It's Going to be All Right

This week the new 2019 dressage tests came out. I figured I'd go through some of my first impressions just for fun. I also figured I'd use Arrested Development gifs to do it because why would I not?

I'm going to just go over the major changes. There are some minor ones to some of the tests where the movements are the same but reversed or there are letter changes. To be perfectly honest, I didn't read every single test with it's old version open and compare. I just didn't.

But I totally read them enough to have an opinion though, okay?

My facebook notifications when the new tests came out

The introductory tests are basically the exact same. Same with Training 1 and Training 2. I'm supportive of not changing those tests. Training 2 is a fabulous test, in my opinion.

Woohoo less new tests to memorize!

Training 3
I do like that they added the three loop serpentine rather than keeping the loop. First, on a nutty young horse, a serpentine a) gives you more time in the court and b) gives you more time on a curved line in case your horse decides to explode. They also take away having to ride the canter across the diagonal, which is nice on a young horse with a giant canter. By far getting through that short side in that canter was the hardest part of Training level.

I do kind of think that the loop is important for riders to learn to ride... though I think given where I am as a rider, I prefer the serpentine. The next time I show Training 3, it will probably be on a nutty young horse. It'd be nice to see that loop show up in the rider test for this level. I, er, didn't look to see if they had new rider tests.

Thanks for more time in the court, T3

First 1 & 2
They kept these tests pretty much the same too. I'm happy about that as well!

I hate change

First 3
I hate what they did to this test. IMO the trot work is too easy in the new test. I think that the leg yield zig zag was a wonderful movement. If you're sitting there celebrating that you never have to do one of these, you're wrong. Learn to do this movement. Learn to do it well. Not learning how to do it properly will come back to bite you in the half pass and in the half pass zig zag. There's a reason why it was included in the first place.

LEARN YOUR FUCKING ZIG ZAG

Second 1
I think the changes they made to this test are GREAT. There are no canter to walk transitions and only two walk to canter transitions. I did think that asking someone to do a walk transition out of counter canter in the first test you ever ask for a canter to walk in was kind of asking for some shit. Most horses won't find that difficult, but riders sure fuck it up royally (myself included).

My only qualm is that maybe people will just do this test and then skip through to Third without truly learning how to do a canter to walk transition. But that happens already, so whatever. But seriously, just like the leg yield zig zag, canter to walk transitions happen for a reason so learn to be real fucking good at them. I don't know a horse with a halfway decent canter pirouette that can't do a bomb ass canter to walk transition.

Probably my favorite change is making this test more accessible
Not that TC and I had any issues with the old test, but man I can
see this being a big help toward a lot of First Level + riders

Second 2
I'm quite disappointed with Second 2. The trot work is pretty much the same, which is fine. I liked how that rode when I rode it earlier this month. For the canter work, they've basically taken 2-1 and put it into this test: simple changes in a serpentine and then just going across the short diagonal and down the long side for counter canter. I'm not cool with this. This means that 2-3 is the only test with what I'll call "real" counter canter. I mean, you can crank the horse's head to the side in this pattern, but doing a full half 20m circle in counter canter requires you to actually ride it mostly properly.

Plus, it's the same pattern as 2-1 except that now you do a canter to walk vs a canter to trot transition. I dunno, it feels repetitive if you were to ride both tests in the same day, which I plan on doing.

Literally there is only ONE test with REAL COUNTER
CANTER??????

THEN as if they want to kick me when I'm already down, they have you end with medium trot on centerline. Fuck that. I hate this test.

Why do you want to see my sad, strained face in medium trot
on centerline???

Second 3 & pretty much all of Third Level
Why change something that's already perfect?

I love you, 3-1, you're written so well (except that damn trot half
pass pattern, it's not steep enough!)

Fourth 1

There is only a minor change in this test but it makes me happy! Instead of picking up the canter right after a walk pirouette, you get to turn off the line and go to C before picking it up. I think that's really exciting. 

THANK YOU especially as someone who has
a horse who gets slow in the walk pirouettes

Fourth 2

They left this test the same, which is fine... When I had to do 4-2 it included working half pirouettes but these are much better. I'm torn between being like "if I had to do this shit, so does everyone else" and also thinking that 4-2 doesn't look so un-doable for TC in the next couple of years...

