The Potomac Valley Dressage Association’s Fall recognized show was this past weekend. Here’s a couple of things I observed. I’m just tossing them out as potential topics for discussion.
Caveat: I’m sorry to be critical, because goodness knows the Fat Boy and I still can’t do what these people are doing!
-People were generally very pleasant, friendly, and chatty. I know a lot of the DQ stuff is joking, but I’ve honestly not seen much attitude-y stuff at dressage shows.
-Only 2 vendors. No shopping??? What a travesty! Okay, so I still managed to spend money, but I wonder why there weren’t more vendors.
-A very heavy woman riding a 4th level test who had absolutely no business in the class. Now, I like the fact that people of all shapes and sizes ride dressage - this is a good thing, IMHO. And in my uneducated opinion, I thought she rode reasonably well. Her seat and hands were pretty quiet, better than some of the other riders. But… the horse couldn’t even do the movements! Collected, medium, whatever - I saw no difference in the gaits. And all of his gaits could be fairly described as “cramped and shuffling.” Half pass looked more like moving in a diagonal line than actual bending.
Why would someone do this? Why enter a fairly high level test when you’re really not capable? What would be wrong with doing a 1st or 2nd level test, and doing a better job? I saw that someone in a 4th level test received a score of 38 or 39, and I suspect it was this pair.
-Next to no spectators, of course. Sad to hear six or seven pairs of hands clapping in the entire indoor stadium. And not very many entries, despite lovely weather and a nice facility. What’s with that?