I’ve been meaning to try an online dressage competition for ages, so when our blogging support group got an offer for free entries in return for blogging about the experience, I accepted with alacrity.
We were approached by Melissa of Dressage Riders Online.
http://www.dressageridersonline.co.uk
I chose to do a novice test- this month’s allocation was N24, a test I have ridden once before.
Now, the first advantage of doing an online dressage competition is that no plaiting is required- as Cal has enough mane for 2 horses.
No plaits is therefore a huge treat for me, although Cal quite likes looking smart.
The other advantage of online dressage competition is that you get to use your own familiar arena, without any diesel costs.
We don’t have our own arena. My lovely neighbour has a fabulous arena that I am fortunate to be allowed to use regularly- it’s secluded and peaceful, more or less next door, I hack there and I quite often have the place to myself. Cal generally goes beautifully there.
Until we needed to mark out a 20m x 40m space. I enlisted Gary’s help as arena builder and camera man and he, being a perfectionist, brought his massive tape measure to make sure it was marked out correctly. So as I was working in, we had slithery snake-like metallic tape measure and moving poles to contend with. It was also quite windy so the hedge monsters were out in force and the new patio umbrellas were waving gently.
Cal kept it together remarkably well and was working nicely so we decided to go for the first take. I stopped at C to pass the phone over the fence to Gary, who had to crawl through the electric tape to take it off me, and Zap!!! He got a proper shock!
Gary yelled and jumped, Cal jumped and then decided that C was obviously a really dangerous place to be! Another 10minutes of working in at that end, I eventually convinced him that it might be safe to approach the fence as usual.
After 3 takes we had a test I thought might be worth sending in. Just as well, it was the last possible filming day of the month- I’m a bit of a deadline queen.
I’m not the only blogger who benefited from the free trial of online dressage competition-
A Perfect Storm https://m.facebook.com/aperfectstormx/
was quicker on the posting trigger and even managed to share a clip of her test video, showing stretching on a circle.
‘Uh oh’ I thought, ‘I’m pretty sure there’s no stretching on a circle on my video?’
Sure enough there wasn’t- whoops!
With no judge to beep when I’d gone off course, I had merrily missed out a whole movement!
Too late- month over, video gone in.
On the Tuesday evening as I was heading towards Mostyn for an evening show jumping lesson, Melissa messaged me to say my WeTransfer link wasn’t opening properly, she was off to work and could I send my test to the judge directly? As I was headed into deepest darkest Wales on my own in the truck, this wasn’t the best news!
I had a couple more tries on arrival at Mostyn but I really could not get the WeTransfer app to work correctly from my phone.
I finally managed to send a link to my YouTube channel (get me- total technophobe dunce- YouTube??), when I got home at 930pm, convinced I would be too late.
But no, the judge was lovely and kind and accepted my video.
And we came 2nd!!!
The test sheet and the rosette arrived a couple of days later.
Gorgeous rossie 😀
Helen Copeland is a list 5 BD judge from the North East. The comments were really positive and helpful, with none of the usual meaningless phrases
(‘could be rounder’, and ‘needs to be more over the back’ in particular being two phrases that are guaranteed to send the test sheet into the bin without me reading further)
and I thought the marks more than fair for our rather challenging day at home.
The marks would have been even better was there not a big fat 0 in the stretchy circle box!
And I love Haribos!
So would I do it again?
Definitely.
I feel it is important to ride tests occasionally, in order to identify the challenges in the work and the next areas of focus required in the training. Along with the discipline of doing a particular movement at the marker as well as when the right moment arrives.
We’ve taped the marker spots on the neighbour’s arena fence so set up next time should be quicker.
My limiting factor will always be finding someone to video, preferably without electrocuting themselves first, but now I’ve got the technology sorted, actually submitting the video should be easier.
And most importantly, this is the the first judge for ages who has put useful specific comments that seem to demonstrate an understanding of correct training.
Because we train our horses classically, which to me means as ethically, and as biomechanically correctly as possible, the modern obsession with over tempo horses and false roundness in front, no matter what else is occurring, has actually properly put me off formal dressage competition. Obviously when Eventing we have to do a test so we can get onto the XC course.
So I’m encouraged to try online dressage competition again, hopefully with Cal in a calmer frame of mind next time, and see if we can improve our test riding. And hopefully see some progression in our scores as he improves.
So a huge thank to Melissa from Dressage Riders Online for the chance to try out online dressage competition.
You have hooked me in as a regular customer from now on in.
Here’s the link again
http://www.dressageridersonline.co.uk/
I thoroughly recommend this lovely site for friendly help and ease of use. If I can manage the technical video sending bit then honestly, anyone else will be fine.
Thanks to Gary for filming – please note no Garys were harmed in the production of this movie 😂😂, and to Stacey for being the best horsey neighbour ever.
And to Cal, for simply being the best teacher one could wish for 😍😍
