Dressage: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
This most recent dressage test is not one I'm super proud of.
I don't feel that it truly reflected Dino's and my best efforts and current skill level, and I made stupid mistakes and threw away points. Despite our decent final score here, I don't feel that I rode this half as well as I'm capable of doing. I'm pretty frustrated with how this turned out, but in the spirit of staying positive, let's look at what went right in this test:
The Good
Despite the train wreck that was this dressage test, we had some ok moments. There were times at which Dino was really stretching nicely over his back, the left lead canter was quite good once we got into it, and I was pretty pleased with our free walk, which got us a 7. Our scores were mostly 6's and 7's, with a couple well-deserved 5's sprinkled in there. We completed all the movements, I kept my hands quieter than in our last test, and I'm actually pretty happy with my position here.
The Bad
After a friend mentioned this to me, I re-watched the video and noticed that I was posting on the wrong diagonal for the first part of the test. That POSSIBLY may have contributed to how awful my pony felt and how hard it was to bend or move him laterally. How embarrassing. Our first canter depart was hellacious, and although the left-lead canter circle was good, Dino completely quit on me way before the down transition to trot was supposed to happen.
The Ugly
I forgot an entire movement. Just straight up forgot. As someone who prides themselves on being prepared, I am hugely disappointed in myself for this. If I hadn't messed up and gotten 2 error points, I would have hit my goal score of 35, despite the yuckiness of the rest of the test. I also let the not-so great start to our test, and then the error, really get to me. Instead of just correcting my mistakes, recovering, and moving on, I let them stick around in my mind and distract me from focusing and riding as well as I know I can.
So, what do we do about it?
I think the issues we had in this test were due almost entirely to my own nerves and lack of focus. I was feeling really anxious about XC, and those feelings carried over into the dressage. I know I have the skills to ride MUCH better than I did, but I let myself get distracted and unfocused. At this point, I think the only thing to do is show more, and really flex my 'focus muscles' even when things outside of my control are causing me anxiety. I'm incredibly frustrated that I consistently under-perform in the dressage at shows, and that the work Dino and I present to the judges isn't half as good as what we're doing at home.
I'd love to hear tips and suggestions from my DQ friends!
Aw, I get nerves that make me ride like an idiot sometimes, too. More showing really does help you figure out how to manage your nerves in the ring. Also practicing bits of made up tests at home can help you get it together. Of course ... I'm going to always advocate dressage showing, especially now that you're close enough to come and cheer on! :)
ReplyDeletePlease come coach me at a dressage show!! I will pay you in food and adult beverages of your choice. It's just so, SO frustrating that I know I can ride ten times better than I do in the show ring. ARrrgghhh! The horse park holds a Tuesday Night schooling dressage series in the summer, and I think I need to hit a couple of those before the season is out.
DeleteHaha payment of food and adult beverages, the best payment!!
DeleteI have absolutely 0 experience with dressage, but I just wanted to chime in and say that I think it's wonderful that you started off with what went well. We're always our own harshest critics, but we should always give ourselves credit for what we've improved!
ReplyDeleteThank you. :) I am really hard on myself (clearly!) so I try to make the effort to take a BALANCED look at my performance - good and bad.
Deleteeh i wouldn't worry about some of those blips at all (and definitely thought the off diagonal was on purpose, since i've seen dressage trainers do that - and have occasionally been instructed to do so myself). the nerves when moving up are a very real thing, and that test kinda sucks anyway bc omg SO MUCH TROTTING that isn't judged. like really, half the test is just trotting from one movement to the next halfway around the ring.... it pretty much invites the rider to get lost...
ReplyDeletebut really - the strategy that is helping me get past a bad movement is to think of it like a jumping course. i already know how to leave a knocked rail or botched distance behind me without screwing up the next fence, so i try to think of each movement in the same way. this won't work at higher levels where the movements are supposed to seamlessly flow from one to the next... but for BN it's doin just fine!
Maybe you could have someone read for you if you're feeling especially nervous? I'd have to look up the rules for eventing and see if you're permitted to have one, but at dressage shows, it seems like every Intro/Training level rider has someone reading for them. It's kind of nice (especially if you're riding more than one test)!
ReplyDeleteAh, just checked, and you have to ride them from memory at USEA sanctioned shows. Bummer.
DeleteThankfully I do not compete at USEA sanctioned events because I am poor and a weenie!! ;)
DeleteI'm with Austen- more showing! Maybe try to find some cheap dressage schooling shows, a lot of the time at schooling shows (at least at ours), you can actually ride the event tests. It may be in a long court but it's a chance to run through the pattern.
ReplyDeleteGoing off course is so frustrating, I actually had to make flash cards for the Grand Prix test because the order of the canter work was so confusing. It's hard because we memorize the test in a state of calm and then when that state changes to nervous, the test just falls right out. It's why they say you should ideally study for tests in the same place you take them. But that's less possible with dressage tests! So I end up doing a lot of visualization, which lets me think about what I'm going to be seeing as I ride each movement. It's hard for me to memorize tests by just reading or looking at a diagram of a court from above.
I still have gone off course in every single Fourth Level test 1 I've ridden. All times were turning right instead of left at C. There is something screwy about that test in my mind.
Don't be too hard on yourself--it was your first "big" move up. That alone adds a lot of stress. You've got the skills at home--now to transfer them to the ring.
ReplyDeleteI am not a dressage rider but I think you are doing great!!
ReplyDeleteI feel like for me, it's just ring exposure and schooling what we are going to do at the show that has really really helped me... I also think that years with your partner really helps too!
I think everyone has felt your situation before. Don't give up. At my show I just tried focusing on riding rather than the test.
ReplyDelete