Or maybe showing isn’t for you, but you’d like to have a measure of your training progress. A ride-a-test dressage clinic is just the ticket for all of these situations and more.
In recent years, both English and western dressage organizations are offering in-person and virtual ride-a-test clinics. They’re also sometimes called “fix-a-test” clinics, which may more accurately describe what is involved.

What Are Dressage Ride-a-Test Clinics?

Cheryl Holekamp, a United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) licensed “S” dressage judge who has competed through FEI levels in dressage as well as in eventing, explains more about the goal and what is involved with a ride-a-test clinic.

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“These clinics are designed to help riders learn how to improve their scores in a dressage test in competition,” she says. “They are beneficial to both dressage riders and eventers. Participants ride a test of their choice which is judged, then the judge then goes over the test with the rider, followed by a lesson working on parts of the test and the basics that need improvement.”

The format of a ride-a-test clinic varies a bit depending on the group hosting. Sometimes you’ll ride your test, get feedback from the judge, and then ride the test a second time for another score. Other times, after you ride your test, the rest of the session is devoted to schooling individual movements and basic principles that will boost your performance.

Some instructors even offer multi-day intensive ride-a-test courses where you’ll get advice on choosing a test, followed by practicing the individual movements, and eventually riding the complete test. On the final day, you perform that test in front of a guest judge. Along the way, sports psychology exercises and demonstrations by professional riders supplement learning.

Holekamp says the fix-a-test clinic offers the opportunity to interact with a judge, ask questions, and gain a better understanding of the directives and purpose of the level and the judging process.

“I am first concerned with the safety and welfare of horse and rider,” she says. “The goals are to help [you and your horse] achieve the best harmony and identify steps to follow to develop and improve skills.”

Dressage rider and United States Dressage Federation (USDF) L Education Program graduate Nancy Bryant points out that the ride-a-test format offers a rare chance for riders to get actual instruction from a licensed judge.

“According to USDF rules, judges should not use terminology that is teaching when they are working at a competition,” she says. “Instead, they’re supposed to use directives in their comments on the test sheets, such as ‘lacks impulsion’ or ‘circle not round,’ which tell the rider why they were scored a certain way, but not how to fix it. However, in the ride-a-test clinic situation, the judge is allowed to advise the rider on improving their performance.”

Bryant says that you should make the most out of a ride-a-test opportunity.

“I would ride the most technically challenging test that I would be showing that season,” she says. “Doing that with the judge in place allows me to get the best feedback. Another advantage of test-riding clinics is you don’t have the stress of having to braid your horse or dress in show clothes. You can ride in workman-like lesson attire and tack as long as it’s safe, clean and tidy.”

Clinic Preparation & Participation Tips

To find one of these clinics near you, search for educational events offered by local equestrian organizations or training barns. Another option is to participate virtually by having someone video you riding your test of choice and submitting that video to a dressage professional who offers ride-a-test reviews and followup instruction.

Holekamp gives this advice when you’re preparing for a ride-a-test clinic:

◆ Carefully review the schedule and format of the clinic you choose and register by the deadline. Contact the host for stabling information and directions, or in the case of submitting a test virtually, for instructions for submitting your video and information on how to receive feedback.

◆ Choose a test of appropriate level and plan to warm up ahead of time just like you would at a show. Know the test well. You can either ride a test you have struggled with during competitions or a test of a higher level for which you are hoping to develop skills and proficiency.

◆ Review the purpose of the level and familiarize yourself with the directives for each movement. Definitions of the levels and descriptions of the individual movements can be found in the Dressage Division of the USEF Rule Book, which is available online to all members. Go to www.usef.org and look under the “Membership” and “Compete” tabs for more information.

◆ Bring several copies of the score sheet for the test you will be riding: one for the judge, one for the scribe, one for your reader if you have one, and one for you to review. You can find copies of the tests on the USDF website here.

◆ Be on time for your ride and factor in the warmup so that you’re ready to go into the ring in your designated slot. If possible, try to arrive at the clinic location well ahead of time or plan to stay after your ride so you can watch other sessions (if allowed) to gain even more insight.

◆ Clinicians often ask what a rider would like to work on. Bring a list of questions to maximize the value of your session.

