A Closer Look: Intermediare I

I much prefer the Prix St George to Intermediare I, but not because there's anything inherently wrong with Intermediare I (like 4-3, that test is still annoying me).

Just like Prix St George, there's no purpose of the levels at Intermediare I. There is a difference in what is required at the levels though, and that difference is simply more. More extension, more collection, more straightness, more suppleness. Everything. You can see it just in the movements that are required. A full pirouette requires a horse to be able to collect more than a half pirouette does.

Rico and I at Intermediare I as I get behind him and kick him

through this test (he was lazy)

Intermediare I

The biggest thing that smacks you down in this test is the addition of full pirouettes to replace the half pirouettes at PSG. They also throw 2-tempis at you, but I feel like once as you have good 3s, you have good 2s.

Your trot pattern starts with yet another extension and then you start a weird pattern that was odd for me to memorize at least. Shoulder-in up centerline (which you did at 4-1 already), volte, to a half pass to the rail. Really not tricky at this level. Then a halt and rein back for 5 steps before you do a half pass to centerline, volte, and shoulder-in again on centerline, all away from the judge. That movement feels a bit odd since the majority of the lateral work is toward the judge in all these tests. The only exception I can think of is 3-1 and 4-2 where you shoulder-in away from the judge.

Getting ready for I1 in 2014

After all that weirdness, you do a medium trot across the short diagonal from K to R and walk from the medium trot. Rico was damn good at that, but it would be a struggle for a horse without a natural tendency to halt and take a break at all times. No walk pirouettes in this test, just collected walk and extended walk before you yet again canter from the extended walk like in PSG before realizing your reins were too long (when will you learn?!) and having to yank them up before turning up centerline.

You get your first official zig-zag in this test (vs just a counter change of hand) at the canter where you go up centerline and half pass to quarterline, change, half pass to the other quarterline, change, and end on centerline with a change. This is a great way to introduce the GP zig-zag. There's no count, so like the tempi changes in 4-1 without the count, you can really focus on the quality of the movement without having to also do math.

Afterward is an extended canter across the diagonal and then your five 3-tempi changes across the next diagonal. The pirouette pattern can be tough. You ride across a short diagonal toward B and do a pirouette at I, then flying change at B and immediately you're on the short diagonal from B to K and another pirouette at L. First, this is tough because your pirouettes now have to happen AT a letter, not "approaching X," which is where they were at every other test. That flying change at B is awkward, because it's at B instead of approaching B, so you're doing the change and doing an almost 90 degree turn.

The good pirouette

After that pattern, you get your seven 2-tempis, which can be tough for people who now have only had one test where they had to do more than three changes in a row. But a lot of people find twos the easiest tempi changes to do, so it's not usually a problem unless you just have tempi change problems in general. Very very very important all the way back at First to have good simple changes through the trot and good walk changes at Second and good single changes at Third and good basics in the tempis at 4-1 before you even think about tempis. So many people get super stoked about the tempis that they forget about the basics and then you get to Intermediare I and you can't do them! Because you can be late behind or late in front or not on the aid and make it through the threes, but the twos? There's just no way.

The test ends in trot with an extension and coming up centerline.

Coefficients are both half passes at trot, the collected walk, the extended walk, the canter zig-zag, and both pirouettes.

Medium trot

Overall

This test is tough. You start having more issues with "fitting" movements into the spaces they give you, which means that you're now reliant on your own brain to help you out (NOOO). Tempis need to be centered over X or you'll run out of space- so you need to make a decision on where to start. You need to hit the spots on quarterline and centerline for your zig zag and have the half passes be steep enough to hit those points or you'll run out of space, so you need to have a half pass that is very rideable to make up for any mistake you make on deciding where to put that. Prix St George lets you get away with ignoring the placement of the zig zag with predetermined places to ride to. Fourth 1 lets you get away with ignoring the placement of tempis by giving you a predetermined place to change.

In addition, there's a huge discrepancy between Intermediare II and Intermediare I so after this level a lot of people hit a wall. They've tried to remedy it with Intermediare A and B to try to bridge that gap but even that is falling a bit short IMO. I'm probably not going to go through those two tests since I have no idea what they're doing with those and I've never ridden them.

Go pony

Because of this huge jump between the levels, TONS of horses and riders max out at Intermediare I.  It was never something I realized because to me, the FEI levels sort of ran together, and once as you were at PSG, it was smooth sailing to GP. Nope, just like a lot of people get stuck at First, a TON of people get stuck at I1. And as a reminder- no matter where you're stuck/struggling, it sucks, so no "well at least you're an FEI rider" comments or I might lose my eyeballs out the top of my head.

While it is a bit of a jump from PSG, the reality is that most horses who can make it around PSG will be fine at I1 with a bit more work. But the Intermediare II is a different animal, keep an eye out for the second-to-last post in this series maybe next week.