Try a Dressage Journey a Test Clinic

Heads up dressage, western dressage and event riders: Are you looking out for a method to shine your skills and improve dressage check out scores? Do you might have a youthful horse that ought to purchase experience sooner than his first current? Would you like help conquering your show-ring nerves? Would you like to get a score for a model new check out you’ve been practising or in case you’re considering transferring up a level?

Or maybe displaying isn’t for you, nevertheless you’d desire to have a measure of your teaching progress. A ride-a-test dressage clinic is just the ticket for all of these circumstances and additional.
In current instances, every English and western dressage organizations are offering in-person and digital ride-a-test clinics. They’re moreover commonly known as “fix-a-test” clinics, which might further exactly describe what’s involved.

What Are Dressage Journey-a-Test Clinics?

Cheryl Holekamp, a United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) licensed “S” dressage resolve who has competed by FEI ranges in dressage along with in eventing, explains further regarding the goal and what’s involved with a ride-a-test clinic.

“These clinics are designed to help riders be taught to improve their scores in a dressage check out in rivals,” she says. “They’re useful to every dressage riders and eventers. People journey a check out of their choice which is judged, then the resolve then goes over the check out with the rider, adopted by a lesson engaged on parts of the check out and the basics that need enchancment.”

The format of a ride-a-test clinic varies a bit counting on the group web internet hosting. Typically you’ll journey your check out, get strategies from the resolve, after which journey the check out a second time for yet another score. Completely different situations, after you journey your check out, the rest of the session is devoted to schooling explicit individual actions and elementary guidelines which will enhance your effectivity.

Some instructors even present multi-day intensive ride-a-test packages the place you’ll get suggestion on deciding on a check out, adopted by practising the individual actions, and eventually driving all the check out. On the final word day, you perform that check out in entrance of a customer resolve. Alongside one of the best ways, sports activities actions psychology exercises and demonstrations by expert riders complement finding out.

Holekamp says the fix-a-test clinic offers the prospect to work along with a resolve, ask questions, and purchase a larger understanding of the directives and goal of the extent and the judging course of.

“I am first concerned with the safety and welfare of horse and rider,” she says. “The targets are to help [you and your horse] get hold of among the best harmony and set up steps to adjust to to develop and improve skills.”

Dressage rider and United States Dressage Federation (USDF) L Education Program graduate Nancy Bryant elements out that the ride-a-test format offers a unusual chance for riders to get exact instruction from a licensed resolve.

“In step with USDF tips, judges mustn’t use terminology that is educating once they’re working at a contest,” she says. “Instead, they’re supposed to utilize directives of their suggestions on the check out sheets, harking back to ‘lacks impulsion’ or ‘circle not spherical,’ which inform the rider why they’ve been scored a positive method, nevertheless not one of the best ways to restore it. Nonetheless, inside the ride-a-test clinic state of affairs, the resolve is allowed to advise the rider on bettering their effectivity.”

Bryant says that it’s good to benefit from out of a ride-a-test different.

“I would journey most likely essentially the most technically tough check out that I is perhaps displaying that season,” she says. “Doing that with the resolve in place permits me to get among the best strategies. One different advantage of test-riding clinics is you don’t have the stress of attending to braid your horse or costume in current clothes. You could journey in workman-like lesson attire and tack as long as it’s safe, clear and tidy.”

Clinic Preparation & Participation Options

To hunt out one amongst these clinics near you, search for educational events equipped by native equestrian organizations or teaching barns. One other selection is to participate almost by having someone video you driving your check out of choice and submitting that video to a dressage expert who offers ride-a-test opinions and followup instruction.

Holekamp gives this suggestion everytime you’re getting ready for a ride-a-test clinic:

◆ Rigorously analysis the schedule and format of the clinic you choose and register by the deadline. Contact the host for stabling information and directions, or inside the case of submitting a check out almost, for instructions for submitting your video and information on one of the best ways to acquire strategies.

