directive to post through First Level is for the horse as well as the rider. Also you can do a lot to lengthen and cadence the stride with your posting speed.

[trubandloki]

@McGurk

You’ll find as you continue in your dressage journey that there’s a BIG difference in sitting a ordinary trot, sitting a good Training Level working trot and sitting the medium and collected trots required at Second.

OMFG, yes!
And I would not say my horse has a good training level trot but the difference between the comfy trot that I could sit all day and the ‘look I am using my back and pushing from behind’ trot is … well, no longer comfy to sit all day.

[eightpondfarm]

my coach has instructed me NOT to impede my mare’s big trot. i have contact, but no rein restraint. There is nothing about that trot i’d call normal, and it’s the only trot she has right now. I’m working on helping her keep the rhythm even from start to finish with seat/calves…up and down and going in the trot for anywhere from half a 20m to one long side…then back down. How i’ve gone about controlling it is to transition. We’re getting nice and quick on those transitions too. It has been harder for me to post than to sit.

[Jealoushe]

@McGurk

You’ll find as you continue in your dressage journey that there’s a BIG difference in sitting a ordinary trot, sitting a good Training Level working trot and sitting the medium and collected trots required at Second.

My abs agree

[Scribbler]

Yes this is all typical of the rushing running trot of an unbalanced green horse. It will take up to a year to get a balanced working trot on a circle, depending on horse and rider. Your instruction sounds correct for that stage.

After that it’s realistically a couple of years to start true collection and medium/extended trot comes after or along with collection.

Obviously the horses basic athleticism and balance, and the riders riding and training ability, affect the timeline. Training up your first dressage horse while learning the basics yourself will easily double your timeline.

You do need to learn to post. It will be useful later on.

[McGurk]

I had a lot of massage and chiro in between the lunge lessons on that (big-moving) schoolmaster.

I was often reminded of the adage “Dressage takes an old mind and a young body.”

[lorilu]

In the USDF All Breeds program, you compete against your breed/

[Cowgirl]

Sorry, but I disagree with you here. To get a 60%+ on a 6 mover is possible, but it requires the rider to be expert enough to get everything out of that horse it has. I have personally witnessed an international level rider show her husband’s (very well bred) cow pony in lower level dressage tests and get every inch out of that horse plus her riding was impeccable and she got a high mark for rider. Her highest score was a 64 or 65 and that was maximizing every non-gait type score, like halts and rider score. (AND the ride itself was beautiful to watch). The average amateur is not going to be able to do that. OTOH, I have seen mediocre riders pilot some pretty amazing horses, with gaits capable of 8.5+ get scores of 60 on them. That is way more common. I think a rider should be punished for getting a 6 on a horse capable of an 8.5. (And some of those rides were terrifically ugly and demoralizing–because of the resultant score above 60–for those on the 6 movers). If we had a path that focused on training and/or rider medals focused on seat and balance and effective use of aids and NOT on gaits as the baseline, then you might keep the interest of the base that you are losing.

[Zevida]

@Cowgirl

If we had a path that focused on training and/or rider medals focused on seat and balance and effective use of aids and NOT on gaits as the baseline, then you might keep the interest of the base that you are losing.

I think that was the point of the rider tests but they never caught on and don’t seem to be around anymore. They came and went while I was out of horses and showing so I don’t know why they never because popular. Any thoughts?

[soloudinhere]

Which is why I made the point that the gaits actually matter less the further up the ranks you go. As with everything, a test with fewer movements, each individual piece counts for more.

A 6 mover with correct work can in fact score well into the mid 60s above third level.

[horseshorseshorseshorses]

@Jealoushe

My abs agree

I am just dipping my toes into true dressage and got to sit on my trainers “he is fun to ride and I don’t intend on competing him” horse. I got some true medium and extended trots and there was NO way I was going to sit either of those. I have a strong core but I don’t think I would be able move the next day if I had.

[McGurk]

Has anyone mentioned the USDF Rider Awards (Bronze, Silver and Gold) Medal programs?

Or the USDF Rider Performance Awards?

You can earn them without a brilliant mover, without ever winning a class and in a relatively small number of shows. (You can get a Rider Performance Award in TWO shows, with 4 scores above 60%)

[kris0227]

I’ve debated whether to respond to all of this. I am one that has been pushed out of competitive dressage because of the cost. I used to show a couple of times per year, but it’s gotten so expensive I can’t do it anymore. And I’ll detail the issues leading up to this.

