First Dressage Test Ever

“You definitely need to wear white breeches. I have four pairs in all different sizes. I’ll bring them over for you to try.” My friend who is an enthusiastic eventer got very excited when she learned Knight and I were signed up to try out a one day event. Just the dressage part. Because my over active brain and emotions could not tolerate trying THREE new things in one day.

Read about my previous horse show (from five years ago) here.

Alas, I figured I should know how to walk, trot and canter my horse at this phase of my riding “career.” So dressage was the selected discipline for my foray into the world of eventing. (I still can’t believe I typed that phrase: “foray into the world of eventing.” <nervous giggle>)

Since it was only a schooling show, and I have the worst horse show nerves, I was planning to just wear a normal “schooling” outfit of dark breeches and a sunshirt. That would have been acceptable and, in fact, is what my trainer wore for the show.

However, a different friend–the one who roped me into this event (and I love her for it) said she was going to dress up for photos.

“I probably won’t get dressed up because I’ll get more nervous feeling like it’s a real thing,” I told my trainer during my lesson, two days before the event.

“Well then you probably should dress up to practice,” she countered.

“Ugh! She’s right,” I thought.

One pair of the four white borrowed breeches fit well, and the material was very forgiving, not showing too prominent of panty lines. My friend had said, “They’ll look soooo good in pictures.”

I can be convinced to do about anything for a cute picture with my horse.

I didn’t have all the letters for the smaller dressage court memorized. I know something I read from my youth, way before I had a horse, had a mnemonic “All King Edward’s Horses Call Me Beautiful Fool.” That doesn’t really help me know where they are on the dressage court. I know you enter at A and the judge is at C (I made my own memory device “The judge will SEE (C) you from there.”).

Memorizing Beginner Novice Test A was tricky and in the end, I kind of had a grasp of it, but not enough to do it from memory. Should I be taking Gingko Biloba? I was able to cajole/persuade/ask my friend Emily of May As Well Event to call it for me. Which was technically against the rules.

I’m such a rebel.

I learned in eventing, you’re not allowed to have a test called out for you, but you can in a straight up dressage show. But this was a one day, local practice show (someone rode the test in a gag bit–lol!) so my trainer said it would be fine.

I practiced the test three times the day before the show. Knight got a little spicy when we entered the dressage court at our own barn. What the heck, Knight?

Spicy for Knight is flipping his head and being dumb. To date this horse has still never once bucked or reared or had a big spook with me. So I will advocate for his use of head flipping to show excitement. I can ride that out.

I wasn’t technically in a lesson, but my trainer was just finishing up with another student so she was on the rail, along with another friend/fellow hunt member and Emily who was calling the test for me from atop her spunky palomino mare May.

Let’s just say there was a lot of laughter while I was literally put through the paces. Especially when during what I thought was a very comfortable and gorgeous canter, my trainer yelled something like, “Go! Canter! Move! Go somewhere!”

Emily piped up, “Is that the kind of canter you could jump an oxer with?”

“Yes!” I said.

Apparently my trainer and the railbird hunt guy and Emily thought that was hilarious. I can’t help it if I love a lope.

“Leg, leg, leg,” my hunt friend said while I was envisioning him as one of the hecklers from the Muppets–you know the old guys up in the balcony that are always laughing and being snarky.

The day of the dressage test dawned and my white-breeches-loaning friend wanted to join in since it was her day off work. I’m so grateful she came. Having an extra set of hands, especially ones that are skilled with Thoroughbreds, is always welcome (she used to work on the track).

We pulled into the showgrounds about 30 minutes after the time I had targeted to be there (thanks freeway shutdown on a Sunday morning that made us have a detour!) and I had no idea where to go.

There was a group text with all the people from my barn’s ride times and I frantically texted, “I’m here, but don’t know where my horse is.” Within a minute I received a response with the location. We drove over the the edge of the parking lot where a very happy looking Knight was eating hay while he was pretend tied to the trailer, with just the lead rope looped through the baling twine tie. We trick him into thinking he’s tied, and he tricks us into believing that he’s thinks he’s tied.

I don’t know how I got so lucky with this saint of a horse.

I began to brush and the rest was a blur until someone said, “Do you have your number?” I said no–I didn’t know where to get it. When I found the envelope with my name on it in the trailer tack room, it was empty. I was number 9, but there was no number. Yikes!

A person I didn’t know who was also showing said she’d go to the office and get my number. I finished tacking up and got to the part where I needed to tie my stock tie. I realized the night before I didn’t know where my stock pins were so Emily saved the day (again) and said she’d bring safety pins.

I think she sensed my ineptness, “This stock tie doesn’t have a slot to loop the end through! Do I just tie it like this?!?!”

“Tighter! It’s gotta be tighter!” so she ended up both tying the darn tie and pinning me, apologizing if she got too close to my–ya know–body parts. I have never had such a gorgeously floofed stock tie in all my days.

I found a makeshift mounting block which was a little too short, but made due and got on Knight–still without a number. My other friend–the one riding, who peer pressured me into this thing in the first place–mounted and we began heading to the dressage courts. I didn’t know where those were either. I was happy to follow and then I was reminded, “You need to get your number!”

But wait! Wasn’t the other gal who I didn’t know picking it up for me? So my white breeches friend, Emily and riding friend all peeled off to head for the dressage area and they pointed toward the office which was the opposite direction of the property.

I felt so alone.

I saw a large pavilion walkway which looked like one of those covered bridges in rural Iowa and thought, “Oh no! I can’t walk through that alone,” but kept heading that direction. I was relieved and dismayed when there was a sign that read “No Horses” at the entrance. <GASP>

How was I supposed to get my number? Darn freeway closure.

