Staying Positive
Being a rider is hard. Staying positive is hard. Being a positive rider is very hard, but here are some tips to follow.
The first rule of thumb is to always set realistic goals. Make your goal attainable and reasonable. Start small and work your way higher.
Dressage testing and evaluations offer a lot of good feedback in the individual scoring system. Being judged on a chart of percentages offers a chance for everyone to understand the value in a good score. Some may aim for higher scores at the same level and some may opt to move up a level after achieving sixty plus scores. That is the beauty of dressage. You get to take out of it what you want. In the end the horses are happier as the competitive world tends to place the horses at an odd disadvantage even though they should be the center of focus and attention.
The Academy tests are more about seeing how a horse and rider are doing in their training progression. The comments that are received for each individual score should be thought as constructive criticism in a positive manner and not as harsh, condescending insults. The feedback from each judge is valuable and should be geared towards a better understanding of classical horsemanship. The goal of every judge is to provide a prospective on how each movement could have been better. If this is not possible then a rider has definitely reached a peak and should move on unless of course he is already in Grand Prix!
The first rule of thumb is to always set realistic goals. Make your goal attainable and reasonable. Start small and work your way higher.
Dressage testing and evaluations offer a lot of good feedback in the individual scoring system. Being judged on a chart of percentages offers a chance for everyone to understand the value in a good score. Some may aim for higher scores at the same level and some may opt to move up a level after achieving sixty plus scores. That is the beauty of dressage. You get to take out of it what you want. In the end the horses are happier as the competitive world tends to place the horses at an odd disadvantage even though they should be the center of focus and attention.
The Academy tests are more about seeing how a horse and rider are doing in their training progression. The comments that are received for each individual score should be thought as constructive criticism in a positive manner and not as harsh, condescending insults. The feedback from each judge is valuable and should be geared towards a better understanding of classical horsemanship. The goal of every judge is to provide a prospective on how each movement could have been better. If this is not possible then a rider has definitely reached a peak and should move on unless of course he is already in Grand Prix!
