How to Survive Your First Dressage Show
How to Survive Your First Dressage Show
How to Survive (and even enjoy!) Your First Dressage Show Drew Pilton
Even if you are the most confident, well-prepared of riders, your first dressage show can reduce you to nothing but a bundle of nerves. There is so much to remember, and we're not talking about just the test! Well, relax, we've got everything covered. By the end of this article, you'll be on your way to realizing your dressage goals in a relaxed, enjoyable manner.
A month before the show:
* Be mentally and physically prepared. Sounds obvious, but too often riders enter their first dressage show without asking themselves the following questions: Do I understand the objectives—rhythm, relaxation, and suppleness—of dressage? Can we ride the required movements in a controlled, accurate manner, and do we consistently do so at home? Does the horse have the ability to stay on task, and is he well-behaved?
* Don't focus on your nerves. If you wait to compete until you aren't nervous about it, you'll never compete. Even top-level dressage riders get nervous. Instead, realize that a healthy case of nerves can keep you focused on the task at hand.
* Read the AHSA rule book. Read it twice! Many riders are eliminated because they haven't taken the time to read the rule book and inadvertently break a rule. You've worked way too hard to let that happen!
* Begin to memorize the test. Know it front and back, inside and out. Walk the test on your own two feet, ride the test on your horse often, draw a diagram and trace it with your finger, and think about it in your head when you are driving and falling asleep. Know it in your sleep, because if you get in the ring and are nervous, it will be the first thing you forget.
* Arrange for someone to read for you. If you suffer from the type of nerves that empties your brain of everything you've learned since birth including, unfortunately, the dressage test you've memorized, then find a friend or family member who will read it to you.
* Get a good coach. Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect. Ride with your instructor as often as you can afford to. Your coach will be able to gauge your position and your ability to use your aids correctly, which will have a direct and very important impact on your horse's progress...
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WORRIED ABOUT AN UPCOMING SHOW?LET ULLA HELP YOU. If you have questions you can email Ulla Hudson, our German FN Certified Dressage and Jumping Coach (Reitlehrer - Trainer A)
Windsong Dressage and Equestrian Center
#733, Route 344, Cedar Grove, Edgewood, NM, 87015, USA
505-615-5050
How to Survive (and even enjoy!) Your First Dressage Show Drew Pilton
Even if you are the most confident, well-prepared of riders, your first dressage show can reduce you to nothing but a bundle of nerves. There is so much to remember, and we're not talking about just the test! Well, relax, we've got everything covered. By the end of this article, you'll be on your way to realizing your dressage goals in a relaxed, enjoyable manner.
A month before the show:
* Be mentally and physically prepared. Sounds obvious, but too often riders enter their first dressage show without asking themselves the following questions: Do I understand the objectives—rhythm, relaxation, and suppleness—of dressage? Can we ride the required movements in a controlled, accurate manner, and do we consistently do so at home? Does the horse have the ability to stay on task, and is he well-behaved?
* Don't focus on your nerves. If you wait to compete until you aren't nervous about it, you'll never compete. Even top-level dressage riders get nervous. Instead, realize that a healthy case of nerves can keep you focused on the task at hand.
* Read the AHSA rule book. Read it twice! Many riders are eliminated because they haven't taken the time to read the rule book and inadvertently break a rule. You've worked way too hard to let that happen!
* Begin to memorize the test. Know it front and back, inside and out. Walk the test on your own two feet, ride the test on your horse often, draw a diagram and trace it with your finger, and think about it in your head when you are driving and falling asleep. Know it in your sleep, because if you get in the ring and are nervous, it will be the first thing you forget.
* Arrange for someone to read for you. If you suffer from the type of nerves that empties your brain of everything you've learned since birth including, unfortunately, the dressage test you've memorized, then find a friend or family member who will read it to you.
* Get a good coach. Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect. Ride with your instructor as often as you can afford to. Your coach will be able to gauge your position and your ability to use your aids correctly, which will have a direct and very important impact on your horse's progress...
WORRIED ABOUT AN UPCOMING SHOW?LET ULLA HELP YOU. If you have questions you can email Ulla Hudson, our German FN Certified Dressage and Jumping Coach (Reitlehrer - Trainer A)
#733, Route 344, Cedar Grove, Edgewood, NM, 87015, USA
505-615-5050
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