Your "OH S--T" Dressage Show Moments

[Caps1]

We have a little schooling show coming up, but this will be the big girl’s first time cantering. I went back and forth trying to decide which test to do, but settled on Training 1, just because I know she can do that and if we blow a canter transition, I will be less inclined to get into my “Oh s–t” habits and perch and hang.

However, I’m still a bit worried that she may decide to say no, so I’m just looking for any stories of things that made you freak out during a class and that everything will be ok. Bonus points to one with the worst freak out and best score.:eek:

[piaffequeen]

Don’t worry about an Oh Sh@$ moment…just go have fun.

As far as my moment… I had just had my horse Sam I Am for a couple of months when I decided to do the Pipe Opener at the Carolina Horse Park in February. Now mind you I didn’t have a dressage or any type of english saddle so I did the dressage portion (didn’t jump) in a western saddle. So it was HC

If you don’t know anything about the CHP, it can be VERY windy there. So much so that during my test the sides of the dressage arena kept falling down making my ring smaller & smaller. One of the sides actually fell down horizonally (like cavaletti) and I was like holy crap what do I do? Do I go around it or over it?

Well my saint of a horse just trotted over it like it was nothing.

Ended up getting a 70% (Yes it was Intro A :}) Even got a compliment from the judge on what a good boy he was. Just another reason why my trainer loved my guy.

Don’t think of what is going to happen-just ride & ENJOY YOURSELF! This is supposed to be fun!

[suzy]

OMG, tons of Ohsh*t moments. Getting to show and can’t find horse, can’t find my tack, can’t find my show clothes or all of the above. Not remembering my test and not being able to find a reader. Horse being covered in mud and my test is only 8 minutes from now. It goes on and on and on. Oh wait, you meant during our waking moments didn’t you? I have similar nightmares about college exams—haven’t studied and, in some cases, never attended class the entire term. But some of that was real life, too.

[netg]

My first dressage show was a schooling show in which the judge was giving scores in the 40s and 50s even to people who tended to score high 60s at rated shows.

We were showing training level, and I discovered during our test that at shows “canter” means “leap, leap, leap, canter.” We still went where we were supposed to and while we may have gotten some 3s/4s in there for the movements which included the transitions, we scored low 60s and had the highest scores of the day.

Our first rated show I was riding into the warmup and my horse stood straight up on me. We continued to canter with some bucks thrown in for the next hour before I could get him to trot or walk without extra bucks. Until we went in to our test, of course, where we bucked our way around the ring, but still safe enough since I still had steering and brakes. Those scores… well, there weren’t the nice moments of the tests at our first schooling shows, so if anyone looks me up on centerline they see very low and very deservedly low scores…

I have spent the last two and a half years working on my riding/seat to get forward from that energy instead of upward, and will be re-entering the show ring again in the near future, hopefully avoiding those oh crud moments. Lately when we’ve had him in previously explosive situations he has instead been forward and very energetic - responsive and overly so if I used strong aids, but relaxed with a moving back and just absolutely my dream horse to ride, so hopefully I can channel that capable rider at shows.

[jjgg24]

Lol we had one recently. It was our first time at a bigger rated show riding dressage after our halt we proceeded to track left at C well when we hit A he decided to try and exit stage right. Something he had NEVER done before. I saved it and did not get DQ’ed but it certainly taught me to not get caught up too much in what was coming next. Horses certainly have a way of humbling you when you least expect it lol.

[rabicon]

Well I showed my greenie last weekend at his first show. I hadn’t shown in 3 years so I was nervous and after having some confidence issues over the last 3 years since I retired my dressage horse. It was a small schooling show and I got there early so my guy could check it out. All the bad went through my head. What if he slings his head around like he does at home sometimes, what if he tries to canter when trotting like he will do sometimes to avoid using his butt, what if he freaks out, what if I freak out, what if I freak him out blah blah blah. Needless to say he was perfect. They broke the class into two divisions with 5 in each and we actually had the highest scores in both our classes. We just did intro a and b but a 67.8 and 68.8. So needless to say, you can’t predict what will happen. I never dreamed we would do that well. My first show with my retired horse we barely broke 50 and we also broke the dressage ring we he stepped on it trying to leave during the test lol. He called out through the test and the judge commented nice ride to get horse through test. That horse had been showing at hunter jumper shows and small saddle club shows so I never expected him to be such a tool that day but needless to say he was. Just go have fun and do the best you can and stay calm. :).

