Event Report : Dressage Riders Online / October

I feel the pressure when warming up for dressage at a competition.

“Am I going to remember the test?”

“Does my horse look as good as the others in the warm up?”

“Is my jacket the right fit and colour for this competition?”

“Will the judge judge me if I have to wind my horse up before I go down the centre line?”

The list is endless.

Then I found online dressage. There are a few websites to choose from nowadays but I chose Dressage Riders Online ( https://www.dressageridersonline.com/ )because I liked their engagement with their competitors and I like to support new businesses. They also had a Veteran section, and I am all for entering a class where I am judged against similar horses with similar abilities.

I am lucky to be stabled at a lovely yard (actually owned by one of my best friends parents), and we have an arena slightly wider than a 20x40, so its really easy to film the tests without having to box up and leave. I filmed and entered my first test back in February before the dreaded lockdown, and even though a few months were postponed due to the virus, it gave purpose to my schooling throughout this year and gave us something to work towards!

As the rules about using BD tests changed this year Dressage Riders Online have their own tests which slot into similar categories as Prelim/Novice/Elementary. I usually compete in Prelim classes, so I do the Level 2 classes with DRO, and there are 4 tests to choose from at this level. I love that they are new tests, and it gives a new challenge. I personally find them a little harder than the Prelim tests I usually do, which is great as it gives us a new challenge each time. There are lots of different leagues and events to choose from, we have only competed in the Veteran classes so far.

So on to Octobers entry!

I like to practice the test once or twice before filming day as I would if it was a test out at a competition centre. This time round I didn’t have a spare day to do this, so my first complete run through was on the day of filming. I found this test quite difficult to remember and keep in my head, there were lots of circles and it was less ‘mirrored’ – not everything was the same on the other rein. Since Pepsi’s diet we have struggled with getting and containing the energy and jump when schooling. As he is a bit older he does suffer with stiffness so takes a little longer to warm up, which can then mean he gets tired – it’s tough to get that perfect sweet spot when he feels his best to film the test.

He warmed up really well and felt forward and engaged. We were at Allens Hill doing a Prelim the weekend before and I kept faffing about in the warm up with my stirrups, they felt a bit long, but annoyingly I went ahead and did the test with them when I was feeling they weren’t right. This meant my legs were flapping all over the place and I didn’t look very secure at all. I put them up to warm up for this online dressage and I felt so much better! I wish I had put them up the weekend before! I felt like I could get my leg on much more and really ride with my seat. I warmed up going though some of the movements from the test I was most worried about. There’s a walk half 10 to half 10 from E to B, and then also a 20m circle at B followed immediately by a short diagonal from B to H which I just couldn’t get right for a while! I realized I had to finish my circle slightly before the marker so I could turn towards H exactly on the marker.

I film the test once – exactly like how you would be judged if it was a competition. If I make a mistake, I never stop and start again. I suppose it would be easy to do that – and its perfectly fine to do so, that’s the joy of online dressage! But for me, I want to make this the most ‘competition like’ I can! I get nerves and adrenaline as I go down the center line just as I would if I was being judged there and then! I was really happy with how the test went. I felt my canter on the right rein was not as pretty as the left, I do struggle with that rein. He likes to really push his shoulders out and lean in on the right rein and is not through or pushing from behind at all. I was disappointed with that portion of the test, and I couldn’t feel if I had a square halt or not. But the rest of the test felt really good and I was happy with how we performed.

Here’s a link to the full test:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETV1OXIKJAw

The feeling must have been good as the results were amazing! We scored a 73.4% - our PB!! We got some lovely comments too – ‘active entry’ and ‘swing over back’ are comments I never usually get, so I felt super proud. His weight loss and fitness regime seem to have really helped his joints and mobility, as he looks and feels a lot more free. I also got lower marks for the right canter – just as I had thought, with comments of needing to be more forward and through. Something I will definitely work on as we train for next months test.