I turned Knight and went back toward the entrance to the showgrounds to go around to the office via the parking lot and asked for a trot. I figured if I can control him in the hunt field in the open, he should be fine to book it across the lot.

This next part is also a blur. I somehow bumped into the person who picked up my number. They had to make a homemade one (we figured out later–there is another rider with a last name very similar to mine and she mistakenly grabbed my number thinking it was hers).

I don’t know how I ended up in the dressage warm up area, but I did. And it was in the Grand Prix stadium! With the most beautiful footing I’ve ridden on to date!

The fact my friend who was also competing was in the warm up area with me was comforting, as was Emily’s presence. I think I asked her like five times if she was going to call the dressage test for me. I was worried there would be a last minute, “No, remember in eventing you have to have it memorized,” in which case I would have had to muddle through and probably gotten it wrong. Although I did have enough sense to remember the entry, the two trot circles were in the middle and the two canter circles on either end of the arena. Was it left lead by the judge’s stand or right lead?

My trainer was on a young horse, and appeared out of nowhere. The best part was the person organizing all the riders was trying to squeeze her in so she could go do her show jumping. “Do you mind if she rides ahead of you?”

What luck! I would get to see my trainer ride the same test I was going to do two rides ahead of mine!

“Knight, watch what she’s doing and that’s what you’re going to do,” I told him. My warm up consisted of that trot through the parking lot (I mentioned earlier) and then I trotted a few circles and cantered around both ways doing a few circles. I noticed the dressage warm up area was WAY less hectic than any I’ve ever ridden in at a hunter show.

Speaking of hunter shows and what I’ve noticed as different in my short time working up to trying to pass as an eventer. . . I also REALLY liked that I had a given ride time. No hurry up and wait like at a hunter show.

I was told when the rider ahead of me started to walk at the end of her test, that I should establish my trot and go down the long side of the court (the shady Bridge of Madison County side), walk before I got to the judge’s stand and say hello telling them my name and number.

I had heard my trainer’s dressage coach was going to be judging and I knew that was a woman, so when I approached the stand I looked at the woman, “Good morning. I’m Susan Friedland number 9. My friend Emily is going to call the test for me,” and hoped my general friendliness would make a great first impression. There was a man, the scribe, next to her. I couldn’t tell you anything about him–color of hair, build, etc. I knew he was older, but that’s it.

Knight and I trucked down the opposite long side and as I neared the letter A by the opening I thought, “I don’t know if I’m supposed to go on the left or right of A!” I noticed a slight path in the world-class footing and passed with the A on my left.

Emily proclaimed each movement loudly and authoritatively. We crossed over X and kept going over to M. I had a moment of wondering if I was on the correct diagonal. Kept trotting toward E where the first 20 meter circle was supposed to take place. The day before I was told I made my circles too small so I overcompensated, enjoying every stride in the fluffy footing.

Knight was just cruising along like, “Dressage is no biggie.” I kept feeling like my reins grew longer and longer. We picked up the left lead canter and it was fine. I had no concept if we were loping or doing an acceptable canter–one suitable for jumping an oxer.

We transitioned down to trot and then walk. I did learn I was supposed to walk between M and C because it was like walking to McDonalds. In our practice session the day before Emily had said something to the effect like, “You have to walk at M and C because fat people can only walk to McDonalds.” LOL

I was really looking forward to changing direction and doing the free walk along from HKF because if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s walking around on a loose rein. I have TONS of practice with that.

Regrettably, I had to pick up the contact again for the ensuing trot to the right and then canter to the right. Knight gets very up and down with his head and and “stuck” going to the right. I know the antidote to it–forward with leg on and steady connection with my hands on the reins. I just haven’t mastered that part yet.

Part of me feels like, “Oh no! He’s lame!” But I know he’s not because A) He doesn’t do it when I ride on a long straightaway–for example, when I trotted through the parking lot earlier and B) He doesn’t do it 100% of the time.

So we did the things going right and then made our way back to G for the halt and salute. The day prior my trainer had me practice the halt a few times because it wasn’t good. I had too much contact and not enough leg. Knight stopped but took a tiny step back.

I was thrilled when he just stopped. Honestly, the whole test I felt like he was very in tune to what I was asking and he didn’t want to embarrass me. I thanked the judge, who actually was the scribe–the judge was the older gentleman, a German dressage guru. I hoped he didn’t feel snubbed by me.

Once I exited the court Emily noted I did not wait for the judge’s bell to ring, signaling me to enter. lol! I think I was so fixated on getting Knight down that long side with the dark shadows I thought I might have to cowboy him forward, so I tuned everything in the environment out. Details, details!

My friend on her senior mare, the one I rode during our epic hunter pace a couple of seasons ago, rode her test after me and did a lovely test also. We headed back to the trailer where my happy boy got to hang out with a few other horses and eat hay the rest of the morning.

When I received my scorecard with the 38.3 I had no concept if that was good or not. The senior mare rider/owner is also an educator, so I asked her to translate the score onto an A-F grading scale. She said it was like a solid B-. I said, “I’ll take it.”

The biggest compliment of the day was at the bottom of the document, the notes read, “Nice pair.” It also said the rider needed to support the horse a little more. Which is something I am happy to do because Knight, through all these years, even when he’s not felt good from gastric ulcers or his kissing spine flare ups has been the best support for me. I am devoted to returning the favor to him.

And now, looking at the pictures from our fun day, I’m really glad I chose to wear the white breeches and dress up. It was a good call.

Leave a Comment: Do you dressage? What do you like about it? How do you memorize a test?

You’re invited to join my email list for horse-centric people like us. Click here to get the scoop about fun new products, horse stories and equestrian inspiration via twice-a-month emails. No spam, I promise.

Trot along with my highly adored OTTB Knight and me over on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.