[sorrelfilly721]

I took my typically calm 3yo to a rated show and he came out of the trailer wired for sound. I put him on the longe and he ripped it out of my hands and went galloping frantically thru the showgrounds whinnying in panic with me desperately calling out “whoa” behind him. He came upon another horse in the warmup who he found soothing and so began circling her, trailing the 20 foot line as I watched in horror wondering how I was going to pay the attorney for the lawsuit that was sure to follow. He finally stopped and the lady was ever so gracious, telling me she was glad he was not a stud (yikes). In the warmup, he was rearing and leaping so boisterously, we managed to clear everyone out. My instructor said it was the first time she had ever been in fear for a student’s life. When we finally got to the test, he wasn’t awful - a couple small bucks here and there, but I had a death grip on him by then and the judge commented on the free walk that I had to trust my horse more. HAHAHAH - she shoulda seen him 10 minutes earlier!

[skydy]

See this thread; http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?310094-Dressage-IS-fun-(blooper-pics)

[Aaspen]

I was doing the dressage phase of a horse trial several years ago when somehow my horse got the chain for the dressage ring wrapped around his leg or tail?!?? Still to this day don’t know exactly what happened. We were cantering down the long side and proceeded to rip down the entire side of the arena without skipping a beat. At the end the judge just said. “That was impressive”. I was afraid I might have gotten eliminated because I stepped out of the arena , but scored very well, and if I remember correctly, we ended up placing 2nd. I don’t remember the score, but I’m pretty sure it was in the low 30’s. (high 60’s when translated to percentage)

[crystalyoung1]

Miss Mare earlier this year at a very small barn show decided she did not like having a reader. When we had to circle at B or E she kicked out at her:eek:. Canter was buck. buck. fling .head. buck .for first half of circle both ways then the second half was very pretty:no:. Second show we ironed out the bucks but we still don’t like readers. Did not get a chance to do any more this year due to her illness but I think next year I will forgo a reader

[Caps1]

Oh my, I feel better! Yes, marey will do the crow hop canter transition every now and then and that is my second biggest fear. My first is that there will be no canter transition, then I try to rush her into it and it gets ugly. We JUST learned our balance not too long ago.

She is physically 6, but mentally…4

I’m loving all of these and glad you’re safe.

I may be brave enough to post some photos…maybe

[BrokenArrow]

Mine was a few weekends ago.

Trot in, salute and get through the first 2 movements and the judge rings her bell. Look over in confusion and she’s madly pointing at my horses feet. When I got closer I could hear her saying
“You’ve left your bell boots on!”
This was after taking off his bandages too.

Oops.

[RedHorses]

I have shown without a reader ever since the time in my first ever show season my coach was reading the test and skipped two or three movements. Fortunately I knew the test, and continued as I should - the oops didn’t affect my test at all, but I’ve only had a reader once since then (when I was riding five tests on two horses I had a reader for the one test I’d never ridden before).

In the last test of the last show with my first dressage horse I remember coming round the corner at K to the turn up the centreline and panicking because I didn’t think we’d been in the ring long enough, and had to have missed something. Super high speed mental run through of test between K and A confirmed we’d done everything, and we turned up the centreline and halted beautifully at X. I don’t remember the score or the placing for that test, only the ironic, tear inducing, final comment for that last halt - “Nice finish.”

Another show - three different tests in four classes, two horses (they had one test in common so I only needed to remember three). The final test of the day we merrily proceed to track left at C as I had in the first three tests. I caught it before the judge did, turned it into a 10m circle back to the centreline, said “I went the wrong way” to the judge and proceeded to track right. In the same test there was a transition to canter between C and H and my horse got into this half trot, half canter thing and dribbled down the long side towards E with me thinking that the next step would be true canter. About two strides before E I gave up, sat him on his ass, and proceeded into a lovely 20m canter circle at E. I don’t remember the score, but we did place second and got some comment about the good correction.