◆ If possible, arrange to have your clinic session videotaped. “Video is a wonderful learning experience,” says Holekamp. “A good video and the test with judge’s remarks from competition are like a mini clinic and a great way to understand that what you’re feeling during a test may actually look quite different.”

◆ Tips for your videographer shooting the video to submit for a virtual clinic: Hold the camera or phone horizontally; have the videographer stand at dressage letter C; and make sure that there is adequate lighting in the arena. If you’re outside, don’t point the camera directly into the sun. Have them state the names of you and your horse and the level and test number being ridden at the beginning of the video right before you enter the ring. They may need to use zoom when you’re at the far end of the ring.

Valuable Knowledge

Ride-a-test clinics offer huge potential to gain knowledge. Holekamp says she always finishes each rider’s session with homework for them to use to build on their clinic experience.

“Hopefully riders take home a better understanding and exercises for improved basics and execution of the test movements.”

Meet the Dressage Experts Cheryl Holekamp is a USEF licensed “S” judge who has officiated at licensed shows from coast to coast. As a dressage rider she has earned her USDF gold, silver and bronze medals, all on homebred horses. She also competed in eventing on a homebred horse. An accomplished sport horse breeder along with her husband Dr. Tim Holekamp, they own and operate New Spring Farm, originally in Columbia, Mo., and now in Ocala, Fla. Over the years, they’ve stood several notable stallions, including 2004 Olympic eventing medalist Windfall and FEI-level eventer Amethyst. They have also produced many successful competition horses, including Boyd Martin’s Olympic mount Tsetserleg, a son of Windfall. She enjoys giving back to the sport through teaching clinics. Nancy Bryant has competed in dressage through FEI levels and has earned her USDF silver and bronze medals aboard her homebred gelding Lansom’s Ransom and her subsequent gelding Handsel, whom she trained through FEI levels. She is a graduate of the USDF L Program, which qualifies her to judge schooling shows. Bryant is a Past President of the Midwest Dressage Association (MDA) and an active volunteer who enjoys giving back to her sport. Over the years she has volunteered at the 2017 FEI World Cup Finals, the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games, and has served on numerous MDA committees. In 2020 and 2021, she organized a USDF Instructor Certification Program. In her professional life outside of horse sports, Bryant is a registered nurse.

This article about dressage Ride-a-Test clinics appeared in the March 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Try a Dressage Ride-a-Test Clinic appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

There are places in every dressage test where even the humblest mount can score just as well as—or better than—the fanciest horse. They are the “non-brilliant movements,” of dressage so called because the gaits play little to no role in how they are ridden and judged. Frequently overlooked in daily schooling, these elements offer the clever rider the opportunity to gain a competitive edge—and they’re also good basic training, whether you choose to show or not. So let’s learn how to polish up these non-brilliant gems until they sparkle.

The Non-Brilliant Dressage Movements

At First Level and below, the non-brilliant movement is the halt. Second Level introduces two more: the rein-back and the turn on the haunches (the latter of which becomes a walk pirouette at Fourth Level and above). In this article, we’ll focus primarily on the halt and rein-back.

Halts, rein-backs, and turns on the haunches are called non-brilliant because “there is no impulsion in any of these movements,” says Eliza Sydnor Romm, an FEI-level trainer/competitor and U.S. Dressage Federation-certified instructor through Fourth Level from Chapel Hill, N.C.

“Impulsion is what pushes the horse up off the ground and then gives him ‘air time’ in suspension in a beautiful trot or a big, bounding canter. But what the judge is judging in a halt is the straightness, the squareness, the connection, and the line of travel. There are not more points awarded for a fancy-moving horse halting than an average-moving horse halting.”

The same goes for the rein-back. The judge wants to see the horse halt square (with his weight distributed evenly over all four legs), then take the prescribed number of steps backward with diagonal pairs of legs, deliberately and in balance, then moving off promptly. These elements and movements may not be thrilling to watch, but they are great tests of your dressage training.

“If you can have it be really reliable, then by definition the horse is truly on your aids,” Romm says of the rein-back. “That’s an impressive thing to a judge, even if it’s not a fancy-moving horse.”