Maybe half working pirouettes?

Fourth 3

I had such high hopes for the 4-3 guys. The last time they made changes I was just fucking not having it. Luckily I didn't have to show it since I didn't have the horse to do it. 

Me about the 2015 4-3 test

This time I'm painfully aware that TC will (hopefully) be showing this test. I need to do it for All Breeds, I need to do it if I'm doing regionals... ugh. 

When I have to do 4-3 on TC

Alright... they did do one thing I like. They took out that fucking double rein back bullshit. My horse will hopefully be the most perfect animal by then and be able to do any amount of rein backs in a row, but I'm really glad they took it out. 

Before I read the canter work

They have left the other stupid movement in there that I hate: the 10m half circle in counter canter. Look, I get that a horse knocking on the door of Prix St George should be able to do a 10m half circle in counter canter. But just fuck that movement, okay?

They also took out the four tempis and just have three tempis on a double coefficient. This kinda sucks but kinda doesn't, and it depends on the horse. Rico and I (mostly me) were always better in threes than in fours, so it'd be nice to get 2x the score for the threes and just not have the fours. BUT there are fours in PSG so why not have both or just the fours in 4-3? I don't understand. 

Where are the fours???

Generally, my feeling toward 4-3 remains the same. I hate it. And now I have to ride it. Like this particular version of it. Ugh. I don't want to do it. 

Please no

A Closer Look: Fourth Level

I have a love-hate relationship with Fourth level, as I'm sure a lot of people do.

On one hand, I feel like Fourth is really cool-  you start a lot of really cool upper level movements like pirouettes and tempis. But on the other hand... Fourth 3. Fuck that test.

Finally, Rico and I looking like we can actually dressage together
That is the difference a good trainer and cognitive restructuring makes

Purpose of the Levels

To confirm that the horse demonstrates correct basics, and has developed sufficient suppleness, impulsion and throughness to perform the Fourth Level tests which have a medium degree of difficulty. The horse remains reliably on the bit, showing a clear uphill balance and lightness as a result of improved engagement and collection. The movements are performed with greater straightness, energy, and cadence than at Third Level. 

Once again we see the test designers just saying more-more-more. With Fourth being the last USDF tests before the FEI levels, we really get to see some of what is going to show up at Prix St George, as well as some hints at the other FEI tests as well.

Very expressive tempis at 4-2

Fourth 1

I like this test a lot. It's a tough test, don't get me wrong, and it shouldn't necessarily be taken lightly. But let's be honest, it's a Third level test with a couple of things that hint at Fourth level. That being said, now that the 2015 tests are being used, they've made 4-2 easier, so the tests seem to flow better vs the huge step from 4-1 to 4-2 and 4-2 to 4-3 or PSG.

This is the first time you canter up centerline, yay! Don't ask me how many times I've entered at the trot while practicing AND competing this test. The first medium includes 6-7 steps of collected trot over X, which poses a challenge for horses who have learned to just go go go across the diagonal, and also for riders who can't remember to do this damn movement. I've gone off course more often in this test than any other test.

The trot pattern feels like an FEI test, with a half pass to 10m circle to shoulder-in right up centerline. I like that they throw this at you so early, since the second two tests are so canter focused. The extended walk is on a half circle, which is weird, but makes sense I guess because the walk pirouettes (which have evolved out of the turns on the haunches like a pokemon) need to be right near the judge.

4-1 on Rico before Tracey told me to put my hands down

Immediately out of the second walk pirouette, less than 5 meters later, you pick up the canter from the walk on a straight line with no rail to help you, right in front of the judge. You also get an additional score for your, now, collected walk that is maintained throughout your walk work.

The canter pattern is fun, you immediately do a medium canter from turning onto the rail after your transition, then come up centerline to do the same pattern as 3-2, except with a steeper half pass and the necessity to wait until the corner to change. This is great, you now have to do the change AT a letter rather than "around" a letter or between letters. You also now have a 20m circle with 5-6 strides of "very collected canter" over centerline in hopes to set you up for pirouettes.

