From: Ruth Crowley
Hi Jessica! My mare and I are getting ready for our first show. we are riding two intro level dressage tests in five weeks. can you tell us what we should be doing to get ready for the show (in terms of our work sessions, i mean)? many thanks!
Hi Ruth! Congratulations, you'll have a lot of fun. Intro tests aren't very demanding, so you can relax and just give your mare (and yourself) a pleasant, friendly introduction to the show atmosphere.
As for how to get ready -- practice! This doesn't mean just drilling the tests, but do memorize them. You'll have to practice them too, but it usually works out better in the long run if you will take all of the individual pieces and work on them separately.
Practice straight lines and turns and circles. Practice halting and standing. Practice coming down the center line, from either direction.
You can work on riding smoothly and giving your aids quietly, so that whatever you ask your mare to do will be easy for her and won't make her excited and tense.
You can work on precision and accuracy -- find out how many trot strides it takes for you to get to X, and practice halting so that your body is right AT X, with E and B on either side of you. Accuracy is an easy way to ensure a better performance -- and a better score.
Practice smiling, and practice breathing. If you time your breathing with your mare's stride, it will keep both of you calm and working well together.
Make your practice fun for you and for your mare, and on show-day, make the SHOW fun for both of you as well. Remember that what really matters is that you create a calm, pleasant experience for your horse -- if she enjoys herself, feels that she can do what you are asking, and knows that you are pleased with her, this will carry over to the next time you ask her to come down the center line at a competition. Don't ask her to be perfect -- ask her to TRY, and then reward her for her effort. (And if she's perfect, so much the better!)
If you are comfortable cantering your mare, why not begin working on some of the Training level tests, with your instructor's help? It will give you a better perspective on showing at Intro level; you'll come into the arena thinking "This is EASY, we KNOW how to do THIS stuff," and your mare's attitude will reflect your own confidence.
And remember, all of the time between now and the show is for SCHOOLING, which means focusing on whatever is most difficult for you, and learning to do it better. SHOWING is another game entirely -- it's about demonstrating what you do BEST, and finessing what you don't do as well. Don't confuse the one with the other. Don't try to introduce anything new or make new demands at a show -- save that for your work at home. And at the show, SHOW -- don't SCHOOL. If your circle is egg-shaped or you curve around a turn instead of going up into your corner, don't get annoyed and think "We have to work on THIS!", just keep smiling, ride forward, and BREATHE. Shows give you a chance to SHOW what a nice mare you have, and how well the two of you get along, and how quietly you can ride, and how elegant you both look.
Have a great time at the show!
Jessica
Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE is a free, subscriber-supported electronic Q&A email newsletter which deals with all aspects of horses, their management, riding, and training. For more information, please visit www.horse-sense.org
Please visit Jessica Jahiel: Holistic Horsemanship® [www.jessicajahiel.com] for more information on Jessica Jahiel's clinics, video lessons, phone consultations, books, articles, columns, and expert witness and litigation consultant services.