Romm has a lot of experience using the non-brilliant movements of dressage to her advantage.

“I grew up riding and showing this little Quarter Horse that we bought from my farrier for $1,000,” she says. “He was endlessly patient and had a wonderful disposition, but he was a really bad mover! I showed him all the way through Third Level, and he was never going to get more than a 5 or maybe a 6 for his medium trot. But we could halt for a 10 every time, and we could rein back for a 10, and we could do the turns on the haunches for a 10. And with that, at Training and First Level, we could score in the mid to high 60s. We’d often get 9s for our halts. I’d almost always get 8s on our turns on the haunches. So I’m very familiar with trying to do this.”

Romm shares strategies for honing the halt and rein-back to make these dressage movements reliable staples that you can confidently nail every time.

Improving the Halt

From the ground or in the saddle, establish an active walk and then ask your horse to halt. A helper on the ground can tell you whether your horse is square (over time you’ll learn to feel it), or you can use a mirror, your horse’s shadow, or even that old standby, leaning over and looking.

Give a nudge with your leg or a gentle tap with the whip on the side of the errant hind leg to ask your horse to square up. Never settle for a crooked, sloppy halt, and halting square will eventually become automatic.

Be picky about straightness when it comes to this dressage movement, too.

“That will probably dictate whether the horse will halt square,” says Romm. “It will definitely not be square if he is very crooked.”

Focus on maintaining balance into the halt (“land like a snowflake,” as some put it—you shouldn’t need to haul on the reins), keeping in mind that at both Introductory and Training Levels, you may execute the trot-halt transition through a few steps of walk.

In the dressage ring, especially if your horse is antsy, riding the established, familiar sequence of aids will help to settle him in the halt, Romm says. You should know by now which hind leg he tends to leave out behind, “so you can specifically half-halt that hind leg to try to bring it under.”

That said, a balanced, immobile halt—at least three seconds when performed with a salute—trumps all else, so don’t fiddle too much if your horse doesn’t halt square. Show immobility prior to the salute.

Romm gives one big inhale-exhale before she takes a hand off the reins, and she incorporates the use of her breath in the daily training so that her horses associate it with a moment to relax and stand quietly at attention.

“It’s usually easier to ride a balanced halt if you sit the last few steps of the trot into the halt,” Romm advises Intro and Training Level riders. “However, if you can’t keep your seat balanced in sitting trot, then do it from posting trot and walk two to three steps, then halt.”

Improving the Rein-Back

If your horse doesn’t know how to rein back, Romm recommends teaching him from the ground so you’re not pulling on the reins. From a balanced, square halt, place one hand on your horse’s chest and apply pressure (or gently tap his chest with the butt end of a whip) as you repeat the vocal cue “back.”

The word will serve as a bridge when you introduce the rein-back from the saddle, lightening your seat and sliding your legs back a bit as you give little squeezes first with one rein and then the other—don’t pull back with both reins simultaneously, and never pull back hard. Overuse of the reins also causes the horse to invert his neck, which creates a hollow back and loss of the correct diagonal pairs of footfalls.

The rules don’t require the horse to remain immobile for three seconds before reining back, but the halt must be “established” prior to the rein-back, Romm points out, so no boomeranging backward.

Accurate Riding in Your Dressage Movements

Every aspect of a dressage test contains a non-brilliant element, according to Romm: the accuracy of your figures and the accuracy of your transitions. Even if your horse’s gaits aren’t spectacular, you’ll raise your scores if you show spot-on geometry and balanced, at-the-letter transitions.

“At Intro and Training Levels, the judges are thrilled to see an accurate 20-meter circle,” she says. Other elements that can get a boost from super-accurate riding are the Training and First Level trot “stretching circle” and the free walk, both of which have a coefficient of 2 (meaning the score is double relative to all the other movements in the dressage test).

“Work on the center lines and halts, the accuracy of the transitions, the stretchy circle, and the free walk,” Romm says of coaching a competitor with an average-moving horse. “Mathematically, you’ll come out ahead if you can hope to get at least a 7 for your free walk and your stretchy circle, and then you can really nail your halts and hopefully get an 8 or a 9.”

This article about improving your dressage movements appeared in the September 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Advance Your Dressage Movements appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.