Then you have the beginning of your tempis- three flying changes, one each near both quarterlines and one near centerline. I love this, it prepares you so well for multiple changes along the diagonal without making you count. Excellent. One should do this a long time before counting IMO.

Coefficients are that first medium-collect-medium, the extended walk, both walk pirouettes, and the school canter. A nice test that most Third level horses should be capable of performing so their riders can grab a couple scores for their Silver.

Hey I still tip off my right seat bone

Fourth 2

I think the old jump from 4-1 to 4-2 was harder. As someone teaching students through the levels, I like this test. As someone looking back on this test, it annoys me. So many people skip 4-3 that you're going to see people doing their first canter pirouettes in the ring at Prix St George. No. Bad. If I had my way, I'd put the working pirouettes back in this test, dump the weird quarter pirouette into 4-1, and put the school canter in 3-3. But I'm not in charge.

This test has a fun movement that I liked. You ride your shoulder-in down the longside right from centerline and then do your medium on the short diagonal out of the shoulder-in. I liked it mostly because Rico's mediums were crap at the time and it was nice to have less ground to cover. But it sets you up really well and how smooth you can get the pattern is a good test for whether the shoulder-in is correct and doing its job. You get your first counter change of hand (zig zag) at the trot here too, which I think is a great place for it.

Medium trot at 4-2

You also get your first counter change of hand at the canter, but it's scored in individual movements, meaning that you can have one piece of it be off and not have it affect your score sooo much. This movement pops up at 4-3 and PSG (literally the same movement) but in 4-2 it is situated so that you only have one change (vs two). I like that they're being nice, but as you'll read below, I think it's dumb that 4-3 and PSG literally have the same movement, so I'd put this movement in 4-3 if I were to redesign the tests. But again, not my job.

You do this odd canter pirouette pattern here, where you do slightly more than a quarter working pirouette on centerline. I think it's a good movement, but like I said, it should be in 4-1. You also get 4-tempis here, and just three of them. This is a good thing, just as many changes as 4-1 but with a count this time. Although 4-tempis are the hardest IMO (behind ones).

Coefficients are the extended walk, both walk pirouettes, both canter pirouette things, and the 4-tempis.

After the first halt

Fourth 3

Fuck this test. I hate that I even have to acknowledge its existence and I hate that I have to look at it. But actually, when you really break it down, there's only a couple of things that I really hate about it. Most of my complaints are that the test is too similar to PSG to be useful for most riders, but again because they took the harder movements out of 4-2, they really don't give people a good stepping stone to the FEI levels, just a diving board and the hopes that the waters below are not shark infested.

After your typical centerline to medium trot, the first trot pattern is riding shoulder-in up centerline and then half passing to the rail. That's great, I like having to transition from one to the other without a circle. The next interesting movement, I hate. You halt, rein back 4 steps, walk forward 4 steps, rein back 4 steps, and trot off. There's just no reason for this stupid movement. NO REASON. It encourages horses to get behind the leg, and nothing like it shows up ever again. No.

The best horse

There are no walk pirouettes, no complaints, you have plenty of them throughout the tests. The canter work is dumb. It starts with a half 10m circle in true canter and a half 10m canter in counter canter, then a flying change on the long side and immediately repeat the pattern the other way. At what point are you EVER prepared for this in the lower levels? Never. At what point do you NEED something like this at the upper levels? Never! You could argue that it preps you for PSG because you do counter canter there, but that is only a quarter of a 10m circle that most people cut anyway. No point to this. None.

They throw the medium canter across the diagonal ending with collection and a flying change before the corner letter, which I like. You do that in PSG. They also give you the counter change of hand from the PSG test too. They stole the pirouette pattern from the old 4-2, which is dumb, because it makes that part, and only that part, easier than PSG. Then you do both 4-tempis and 3-tempis... which you also do in PSG (but at 4-3 you only do 3 changes rather than 5 at PSG).

So basically, this test is as hard or harder than PSG in most aspects, EXCEPT for the canter pirouettes. Dumb.

