Dressage to music questions...

[Mary Poppins]

I am entering my first dressage to music comp. in a few weeks time and I have a few questions that I hope someone can answer.

I am entering the novice freestyle and have the scoresheet which lists the movements that are essential. Does this mean that if I add anything else which isn't an essential movement then I won't get marks for it? So if I add a leg yield in, will I get marked up for this as it is a movement beyond the essential, or will I get marked down for it as it isn't listed in the test?

I am going to keep my paces together to keep the music simplier but I can't decide which order to ride them in. I am thinking trot, canter, walk and then trot again to finish. Does this sound right? He really slows down in the walk so canter straight after walk might not work too well - but then again he does do a great walk to canter transistion so if I get it right it could be great.

Should I spend an equal amount of time in each pace, or should the walk be shorter? I know that you get double marks for walk, but I have read that people tend to walk for only a short period of time and this gets them lower marks. Walk is certainly my horses worst pace so I don't want to show this off more than I have to.

Thank you

 

[Lgd]

I am entering the novice freestyle and have the scoresheet which lists the movements that are essential. Does this mean that if I add anything else which isn't an essential movement then I won't get marks for it? So if I add a leg yield in, will I get marked up for this as it is a movement beyond the essential, or will I get marked down for it as it isn't listed in the test?

You would get penalised for using a movement that is not presented in a novice test. You can do non-compulsory movements provided that they are in one of the novice or prelim level tests

I am going to keep my paces together to keep the music simplier but I can't decide which order to ride them in. I am thinking trot, canter, walk and then trot again to finish. Does this sound right? He really slows down in the walk so canter straight after walk might not work too well - but then again he does do a great walk to canter transistion so if I get it right it could be great.

Any order is fine, although best not to finish in walk as it doesn't give you a 'dramatic' finish.

Should I spend an equal amount of time in each pace, or should the walk be shorter? I know that you get double marks for walk, but I have read that people tend to walk for only a short period of time and this gets them lower marks. Walk is certainly my horses worst pace so I don't want to show this off more than I have to.

Walk - usually around 45 seconds is more than enough to show the required movements. Split the rest between the trot and canter - so roughly 2 mins each of those.

Remember test is timed from the move off after the first halt.

Thank you[/QUOTE]

 

[juniberry]

you get marks for corography and difficulty so as long as you stay in the moves allowed at this level here is where you gain extra marks. The complusory moves make up half the marks and the other half are awarded to the overal look and way of going (music to suit the horse flow of movements way of going and so on) and remember just have fun

 

[Lgd]

No specific marks for degree of difficulty at novice IIRC.

Sample programme for you - this is a friend's novice choreography that we finished off last night.

Enter in trot, halt at D and salute.

Move off at walk diagonally towards the left track and canter left on the diagonal line.
20 metre circle at C in working canter.

Medium canter up the long side, back to working canter and between V & K half 15m circle and proceed diagonally back to E.

E - H counter canter and before C change of leg through trot.

C - 20 m circle in working canter right

Medium canter up long side, back to working canter between B&P and 15m half circle returning to the track at B.

B-M counter canter

Change thro' trot before C.

Walk around F with change in music.
Medium walk up long side and half 20m circle in free walk returning to medium walk at the track.

Trot with music change.

Go diagonally from H to the 3/4 line opposite E and ride a 15 m circle right in working trot, then diagonally back to the track at K.

At F 10 m circle left then medium trot F-X-G, just before G working trot and at C track right.

M go diagonally to the 3/4 line and ride a 15m circle to the left in working trot, then diagonally back to F.

10m circle at F (if time) and up centre line. Halt & salute with the music finish.

It is useful to have the 10m circles you can put in/take out as needed. They are not a required element and can be used to accommodate the fact that programme timings vary slightly depending on the surface. Some surfaces ride slower/faster than others.

This programme is at the upper end of the technical limits allowable for novice but her horse is out at elementary and working at medium/advanced medium at home.

Things that up the difficulty are the transitions within the pace followed by a movement that is harder for a novice horse like the 15m circle.
The trot movement based around the circle is good for showing the suppleness of the horse with the changes of direction.
Novice is quite limited in terms of allowable technical movements so you need a floor pattern to make it look a bit different and use interesting links between the moves to hold the judges attention.
Use music with changes in phrasing that you can use to highlight certain moves like the medium steps.