◆ Choose a check out of acceptable diploma and plan to warmth up ahead of time just like you’d at a gift. Know the check out successfully. You could each journey a check out you might have struggled with all through competitions or a check out of a greater diploma for which you is perhaps hoping to develop skills and proficiency.

◆ Consider the goal of the extent and familiarize your self with the directives for each movement. Definitions of the levels and descriptions of the individual actions will likely be found inside the Dressage Division of the USEF Rule E e book, which is on the market on-line to all members. Go to www.usef.org and look beneath the “Membership” and “Compete” tabs for further information.

◆ Convey quite a lot of copies of the score sheet for the check out you will be driving: one for the resolve, one for the scribe, one in your reader when you may have one, and one in an effort to analysis. You’ll uncover copies of the assessments on the USDF website online proper right here.

◆ Be on time in your journey and challenge inside the warmup so that you simply simply’re ready to enter the ring in your designated slot. If doable, try and arrive on the clinic location successfully ahead of time or plan to stay after your journey so you’ll watch totally different intervals (if allowed) to understand way more notion.

◆ Clinicians normally ask what a rider wish to work on. Convey a list of inquiries to maximise the value of your session.

◆ If doable, set up to have your clinic session videotaped. “Video is a wonderful finding out experience,” says Holekamp. “An excellent video and the check out with resolve’s remarks from rivals are like a mini clinic and an efficient method to grasp that what you’re feeling all through a check out could very effectively look pretty completely totally different.”

◆ Options in your videographer capturing the video to submit for a digital clinic: Preserve the digital digicam or cellphone horizontally; have the videographer stand at dressage letter C; and assure that there could also be passable lighting inside the space. Whenever you’re exterior, don’t stage the digital digicam instantly into the photo voltaic. Have them state the names of you and your horse and the extent and check out amount being ridden initially of the video correct sooner than you enter the ring. They could wish to make use of zoom everytime you’re on the far end of the ring.

Valuable Info

Journey-a-test clinics present giant potential to understand data. Holekamp says she always finishes each rider’s session with homework for them to utilize to assemble on their clinic experience.

“Hopefully riders take dwelling a larger understanding and exercises for improved fundamentals and execution of the check out actions.”

Meet the Dressage Specialists Cheryl Holekamp is a USEF licensed “S” resolve who has officiated at licensed reveals from coast to coast. As a dressage rider she has earned her USDF gold, silver and bronze medals, all on homebred horses. She moreover competed in eventing on a homebred horse. An accomplished sport horse breeder alongside collectively together with her husband Dr. Tim Holekamp, they private and performance New Spring Farm, initially in Columbia, Mo., and now in Ocala, Fla. By way of the years, they’ve stood quite a lot of notable stallions, along with 2004 Olympic eventing medalist Windfall and FEI-level eventer Amethyst. They’ve moreover produced many advantageous rivals horses, along with Boyd Martin’s Olympic mount Tsetserleg, a son of Windfall. She enjoys giving once more to the sport by educating clinics. Nancy Bryant has competed in dressage by FEI ranges and has earned her USDF silver and bronze medals aboard her homebred gelding Lansom’s Ransom and her subsequent gelding Handsel, whom she expert by FEI ranges. She is a graduate of the USDF L Program, which qualifies her to guage schooling reveals. Bryant is a Earlier President of the Midwest Dressage Affiliation (MDA) and an lively volunteer who enjoys giving once more to her sport. By way of the years she has volunteered on the 2017 FEI World Cup Finals, the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Video video games, and has served on fairly a number of MDA committees. In 2020 and 2021, she organized a USDF Trainer Certification Program. In her expert life exterior of horse sports activities actions, Bryant is a registered nurse.

This textual content about dressage Journey-a-Test clinics appeared inside the March 2023 concern of Horse Illustrated journal. Click on on proper right here to subscribe!