Coefficients are the dumb rein back pattern, the extended walk, the dumb counter canter patterns, both working canter pirouettes, and the 3-tempis.

Shoulder-in up centerline at 4-1

Overall

Fourth is a good level (except Fourth 3). It introduces canter pirouettes, tempis, and the zig zag as best as it can- because those three movements are extremely tricky.

Looking back to Third, you've come a long way if you can get through that Fourth 3 test, but even if you skip it. Everything at Third set you up really nicely for the big three canter movements, and you were challenged with trickier trot patterns too. Looking at Prix St George, we're adding more changes in the tempis (5 vs 3), tightening up the working half canter pirouettes into real half canter pirouettes, and the trot work tightens up the 10m circles into voltes. But we'll have to wait to discuss that later!

Just four more of these things to go (I'm giving each FEI test their own post to drag this out!). They've been fun to write and hear what everyone else thinks of these tests.

Through the Levels

If you show the USDF levels in dressage, you are hopefully aware that there is a little section at the top of your test entitled Purpose of the Level. The FEI tests do not have them and neither do the eventing tests.

I blissfully ignored this section of the test for most of my dressage career, thinking that obviously if I could get through most of the test, I was ready for it (sounds plausible, right?). As I showed Rico through the first several years, I scored in the low 70s at Training, the high 60s at First, the mid 60s at Second, the low 60s at Third, and when I reached Fourth, I was barely scraping a 60%. Obviously I was irritated about that.

Rico at Prix St George after Tracey

Rico at Fourth level before Tracey

It wasn't until I started riding with Tracey (well, actually a trainer before her touched on it but I couldn't take regular lessons with her on Rico, boo) years later that I realized what had been going wrong. As I progressed through each of the USDF levels, I worked on the movements and ignored the way my horse was going. Sure he was round and did the movements when I asked, but that can only get you so far, as demonstrated by my nice downward slope in scores over the years. I wasn't expecting to maintain mid 70s his whole career, but as I ramped him back up, it became apparent that we were capable of solid 65s in the FEI levels.

Looking at the purpose of the levels now has given me a nice idea of WHY I failed to earn the scores I wanted at the middle levels of dressage. So I figured I'd post something about it.

*I am not a judge. I have not had judge training. This is my own interpretation of the purpose of the levels based on my own experiences. 

Purpose of the Levels

Introductory: To introduce the rider and/or horse to the sport of dressage. To show understanding of riding the horse forward with a steady tempo into an elastic contact with independent, steady hands and a correctly balanced seat. To show proper geometry of figures in the arena with correct bend (corners and circles)

Training: To confirm that the horse demonstrates correct basics, is supple and moves freely forward in a clear rhythm with a steady tempo, accepting contact with the bit.

First: To confirm that the horse demonstrates correct basics, and in addition to the requirements of Training Level, has developed the thrust to achieve improved balance and throughness and maintains a more consistent contact with the bit.

Second: To confirm that the horse demonstrates correct basics, and having achieved the thrust required in First Level, now accepts more weight on the hindquarters (collection); moves with an uphill tendency, especially in the medium gaits; and is reliably on the bit. A greater degree of straightness, bending, suppleness, throughness, balance, and self-carriage is required than at First Level.

Third: To confirm that the horse demonstrates correct basics, and having begun to develop an uphill balance at Second Level, now demonstrates increased engagement, especially in the extended gaits. Transitions between collected, medium, and extended gaits should be well defined and performed with engagement. The horse should be reliably on the bit and show a greater degree of straightness, bending, suppleness, throughness, balance, and self-carriage than at Second Level.

Fourth: To confirm that the horse demonstrates correct basics, and has developed sufficient suppleness, impulsion, and throughness to perform the Fourth Level tests which have a medium degree of difficulty. The horse remains reliably on the bit, showing a clear uphill balance and lightness as a result of improved engagement and collection. The movements are performed with greater straightness, energy, and cadence than at Third Level.

Note that there is nothing in any level about amount of sass
required, Rico, put your tail down and quit being an asshold

The Basics

As I look through all this, the first thing I noticed was that every single level mentions "correct basics" and of course that needs to be defined. What are the basics? How are can they be correct or incorrect?

