Just wondering wrt schooling shows: if you ever get bored with the level wherein you get good scores, good judge’s comments, ribbons, etc. And instead try a test at a higher level, even though the results could be way less than stellar 
I wouldn’t say that any “crash and burn” outings were the result of being “sick of competing” at my level of competency, but rather the result of delusions of higher competency.
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You should be training at a higher level at home than you are competing, so theoretically the crash and burn shouldn’t happen.
Dressage is designed to keep both the rider and the horse from getting bored. Follow the training to keep both interested.
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Well that’s what a schooling show is for.
I don’t bother showing if it’s a level the horse has done a zillion times before. What’s the point?
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“Crash and burn”. Hehe. This is flatwork, y’all. Where’s the carnage gonna come from, exactly?
Go big or go home. Make sure your horse can do the movements at home, but then heck-yeah go to the show, try your hardest to put in a good ride and see what you get.
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There are people who go to shows in order to bring home a large haul of ribbons - including some who stay at the same level forever, trying to rack them up. Then there are people who are trying to improve and move up, who may occasionally have a bad day or overestimate their capability or what have you. However as noted above, there should not be much risk of a “crash and burn” scenario at a show unless something really untoward happens. A horse that is competently schooling X level at home should typically be able to produce at least 70-80% of that performance at a show under normal circumstances.
My own preference is to keep pushing to improve as long as the horse is physically and mentally capable of handling the additional work; I can’t imagine just hanging out at a lower level just to get another 50 cent piece of polyester. But when I move up, I do everything I can to ensure that my horse has a good experience; the scores will end up wherever they end up but I want to feel like we can confidently go in there and lay down a respectable test.
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“Crash and burn”. Hehe. This is flatwork, y’all. Where’s the carnage gonna come from, exactly?
Well, for instance, a wrong lead or something thats a bit embarrassing. Maybe its “ego” carnage 
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Life is short. The money is the same. Ride what you want to ride, what you feel ready to ride.
I don’t know how much more clear 2020 can make this for us.
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If the worst that can happen is a wrong lead, go for the exposure and the feedback to keep you motivated!
Stuff like that happens, don’t worry about your ego I once got a “1” on a single change because my horse stopped dead to poop… in the I 2, after successfully doing 11 one tempis! Nothing like making you feel like a 12 year old pony clubber again!
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Show if you want to show, don’t if it doesn’t interest you…I enjoy the idea of showing but generally it takes me a few shows to get comfortable and give my horse the ride she deserves. So we sometimes look like we are not quite ready for the test we are riding, but it is more important to me to push myself beyond complacency. Luckily my current horse has a sense of humor.
My son does triathlons and keeps telling me “you will not drown”.
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I guess it depends upon your temperament and philosophy.
Some riders are sensitive and perfectionists. They want to show at a level that they know they can (and usually do) nail every movement. They are crushed by a low score and wont venture to a higher level until they are really, really, really solid.
Other riders are more adventurous and/or view the shows as part of the learning process. They may get bored at a level they have already succeeded in and wish to advance more quickly. They don’t get upset over low scores on movements that are still “iffy” and look forward to comments that might give them more insight on how to improve.
Of course there are also riders that “advance” up the levels in spite of poor basics. They are convinced that because their horse can go sideways or trot slowly, they are advanced! They may or may not have an instructor supporting this delusion, but they often complain that the judge “just doesnt like my horse!”.
As long as you are not the third type, just choose what works for you.
And then after all this, your solid-at-the-level horse acts like he has never been trained and your new-to-the-level horse is inspired to perform better than he ever did at home. You never know. Horses.
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Sure, I’ve put myself out there more than once…and you know, the horse and I lived to see another day and another show. It’s not like you’re risking everything you own or your life in most of these situations. I do, at least, make sure the horse has performed the movement(s) before trying it in a show but I’ve ssstttttrrrreeeettttccchhheeedddd the limits Sometimes, just sometimes, it’s proven to be more than a worthwhile endeavor
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Perfection is the enemy of progress.
With apologies to Russell Ackoff… (stolen from his book on f-Laws)
“You cannot learn from doing things right, only from doing them wrong”…
…Then having the perseverance of going thru the exercise of figuring out what you did incorrectly
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I am kind of on the slower side to move up. I don’t see the point in showing a level if I’m not getting it done consistently and well at home. But I am very competitive and don’t like going out and putting down a test I’m ashamed of. I am a very Type A perfectionist. That said, I am schooling at home toward moving up, but my horse is young and some of the rideability leaves in the new place, etc.
If I’m getting a nice shoulder-in, say, 70% of the time at home, the likelihood it will be good in the class is much lower. I want something to be good 95% of the time at home so I have a reasonable chance of getting it done well in the show ring.
