Tips for Dressage Score

10 Tips to Improve Your Dressage Score

It can be daunting going into any test, let along one where you’re relying on your partner to work with you. Here’s some tips on how to improve your dressage score; what to look out for and what to practice with your horse ahead of the big day.

Tips for Dressage Score

Relax and keep calm

Try and keep yourself relaxed and calm. This will ensure that you stay focused and aren’t tense and worked up ahead of the dressage test. Keeping yourself relaxed will also make sure your horse is relaxed and doesn’t pick up any unnecessary tension.

Keep your head up

Get into a habit of always looking up and forward. This way you are prepared for turns and transitions and it will also help keep your posture correct. If you do need to look elsewhere then try and do this only using your eyes and keeping your head in an upward and forward position. If you drop your head this will tip you forward and disturb the balance of your horse.

Ride centre lines

This is where your first impression is made so ride the centre line with confidence. The entrance must be straight, keep your horse forward. Practice will make perfect when it comes down to riding the centre line straight.

Look at the directives

When learning a new test, most riders tend to look at the moves that will be performed in the test. As well as looking at these, you should also pay particular attention to the directives in the next column. The directives will inform you how the movements are to be performed and what the judges will be looking for. So, make sure as well as the movement you fully pay attention to the directives and answer the question that’s been set out in front of you.

Prepare for transitions

Transitions are good to teach your horse balance and obedience. Transitions are all about the smooth flow of one movement to another. In a test, transitions are the most marked part. A bad transition can ruin the flow of a test. Your horse must understand the aids for transitions and you must understand how to apply and coordinate them. Practice, practice and more practice!

Ride good circles

Here again is where you should read the test properly to see what the judges will be looking for. Regularity, pace and tempo will be marked and these all fall in line with each other to ride a good circle. The tempo is what you need to concentrate on getting right and don’t go too fast with it. You’ll get extra points for accuracy, so get practicing!

Practice your cornersImprove Dressage Score

Corners is something that should be practiced at home. There’s no excuses for not perfecting this movement and it will put you in good stead for your dressage test. It is a short movement where you are going to come in straight, bend for a couple of steps and straighten. That’s it!

Bend correctly

Use correct body alignment to ride a bending line. Maintain an upright position and do not allow one side of your shoulders to drop as this will upset the balance of the horse. Keep your shoulders level and pivot them around to the left or right. Make sure your horse is bent to the inside on circles, corners and turns.

Ride the square halt

This can be easy points in a dressage test if you get it right. Prepare for the halt with a couple of short trots to lead into the halt. This will ensure the horse maintains balance and help to land in a square halt. Once you’re in your halt, stay there! Too many riders questions whether their halt is square enough but usually they are ok.

Back to basics

Develop the quality of the gaits. Your walk, trot, canter and gallop can always be worked on and developing these so you are confident and happy with how you are riding will help with all elements of your dressage test.

What are you waiting for? Now you know what to do to improve your dressage score you have no excuses excuses – get practicing!

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