Mastery of First Level/Novice Part 5: Test Figures Dressage Mastery Academy Module 3: Mastering First Level/ Novice MONTH 5: Mastering Test Figures at First/Novice Level Welcome to Part 5 of this module!! This month is really fun because we are looking at the test figures for a First Level/Novice Level dressage test!! Why is mastering test figures important at this level? It doesn t matter how hard you work on training your horse and having him in the correct rhythm, with losgelassenheit, nice and into the contact and with impulsion and straightness. If you ride inaccurately you won t score well. Also you may think you have your horse correctly ridden but then do test figures and realise your horse isn t maybe on the aids as much as you like. So it is important to commit to mastering the test figures so you can achieve the maximum amount of marks you are capable of.
Let s Look at Everything in the Test and Make Sure We Can Do It!! Centreline The first thing in the test that we have to do is the centreline. I am issuing you the CENTRELINE challenge!! The challenge is... do 5 centrelines EVERY time you ride! If you do 5 centrelines every time you ride, 4 times per week... that s 20 centrelines per week... which is 1,000 centrelines per year!! Do you think that if you did that many centrelines in a year your centrelines would improve? YES!! They would! So ride those centrelines - you want to impress the judge right from the very start of your test. You want to nail the straightness - two hands, two legs coming down the centreline. You want the horse to listen to the half halts and start to sit back on the hind legs a bit, start to take weight behind and get a bit lighter in front, coming into a nice, square halt. Take your time - the horse needs to be happy to stay there as long as you need him to be halted, then off you go into a nice, straight trot. TROT WORK Lengthened Trot Sometimes in the test you are going to have a lengthened trot. For the lengthened trot you want to collect in the corner of the arena, explode out into the lengthened trot... and then collect again. Lengthening trot at this level is just asking for lengthened strides - not a medium trot. Remember you are going to practice that in your normal work - just going out for a couple of strides and then collect. You need to make sure the horse goes when you ask it to go, but comes straight back and collects when you ask them to collect. This is something that really loses marks in the test if it is not done well. This is the first time that we are asking the horse to sit more on the hind legs and start to take weight behind. You need to start this in your training - when you ask the horse to collect with the seat, he needs to start taking weight behind, the horse can t get heavier and throw themselves on the forehand. 2
10m Circles You are looking to hit the centreline from the long side - you want nice circular circles! The horse has to stay on the same contact, the same rhythm, the horse has to have a nice bend and flexion and can t throw it s quarters out around the circle. Leg Yield No bend or flexion! The horse just moves off your leg and stats going forward, across, forward, across. There is no bend or flexion, no change in rhythm - the horse does not slow down just because it is going sideways or run off. Make sure you are training the leg yield every time you ride, because the leg yield has to be easy and effortless and keeping the same rhythm and contact. CANTER WORK 15m Circles This is coming off the track 2.5m on each side if you are doing a 15m circle at A or C. If you are doing a 15m circle at E or B or down the longside you are 5m down the track. Again, you keep the same bend, contact and rhythm. You don t let the horses hindlegs swing out when you go around the circle, and you want the circle to be the same all the way around - circular, not rectangular or oblong! Medium Canter Remember you want to have the horse in shoulder fore so that the forelegs are a little bit off the rail and the horse is nice and straight, because the back end of the horse is wider than the front end. When you ask for the medium canter the horse has to explode, and then come back off your seat and not your hands. You want the horse to go, then come back collected and almost canter on the spot around the corner. This is something that really loses marks in the test if it is not done well. This is the first time that we are asking the horse to sit more on the hind legs and start to take weight behind. You need to start this in your training - when you ask the horse to collect with the seat, he needs to start taking weight behind, the horse can t get heavier and throw themselves on the forehand. 3
Canter - Trot - Canter Transitions These are tricky!! You want the horse to come around, not much bend or flexion - you almost want the horse to start bending the other way, you have the horse in the new outside rein as you ask for trot, half halts, three strides of trot and then ask for canter. Remember the horse has to come into the canter off your seat - if you are using too much leg the horse is not going to be straight. In the video you can see that I barely use any leg to the point where my horse canters on the wrong leg - I have left it in there so that you can see that we all make mistakes!! But you do want to do the bare minimum!! Take an extra half halt in the trot to make sure you get that right leg in the canter :) Please don t underestimate this movement - it s tricky - don t underestimate how quick you have to be and how clever you have to be and how many half halts you need. And that s pretty much all that s new in the Novice/First Level test!! Sounds pretty easy, but we all know that these things can trip you up. I am a Grand Prix rider, and the horse I am riding in the novice can do almost everything in the medium... but we still make mistakes, we still occasionally get the wrong lead in the canter-trot-canter transition! 4
Mastery of this month: Can I Do a Novice Test? Where I m at right now Centre Lines Movement Score (1-5) What Do I Need To Work On To Improve Lengthened Trot 10m Circle in Trot Left 10m Circle in Trot Right Leg Yield Left Leg Yield Right Trot Walk Transition Walk Trot Transition Trot Canter Transition Transition Left Transition Right Canter Trot Transition Canter 15m Circle Lengthened Canter Score Legend: 1. Can t do the movement 2. Can do but ugly 3. Looking better 4. Can do well 5. It s Awesome!! 5
Rider Example - Georgia Movement Score (1-5) What Do I Need To Work On To Improve Centre Lines 3 Contact Lengthened Trot 3 1/2 Halts and contact 10m Circle in Trot Left 4 contact 10m Circle in Trot Right 4 Contact Leg Yield Left 2 1/2 Halts and contact Leg Yield Right 2 1/2 Halts and contact Trot Walk Transition 3 1/2 Halts and contact Walk Trot Transition 3 1/2 Halts and contact Trot Canter Transition 2 1/2 Halts and contact Transition Left Transition Right 2 1/2 Halts and contact 2 1/2 Halts and contact Canter Trot Transition 2 1/2 Halts and contact Canter 15m Circle 3 Contact Lengthened Canter 2 1/2 Halts and contact So as you can see Georgia doesn't need to work on the movements. By doing the movements it has just helped highlight she needs to work on 1/2 halts and contact. When this improves, the test movements will improve, which means the test itself will improve! :) Goals for this month Go back and work on what you have determined from your scores that you need to work on. I have included the same table a couple of times again for you to fill out - the aim is to make everything a 5!! 6
Centre Lines Movement Score (1-5) What Do I Need To Work On To Improve Lengthened Trot 10m Circle in Trot Left 10m Circle in Trot Right Leg Yield Left Leg Yield Right Trot Walk Transition Walk Trot Transition Trot Canter Transition Transition Left Transition Right Canter Trot Transition Canter 15m Circle Lengthened Canter 7
Centre Lines Movement Score (1-5) What Do I Need To Work On To Improve Lengthened Trot 10m Circle in Trot Left 10m Circle in Trot Right Leg Yield Left Leg Yield Right Trot Walk Transition Walk Trot Transition Trot Canter Transition Transition Left Transition Right Canter Trot Transition Canter 15m Circle Lengthened Canter I trust you have enjoyed and you are inspired by Month 5 of Module 3 and you are ready to get out there and master the test figures for your novice/first level horse. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! You have completed Part 5 of Novice/First level mastery! I am so excited to see how you progress this month and celebrating with you taking your riding to the next level! I can t wait to share with you next month: Part 6 - The Test in Action - where I show you the Novice/First level test ridden at a competition with score sheets so you can see what score was given by the judges as well as a complete voiceover of what I am thinking when I ride the test, how I prepare and how I ride when things go wrong to do the best performance on the day. 8