I also see a fair number of people who perform the movements in the test but the quality isn’t there, and I don’t see the point of that. In the shoulder in example, I want it to be a nice one with an engaged hind leg and consistent tempo, contact, etc. Hopefully I can then recreate most of that in the competition.
It isn’t about the ribbon, per se, but I can suck at home for much cheaper. If I am going to a show I want to have a good chance at being competitive. For example, my mare could go out at First in our show this weekend – she does the required movements – but some of them are still a bit unconfirmed in quality and/or fussy at times, so I’m keeping her at Training. She can debut at First or Second next spring, depending on how her training goes over the winter.
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Me!! I get bored.
I never over face the horse, but if I think we can safely handle a higher level then I’ll try it (at schooling shows. Rated is just too darn expensive).
Last time, judge wrote “Not ready for level” on my test… BUT, I got some good feedback, and decent scores on other parts. And it was fun.
I’ve also had some amazing success reaching higher than I honestly believed I could do. It shocked the heck outta me.
No guts, no glory. 😄
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Hi. My name is Mersidoats and I am a soooper-sensitive perfectionist. My first rated show ever when I was J/YR back in the dark ages, I got a 29% and a 42% from Axel Steiner and I was scarred for life. Basically we were not ready for that level, but I trusted my then-trainer. Hah. Whoops. It was an awful soul-crushing experience at the time and it still haunts me.
So, I do things differently now. I’m also horse-poor. So when I show, I better nail that score because it’s too d*** expensive to not get it. I can’t afford more than 2-3 outings a year. So when I show, I want to be as confident in myself and my horse as possible. I might make an outing to a schooling show (which has an L judge) so I can have a barometer of where I’m at, but unless I know I can get a solid 6-6.5 on everything (which means it needs to be a 7-8 at home), I’m not loading up the trailer.
That being said, after being a musician for years and years, my performance under pressure has improved considerably, and I’m more willing to move myself up the levels. My last rated show, I took a horse I’d only been riding for 3 months, at a level I hadn’t touched in a decade. It was a now-or-not-for-many-years sort of opportunity. I got the score. It was a LOT of pressure on myself, but it was an excellent exercise in modulating expectations based on circumstances.
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I am with you. My previous post was “unapproved” so I will try to quote it below.
I have little desire to ride in a higher level test just to say I did, if it isn’t going to go well, and I don’t have enough $$ to throw away competitions
I am on the slower side to move up. I don’t see the point in showing a level if I’m not getting everything in it done consistently and well at home. But I am very competitive and don’t like going out and putting down a test I’m ashamed of. I am a very Type A perfectionist. That said, I am schooling at home toward moving up, but my horse is young and some of the rideability leaves in the new place, etc.
If I’m getting a nice shoulder-in, say, 70% of the time at home, the likelihood it will be good in the class is much lower. I want something to be good 95% of the time at home so I have a reasonable chance of getting it done well in the show ring.
I also see a fair number of people who perform the movements in the test but the quality isn’t there, and I don’t see the point of that. In the shoulder in example, I want it to be a nice one with an engaged hind leg and consistent tempo, contact, etc. Hopefully I can then recreate most of that in the competition.
It isn’t about the ribbon, per se, but I can suck at home for much cheaper. If I am going to a show I want to have a good chance at being competitive. For example, my mare could go out at First in our show this weekend – she does the required movements – but some of them are still a bit unconfirmed in quality and/or fussy at times, so I’m keeping her at Training. She can debut at First or Second next spring, depending on how her training goes over the winter.
My only “crash and burn” outings were at 1st level when I thought I could sit the trot (I know I didn’t have to) on my new fancy, first ever warmblood who was happy to plunk around at home but went into FEI mode at the show. I was lucky to stay on at all. Scores in the high 40s and low 50s. I went home and took more lessons.
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This is me, totally. I spent my entire ridden dressage season (Memorial day to Labor day) in schooling shows at second level. Is he ready for second level at prime time (rated)? No, he is not lol. But WE are a lot better at all of it today than we would have been if I hadn’t committed the few hundred dollars those schooling shows cost and most importantly, he is really well prepared for our driving season, and may the Nordic gods be willing, ready to school third level and succeed* showing at second level next year
- I ride a pony (fjord) who lives in a full bridle or a liverpool 97% of the time, my goals for success in second level/snaffle bridle are a lot closer to “Dear (Nordic) god, please just let me get two scores over 60, and let me get them FAST so we can be done with this torture!”. Once you get that brutally honest with yourself you realize there’s no ego left to crash and burn!
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I totally get this idea too. If you don’t care about the schooling show scores and it doesn’t bother you, that sounds sensible. I tend to do more “regional” USEF shows to practice as they have good footing, and I don’t want a bunch of sub-60 scores on our record.
