The corner letters K,F, M, H, are the same 6 meter distance from the corner, whether in a large or small arena. In a small arena you no longer have the sort of comforting R-S line and V-P lines, which are only 2 meters above the appropriate circle circumference.
A green rider can always hope that a preceding rider has left a proper line in the sand. ;):lol:
I just took my horse to her very first show today and did Intro B and C. I think if you can WTC, you are ready. You’ll get comments on what you need to improve, but it’s a learning experience. We need more bend in circles, better corners, and more straightness on centerline. All totally valid comments! But we still did quite well.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. We practiced last night and had a lesson with a visiting dressage trainer today, so I could find out what most needed work. I think my horse liked it.
@Pocket Pony thanks for that video. I’m too insecure to post one but promise to come back with my scores.
It it seems my main problems are “bend” and “impulsion, both of which I’m working on with my trainer.” I have to say, he got more impulsion when I carried the dressage whip today.
@Tanny98 I’d love to know how you do. Good luck and have fun.
OP my daughter went to her first ever horse show on a green horse (first ever show for the horse too) and did intro A earlier this year to get some show experience (Im excited to see anyone on here even mention this test!). She basically ran through the test, the horse listened well and she actually placed first. We were very surprised. The other horses doing Intro A were very green as well. She just went to her second show ever and again did the intro A and also Intro B. She and her horse have advanced and she was able take contact and bend better during the test. Her score went up over 10 points from her first show. She placed well again but the other riders/horses were less green this time. The judges comments were really encouraging and helpful and she knows what she needs to work on. She is looking forward to trying Intro C next time.
Good luck!
He did very well. Scored high 60s. Although we have been traveling for lessons over the summer, this was a new venue. It was chilly that day so he was wound up and tons of new horsey friends in the warmup to look at. He was getting more relaxed by the time we got to our second test, but I could tell it was a long day for him and he was pooped.
We scored pretty well. Our accuracy in the pattern was our strong point over all anything else I felt. Our contact was hit and miss, but he was hyped up some so that’s ok! We had a few relaxing moments (on circles and corners)… others were rushy (on the straight and across diagonal). All and all typical fun day for newbies at a schooling show.
No lie. We took our hunter pony and my then 6 year old kid to a schooling show for Intro A. There were 3 small rings all side by side and pony jumped out and through all the rings cavelletti sides. Good times.
my trainer always tells me for intro tests to
1.) halt and sulute AT x not before not after
2.) dont break from a trot to a walk, you want your transitions to be flowing and seamless
3.) acuracy is the key!!! dont loose points on the easy geometry! because if you do loose points on your transitions you can make up for it on your geometry
4.) when you posting (if you do) say this realllllyyy slow in your head “ooey gooey soft and chewy” I know its wierd but it makes your posting rythimic and soft
5.) HOW SLOW CAN YOU POST! the slower you post the again more soft you look
good luck i hope you have fun!
Most judges are looking for what everyone is posting. I had another experience with Intro C in a show. The judge actually gave me a 0 for a wonky canter transition and put remarks on the test that were in keeping with 1st/2nd level requirements. I really wish the test had been filmed because I would have sent it and the score sheet to the USDF.
I’m brutally honest with myself and the green horse I’m training but the remarks and scores given by this L program grad were way off. The show secretary added it twice because she didn’t believe the marks. I was very unhappy but learned a lesson to not show under this particular L grad again. I accept tough judging but not unfair/uneducated judging. I’m thankful that not all schooling shows go this way.
Hope your show went well!
That’s how I felt about my young horse’s first dressage show (circa 2008)! We stayed in the ring!! Success!!
Actually, though he was tense, he was pretty obedient and he was on the bit (because at that stage, if he wasn’t on the bit, I wasn’t in control). LOL. As I recall he got about a 68-70%. Needlesstosay, trainer said, “Enough. Looks like he isn’t going to try to kill you, so on to Training Level.” ROFLOL (My thought was, “Yeah, he didn’t try to kill me TODAY.”)
Can I ask you exactly what was the comment?
What do you mean by wonky canter transition?
The canter transition is supposed to appen in the first 1/4 of the circle. if you got it really late then the 0 is perhaps too harsh, as you did get it…but when?
I got the canter pretty late - probably a little after the 1/4 quarter of the circle. I’d expect a lower score but I think a 0 is a little overboard for a schooling show Intro C test.
I gave him a pat and said “Brav” (good boy) during a movement and she dinged me -2 for use of voice, which I deserved. However, then she gave me a 3 on rider effectiveness of aids and mentioned the use of voice again but nothing else. I usually score between 7-9 in that category.
I’m showing a client’s horse to get him used to dressage and the show ring since he’s a little hot. Wanted to give him mileage but wanted to have a fair judge. When I looked at the show results in total, I noticed party/clique-lines were drawn. Lesson learned. 
That does seem harsh. I think I got a 1 or 2 for trotting the canter circles in T-1 when my mare was about to explode. I think the judge was just grateful that I’d decided not to go on a suicide mission.
I agree Outerbanks. I’m honest enough with myself to know what I deserve and what I don’t deserve but I do expect fair judging.
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