This just to show that one (or two) messed up movement isn’t going to destroy your test unless you allow it. If you don’t get the canter, deep breath, set up your horse and ask again, properly - no “dialing it in.”

Good Luck! and DO have fun! :yes:

[J-Lu]

“oh sh*t” moments? Too many to list. There was the time my eventing horse jumped very nicely out of the arena (with a friend breaking out in belly laughter at us at that moment), the time I went off course TWICE in a row in the same movement with a reader, the time I had a BNT “reschool” my canter pirouettes and three days before Championships and my horse did the schooling correction rather than the actual movement in the test, the time I went to a show with a good friend and heard “loose horse running in the parking lot” and we laughed that it just HAD had to be one of our horses…and it was. The judges and spectators have seen it ALL! Just go and have fun, and have a good sense of humor if something goes wrong. And if something goes really wrong in the test, remember it’s just one movement! Stay clear and focused and ride the rest of the test like nothing ever happened. “bloopers” seem horrible at the time but they sure make good stories you can tell in the future!

[johnnysauntie]

Warm up ring, saw something he didn’t like -
http://collectingtbs.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/spook-1.jpg

And a second later I’m arse-over-teakettle
http://collectingtbs.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/whoops.jpg

I got back on and rode the test. I don’t recall the score or ribbon (though we weren’t dead last,) b/c for me, getting back on was a big win. :winkgrin:

[TLKNG1]

New horse had only had 7 weeks and two weeks of that was downtime due to a stone bruise. First schooling show (at home fortunately). Had exposed him to everything I could think of prior to the show day as he was a stop, snort spook type. First time I took him into a set up dressage arena we did a great sidepass (yes sideways walk) all the way down one side, snorting at the letters, were fine at the end and repeated all the way down the next long side…and that was BEFORE the flowers in the letter boxes.

Intro A went great…just before Intro B the houses that line our far outdoor paddock decided to kick in some fun. One started up a chainsaw and starting hacking down small trees…another was tossing water off their second story balcony. It took several tries just to get the horse into the arena and then my lovely Intro Level TB turned half nutcase and we did an impromptu freestyle all the way down centerline…including half pass and piaffe. We did manage a good halt at X and then sidepassed all the way to the left side (we were supposed to go straight and turn right at C).

The judge was sympathetic…we made a 62 Her main comment…horse was tense. I admit I giggled, literally, all the way through the test.

[oldernewbie]

No discussion of “Oh Sh!t” moments is complete without this thread:

http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?310094-Dressage-IS-fun-(blooper-pics)&highlight=dressage+blooper

Still my all time favorite dressage forum thread!

[TickleFight]

Oh man, there are too many to list. The one I felt the worst about happened with one of my previous horses who could be a real shithead from time to time. We were cantering around the outside of the arena while waiting for the judge to ring the bell for a fourth level test. Horsey decided to kick a hole through the side of the judge’s booth. The judge, who was very cool about the everything, said he just about shit a brick.

[Bristol_Bay]

I was on my second day of showing. My first test was an embarrassment. I had a mental block about picking up the right lead canter, so for my second test, I thought I would be really brave and pick up the right lead before entering the arena.

Something up in the warm up right got horsie’s attention, and he went ker-POW just before I turned the corner to enter at A. Threw in a twist so I had no hope of staying on. Fortunately, he ran right into a corner where the ring steward grabbed his reins. He had stepped on them and broke the crown piece.

We limped back to the barn. While I raced home to get my spare bridle, he and my trainer had a little talk in the round pen. My next test was soon, so I barely had time to warm up and get my confidence back. We got a nice comment from the judge, even though my britches were filthy and my horse had black sand from the round pen up to his knees, and scored 62%.

[SendenHorse]

My normally good horse left the arena at A, and almost did it again. He leaped over the poles. Sheesh.

I would have been eliminated but this was at a schooling show. So I eneded up winning with a great score, and low and behold got an 8 on the movement that came up after the bobble.

I was ready next time he tried it. Stinker. Makes a good story and I recovered well, to my shock.