Test Riding 1-3

I mentioned yesterday that I had test ridden 1-3 recently. I actually wrote this post intending it to go out yesterday but I got home and wrote up my lesson post and decided to swap them.


I've ridden this test only a few times since the patterns were changed and I figured that if I was going to ride it at the show next weekend (still deciding), I should, you know, ride it before then.

I don't test ride a ton. I string movements together that I think will be an issue, but I don't do start to finish test riding much. I just don't find that the actual test riding itself helps me all that much. But it is good to take an inventory sometimes, so that's what I did on Friday of last week.

TC says he can eat 1-3 for breakfast

This test rides pretty well for TC, there are only a couple of movements where I think we aren't as strong as I'd like us to be. The downside about this test is that with the movements coming up a little faster, there's not much dedicated down time to recover from any shit that goes down. As a rider, that doesn't bother me, I can find downtime anywhere to re-situate myself, add more energy, half halt, whatever. For TC though, he tends to be a bit ridiculous sometimes and there's a lot more places where he CANNOT be ridiculous lest he ruin several movements.

Here's how the test rode that day.

Centerline
This rode as it always does. I need to practice them more, for sure. He wants to halt a bit off to the right with his shoulders.

Lengthened trot
I need to work on these for sure. TC's feels giant, like as giant as Rico's extension, when he's barely moving. But it rode well.

Leg yield zig zag
It was fine, though now that I've had my lesson, I think it will be a highlight!

Stretch circle
Perfect as always

10m circle - turn across - halt - turn - 10m circle
This rode shockingly well. I was thinking that it'd be a wobbly mess, but the 10m circles are exceptionally doable and the halt... well, the halt needs work for sure. At my lesson he halted perfectly, which I hope is just a thing he starts doing from now on. That's how dressage works, right?

Free walk
Quite good, I was checking my phone while in it though, probably not going to do that in the test.

Medium walk - trot - canter - 15m canter circle right
This all rode super well, I appreciate it being on the right lead for this test. Tanya wants his canter transitions to be a lot sharper, a lot more powerful, and for him to not lengthen his frame in them.

Lengthened canter right
I took this easy in the arena because the footing was kind of hard

Counter canter loop right
Rode super well, I'm excited to apply the changes to it!

Simple change through the trot
Wasn't as through as I wanted it to be, but it was quite accurate and straight

15m canter circle left
I can feel his tendency to get shitty in this at home, so we'll be doing a lot of this. It's mostly that I lose his haunches to the outside and then he starts boinging sideways.

Lengthened canter left
Same as above

Counter canter loop left
This was the only WTF moment as he careens laterally into the rail and then gets upset about it. I think he needs to be more comfortable in haunches-in with his right hind under him. We halted, did a couple of turns on the forehand off of that right leg, then went back and rode it perfectly

Lengthened trot
Same as above

Centerline, halt
He is thinking about quitting early on this movement, but it rode fine.

Both halts went better than they did at our last show at least

Generally I was pleasantly surprised that we could actually get through this test, let alone have parts of it feel pretty great. I think with a little bit more work over this week and next (lengthenings, halts, leg yields, loops), we'll be okay to show it on Sunday at the show. It's our only test that day and I can always scratch!

I'm super stoked to be doing First 3 so soon! I think we'll be ready to dip our toes in at Second by the end of the year, and that's crazy to me. He's come so far in the last year. We are lining up to be finished with First level in July (we'll probably do a few more shows at First just because Second is rough) when a year ago he hadn't even shown!