Heads up dressage, western dressage and occasion riders: Are you wanting for a way to polish your competencies and boost dressage test scores? Do you have a youthful horse that wants to gain knowledge right before his to start with demonstrate? Do you will need support conquering your show-ring nerves? Would you like to get a score for a new check you have been practising or if you’re considering relocating up a amount?
Or possibly displaying isn’t for you, but you’d like to have a measure of your teaching development. A trip-a-examination dressage clinic is just the ticket for all of these circumstances and a lot more.
In the latest many years, both of those English and western dressage businesses are giving in-person and digital ride-a-take a look at clinics. They’re also occasionally known as “fix-a-test” clinics, which could additional precisely explain what is associated.
What Are Dressage Ride-a-Exam Clinics?
Cheryl Holekamp, a United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) accredited “S” dressage decide who has competed by means of FEI concentrations in dressage as effectively as in eventing, describes more about the goal and what is involved with a trip-a-examination clinic.
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“These clinics are designed to aid riders understand how to increase their scores in a dressage check in competitors,” she suggests. “They are beneficial to both of those dressage riders and eventers. Individuals experience a test of their selection which is judged, then the choose then goes around the exam with the rider, followed by a lesson functioning on parts of the check and the fundamental principles that require advancement.”
The format of a ride-a-test clinic varies a little bit dependent on the group internet hosting. Sometimes you’ll experience your examination, get comments from the choose, and then journey the exam a 2nd time for a different score. Other times, following you trip your exam, the relaxation of the session is devoted to schooling personal movements and essential ideas that will boost your performance.
Some instructors even provide multi-day intense experience-a-test programs wherever you will get information on deciding on a examination, followed by practicing the unique actions, and eventually driving the comprehensive take a look at. On the closing day, you accomplish that exam in front of a visitor decide. Alongside the way, sports activities psychology workouts and demonstrations by skilled riders supplement understanding.
Holekamp suggests the correct-a-take a look at clinic provides the prospect to interact with a choose, inquire concerns, and gain a improved knowledge of the directives and reason of the level and the judging method.
“I am first involved with the basic safety and welfare of horse and rider,” she says. “The aims are to assistance [you and your horse] reach the best harmony and discover steps to observe to acquire and strengthen skills.”
Dressage rider and United States Dressage Federation (USDF) L Education Program graduate Nancy Bryant points out that the journey-a-exam format delivers a scarce probability for riders to get actual instruction from a certified decide.
“According to USDF policies, judges ought to not use terminology that is teaching when they are performing at a levels of competition,” she says. “Instead, they are meant to use directives in their comments on the check sheets, these types of as ‘lacks impulsion’ or ‘circle not round,’ which convey to the rider why they were scored a selected way, but not how to deal with it. Even so, in the journey-a-exam clinic situation, the judge is permitted to advise the rider on bettering their performance.”
Bryant suggests that you should make the most out of a trip-a-examination opportunity.
“I would ride the most technically tough check that I would be exhibiting that period,” she states. “Doing that with the decide in area permits me to get the finest opinions. Another gain of test-riding clinics is you do not have the stress of obtaining to braid your horse or gown in exhibit clothes. You can experience in workman-like lesson apparel and tack as prolonged as it’s safe, clean up and tidy.”
Clinic Planning & Participation Suggestions
To discover one particular of these clinics around you, lookup for academic occasions available by neighborhood equestrian corporations or schooling barns. Another choice is to participate nearly by acquiring a person video you using your take a look at of preference and publishing that video to a dressage specialist who gives trip-a-examination evaluations and followup instruction.
Holekamp gives this suggestions when you’re planning for a trip-a-test clinic:
◆ Diligently overview the plan and structure of the clinic you select and register by the deadline. Speak to the host for stabling details and instructions, or in the circumstance of submitting a take a look at pretty much, for directions for distributing your video clip and information and facts on how to acquire suggestions.
◆ Decide on a test of proper amount and plan to warm up forward of time just like you would at a display. Know the examination very well. You can both ride a test you have struggled with through competitions or a check of a bigger amount for which you are hoping to establish competencies and proficiency.
◆ Evaluation the objective of the level and familiarize yourself with the directives for every single movement. Definitions of the amounts and descriptions of the individual actions can be identified in the Dressage Division of the USEF Rule Ebook, which is accessible on-line to all members. Go to www.usef.org and look under the “Membership” and “Compete” tabs for additional information.
◆ Provide several copies of the score sheet for the check you will be driving: a single for the judge, a single for the scribe, one for your reader if you have just one, and 1 for you to overview. You can discover copies of the checks on the USDF internet site below.
◆ Be on time for your ride and element in the warmup so that you are ready to go into the ring in your specified slot. If attainable, test to get there at the clinic place properly forward of time or prepare to continue to be right after your trip so you can look at other sessions (if authorized) to get even additional perception.
◆ Clinicians usually request what a rider would like to get the job done on. Provide a record of thoughts to optimize the benefit of your session.
◆ If attainable, arrange to have your clinic session videotaped. “Video is a excellent learning practical experience,” states Holekamp. “A good online video and the take a look at with judge’s remarks from levels of competition are like a mini clinic and a terrific way to realize that what you’re feeling throughout a take a look at may well in fact appear pretty unique.”
◆ Guidelines for your videographer taking pictures the movie to submit for a digital clinic: Keep the digital camera or cell phone horizontally have the videographer stand at dressage letter C and make confident that there is enough lighting in the arena. If you are outside the house, really don’t place the camera immediately into the sunlight. Have them state the names of you and your horse and the stage and exam variety getting ridden at the starting of the online video proper in advance of you enter the ring. They may well need to use zoom when you are at the far end of the ring.
Precious Knowledge
Ride-a-check clinics offer substantial prospective to achieve knowledge. Holekamp states she always finishes just about every rider’s session with research for them to use to create on their clinic practical experience.
“Hopefully riders get dwelling a improved comprehending and routines for improved basics and execution of the exam actions.”
Meet up with the Dressage Industry expertsCheryl Holekamp is a USEF certified “S” judge who has officiated at certified shows from coastline to coastline. As a dressage rider she has earned her USDF gold, silver and bronze medals, all on homebred horses. She also competed in eventing on a homebred horse. An accomplished activity horse breeder together with her partner Dr. Tim Holekamp, they personal and work New Spring Farm, initially in Columbia, Mo., and now in Ocala, Fla.  Above the a long time, they’ve stood various noteworthy stallions, together with 2004 Olympic eventing medalist Windfall and FEI-level eventer Amethyst. They have also made many productive level of competition horses, such as Boyd Martin’s Olympic mount Tsetserleg, a son of Windfall. She enjoys giving back again to the sport by instructing clinics. Nancy Bryant has competed in dressage by way of FEI degrees and has gained her USDF silver and bronze medals aboard her homebred gelding Lansom’s Ransom and her subsequent gelding Handsel, whom she skilled by way of FEI concentrations. She is a graduate of the USDF L Plan, which qualifies her to judge education demonstrates.  Bryant is a Earlier President of the Midwest Dressage Association (MDA) and an lively volunteer who enjoys offering back again to her activity. Over the decades she has volunteered at the 2017 FEI Planet Cup Finals, the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Online games, and has served on a lot of MDA committees. In 2020 and 2021, she structured a USDF Instructor Certification Method. In her qualified lifestyle outside the house of horse sports, Bryant is a registered nurse. |
This short article about dressage Ride-a-Take a look at clinics appeared in the March 2023 concern of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click on right here to subscribe!
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