First off, @Manni01 or rather regarding her statement about the 2 shows in a weekend. I think you all completely missed her point. In order to qualify for regionals, you have to have 2 scores with 2 judges at 2 shows… WHY?!? Why does it have to be 2 SHOWS if you already have 2 different judges?!? Get rid of this requirement and just say 2 scores from 2 judges which will then help get rid of the 2 shows in a weekend which yes, they’re a money grab. Instead of paying 1 office fee, I have to pay 2… in fact, everything except stabling is then x2 including drug fees. It would make showing actually quite a bit less expensive if you JUST got rid of the number of shows requirement on all awards because if you have different judges then who cares how many shows you attended… except that USDF and USEF want to get their cut.

2nd, the shows in my area stopped allowing haul-ins (Pre-COVID, they had to allow it for COVID requirements) and you were REQUIRED to pay for a stall and bedding. One facility was $125 for the stall for a single day when I’d rather just show off my trailer. At this point, there are no shows within at least 3 hours of me (I haven’t bothered to look further for obvious reasons) that allow haul-ins now, because no one does, so no one has to to stay competitive. Stalls required.

Show Facilities - Ok, I know everybody likes the $100,000 footing… but maybe SAFE footing should be considered for shows. Huh? Well, I had a very rich AA proudly tell me (she didn’t know much about me apparently) that she’d complained to get the USEF to disallow the inexpensive facility because she didn’t like the footing. I’m sure she wasn’t the only one that complained, the footing was… gasp … sand. It didn’t have any rocks, yes, there was a little water when it rained. Not everybody can afford that fancy $100,000 footing at home and many (dare I say most) of the grass roots population doesn’t have access to that footing. Our horses are accustomed to working on varied surfaces and quite frankly, they don’t care. Because those rich AA’s complained, rated shows can no longer be held at that facility. I could show there as a haul-in and do a couple tests for less than $200 (not including the annual memberships which are obviously another issue), the facilities where they show now are no less than $500 to show a couple of tests in a single day because I have to rent a stall and I have to pay for bedding and cleaning said stall along with the class fees, office fees, etc are all much MUCH more expensive for this fancy facility.

We do have a lovely local circuit that I have showed on for years. I enjoyed it, but honestly, I’m to that point in life where I may just choose to improve on our own at home or just pursue other horsey passions. I had at once had aspirations for a bronze medal, but with each passing year, the likelihood of that happening decreases as the fees just keep going up and accessibility in general declines rapidly.

[Piaffe11]

The yearly membership fees in my area (Ontario) are ridiculous. Almost $400 and there are 4 shows in our area planned for this year.

As @kris0227 mentioned, the shows last year didn’t allow haul-ins. The rate we’re going right now, I don’t see that changing this year. So above and beyond the entry fees, there’s the stall, bedding and hay.

I want to show my horse more than once this year, but it will depend. Spending $1000 for a show that is 40 minutes from my barn is just too much.

[kris0227]

To clarify, our shows did not allow haul-ins in 2019. In 2020, they were required to allow haul-ins so people could show and then leave the grounds immediately to prevent people milling around. It would be lovely if they’d keep this model, but I seriously doubt they will, the facilities make too much money off the stalls.

[Feathered_Feet]

@kris0227

the shows in my area stopped allowing haul-ins (Pre-COVID, they had to allow it for COVID requirements) and you were REQUIRED to pay for a stall and bedding.

Stalls were REQUIRED?!? Unbelievable. I can see the rationale for the two-shows-a-weekend (not that I agree with it), but imo that is an egregious money grab.

[kris0227]

That is correct. Haul-in is not an option at ANY facility that does rated dressage shows within 3 hours of me. A stall for a weekend is over $200, for a single day, it’s at least $100+… which blows my mind since we aren’t in a particularly affluent area. I can board a horse at a nice facility with an indoor arena for $300-450 per month here.

[Manni01]

Thank you!!

Honestly I don’t care anymore if anybody wants to pay Office and drug fee twice and paying 2 horse registration fees and 3 membership fees per year is fine with me as well …

I pay one registration fee of about $10 for my horse and about the same for me per year and then I pay $11 per test in a show. And I think something like 2 Euro office fee and no drug fees because they are included in my membership already…
Ok I admit last year I was only able to go to one show because of Corona, most of them were cancelled and I am not sure if this year will get better but otherwise my 11 Euro show had amazing footing, 3 great judges and a beautiful facility… So I don’t believe at all that $1000 per show is necessary