With his looks and breeding, Wally should’ve been a champion something-or-other, but he hated being a show horse. When I plucked him from an auction, he was a ring-sour beast. Since I’d recently retired from showing hunters, I didn’t care. I just wanted a flashy trail mount. Wally’s distaste for group activities was fine by me.

A Door Opens for Western Dressage

Yet after several months of trail riding, I felt lured back to arena work. I devised ways to cajole Wally into compliance. Most involved peppermints. To keep him interested, we worked on lateral movements and transitions, and I taught him flying lead changes. His resentment abated and soon he’d amassed a notable skill set.

A few years down the road, my husband and I moved from Southern California to the high country of Arizona with Wally in tow. The trail riding was spectacular, but about once a week I schooled Wally in the community arena. One day I was joined by a local dressage rider aboard her Andalusian. She watched Wally and me practice shoulder-ins and leg-yields.

Finally, she said, “You really should do western dressage on that horse.”

“Is that a thing up here?” I asked. Most competitions in this part of Arizona seemed concerned with barrel racing or roping cows.

She explained that, yes, there was a local dressage club that sponsored clinics and shows. “They always have western dressage classes.”

I felt a spark of adrenaline when she uttered those words. Did I still harbor some yearning to compete? Could Wally actually hold it together for an entire dressage test?

Learning the Ins and Outs

I immediately went home and researched everything I could about western dressage, from tack requirements to the various levels and tests. I watched countless online videos of high-scoring rides. As a final sign of commitment, I joined the dressage club and set my sights on their upcoming shows.

Unfortunately, in my zeal for this newfound pursuit, I’d forgotten that I’d never ridden an actual dressage test. While hunter courses had a natural flow from one obstacle to another, dressage relied on letters set around the arena to mark where each movement was to happen.

Quite frankly, the placement of those letters made no sense to me. They weren’t in alphabetical order, and I couldn’t figure out why several letters (like I and P) were invisible. So as the shows approached, I resorted to tactics my husband found confusing.

I went into our kitchen armed with a stack of sticky notes bearing the letters and stuck them onto the tiled floor. Then I “rode” my test. About the time I was cantering a 10-meter circle next to the dishwasher, he called to me from the living room.

“What the heck are you doing?”

“I’m practicing western dressage.”

Long since indoctrinated to the silliness that’s associated with horse-crazy women, my husband shook his head and went back to watching TV.

Scraps of paper, book margins and a whiteboard we used for leaving notes to each other were soon besmirched with my dressage test doodles. I drew rectangles, added those confounded letters and then traced the loops, lines and circles of my tests.

Once I had them memorized, I practiced aboard Wally in my neighbor’s makeshift dressage arena. Occasionally I’d go off course, curse, and then ride back to X and start again.

The Ultimate Reward

By the time the show series rolled around, I was confident I knew my tests by heart. I was less confident predicting Wally’s behavior. I was worried he’d succumb to horse show PTSD and become completely unhinged amid the hoopla.

Thankfully, that never happened. Wally trotted up the centerline in both of his tests with an air of relaxed bravado. He was alert, responsive, and—dare I say it—happy to perform.

Our scores from that show, and the ones later that summer, were consistently in the 70s (dressage is scored as a percentage, with most winning tests in the 60s and 70s). By season’s end, we had an armful of blue ribbons, one tri-color championship, and a western dressage high-point award.

The ultimate reward, however, was reading the comments from the judges.

“You and your horse obviously have a special relationship,” one wrote. “The two of you are a joy to watch.”

Those were words I’d never seen on a hunter scorecard. I knew I would treasure them—and Wally, my western dressage horse—forever.

To learn more about western dressage, visit the Western Dressage Association of America’s website.

The post Wally the Western Dressage Horse appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

First Dressage Show: Learn About the Arena

You will ride your test in either a large (20 meters by 60 meters) or small (20 meters by 40 meters) arena. The size of the ring will be written on your dressage test, so be sure to take a look at the dimensions before show day so that you can practice for the correctly sized arena.

Sometimes a dressage arena can feel a lot smaller than you expect, so it is helpful to try riding in one when you are practicing. You can use poles and cones to construct the outline of the arena if you don’t have one already set up.

Next, learn the letters around the arena. Knowing where these letters are will help you ride your test accurately with correct geometry. You can make your own dressage letters on milk jugs filled with sand and position them around your arena to help practice your accuracy.

Accuracy

Accurate figures are important to focus on. You’ll earn extra points if you make sure to ride all the way to the letter and make your circles the right size and shape.

Your test will state how large your circle should be. Look at diagrams of the test so you know where the four points of your circle should touch so that your circle is the correct size.

The circle might touch the rail at a letter, between letters or on an invisible letter. Take mental note of these locations before you ride the test. When you’re riding, aim to get to these marks perfectly.

Check the Directives

The test states what the judge is looking for at each movement. Look at these when you’re learning the test. Pay special attention to follow these directions at each movement to get the best score possible. For example, if the test directs the judge to look for proper bend in a circle, be sure to bend your horse on the arc of the circle.

Look to see if any movement or collective mark will be scored as a coefficient. This means that the score you get on this movement will be doubled before your score is added up. Making this movement your best can dramatically improve your score!

Practice Your Test

When preparing for your first dressage show, and any more that you may have in the future, it is important to practice your test. In a dressage test, movements come up faster than you may think. It is easy to get nervous and forget the next movement. Practice the test often. Knowing your test inside out means you can focus on preparing your horse for the next movement instead of trying to remember what comes next.

If your horse begins to anticipate the next movement when you’re practicing your test, try walking through the test on foot or drawing it on paper. This way you can learn the test without teaching your horse to anticipate the movements, making them too early.

While you’re practicing, think about how you can make each movement better. Are you allowing your horse to cruise around the corner on the forehand, or are you half-halting and setting him up for his next movement? Is his body straight? Are you keeping the rhythm consistent? You want to make sure you are getting the highest score you can at every movement, so you should practice riding your best.

First Dressage Show: Ride the Horse, Not the Test

Since you’ve practiced so much at home, you know exactly which movement is next. You’ve focused so much on the geometry of the test that you know exactly where everything needs to happen for accuracy. Now, it’s time to focus on your riding.

Remember that your horse is likely to be more tense at the show than he is at home. Focusing on your rhythm can help him relax.

Use circles to your advantage. Don’t just steer around the circle, but make sure that you’re riding inside leg to outside hand to establish the bend. Use your corners to half-halt and balance him.

Look at the Judge’s Remarks

After you’ve checked your score, don’t forget to pick up the test! Once you have finished your first dressage show, look at the judge’s remarks. This can give you valuable information for improving your riding.

For example, the judge may have remarked that your horse needed to be more round in a movement. When you’re practicing the test for the next show, practice keeping the roundness through the movement.

Don’t be discouraged if the test isn’t as good at the show as it is at home. Remember that the atmosphere at the show will be different. You will be excited and nervous. Your horse may be nervous or distracted by the change of location.

Give him a soft, relaxed, and confident ride, and with time, he will be soft and confident as well.

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2017 issue of Young Rider magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post What to Know Before Your First Dressage Show appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.