So I asked myself those questions and realized that I really had no firm answer. To the internet! I asked the internet those questions and there was no clear cut answer either. So yet again I went back to the fabulous judging glossary that always clears things up.

The Basics:
The basics form the correct foundation of the progressive training of the horse, independent of the execution of specific test movements. The basics include: pure rhythm with suitable tempo; relaxation/suppleness/elasticity/looseness; correct contact/connection; impulsion, straightness, and longitudinal balance suitable to the level and exercise - in other words, all the criteria of the Pyramid of Training/Training Scale.

Correctness of the basics is indicated by the preservation and/or improvement in:
- the purity and quality of the gaits and paces
- the gymnastic ability and physique of the horse
- the horse's attitude and rideability

Nooootttt quite (as we careen to the left)

I do like that they say that impulsion, straightness, and longitudinal balance (uphill balance) should be suitable to the level of training. Meaning that a First level horse doesn't need to have the same kind of impulsion as a Fourth level horse does. BUT, a correct rhythm, tempo, relaxation, and contact should be present at all times regardless of level.

Notice briefly that the basics are not required, per say, at Introductory level. I find that interesting and reassuring. For a lot of horses (TC included), even getting to the point where the basics are correct is HARD and it's nice to be able to introduce the horse to the dressage ring, and expect to score okay, without having to have perfectly correct basics.


A Greater Degree

Another thing I noticed is that the purpose of the levels tends to be basically this:

Having achieved all the stuff at the level above, the horse now does all of this same stuff to a greater degree of awesomeness than at the level below. 

(come on USDF, you know you want to hire me to write these things)

This is where dressage judging gets tricky and why there are so many steps between being a dressage rider and being a dressage judge.

During judge training, the judges are taught what each level looks like. And actually you can watch the differences too by watching On the Levels. Another video series I liked about the levels of dressage (and that is free- since OTL you pay an annual fee for access to the videos) were these videos from the judging symposium in 2007. Steffen Peters and Janet Foy did an amazing job going over the differences between the levels and using riders to demonstrate what each level/movement looks like.

Another thing to do is to go watch a lot of rides and look at scores to get a good idea of what each level looks like. I also try to exclusively ride with judges who have reliably taken horses/riders to the level that I want to ride at. This way they've seen the level from both the judge's booth and ringside with their own students. I like a trainer who 100% is certain what my level looks like and how to get me there. But that was another post.

Because dressage is so fun to watch... zzz

The analytical side of me feels like there should be a better description of how much is MORE, but I can't figure out a way of doing that without quantifying how much hock flexion there should be in collection and that this increases by 20% between the jump from Third to Fourth. Or that the horse's forehand and haunches should be perfectly balanced at Training, but at First the forehand should be 1" above the haunches, at Second, 2", at Third... you catch my drift, until at Grand Prix you're basically just having horses walk around on their hind legs the whole time.

But the problem with being so analytical is that all horses are different. A 65% at Second level looks different when you're on a small mover vs a big mover, or a naturally uphill horse vs a naturally downhill horse. Add the rider's tendencies, the level of tension in either of them, the soundness (mental and physical) of the horse (or rider), and all sorts of other things and you're basically screwed if you want to make a cookie cutter shape of a horse at each level.

This amount of hock flexion is good for a pirouette at I1, but
14% more is required at I2

There are so many reasons why we can't quantify dressage, and I think that is both the beauty and the frustration of the sport. And the reason why our judges are so well educated.


Progression

Another thing I find interesting about the purpose of the levels is how the horse develops over the course of the levels. Here are a couple of things I noticed, please add to them!

Forward

I also found it interesting how forward develops throughout the levels. Let's define forward first because I think the judging glossary does a good job explaining what I wanted to point out.

Forward: Moving or tending to move toward the direction in which the horse is facing (in contrast to sideways, backward, or standing still); it does not indicate how he gets there. References to specifics such as impulsion, energy, freedom, reach, length of stride, into the contact, responsiveness to the leg, and tempo more accurately express how the horse should proceed in a forward direction.

At Introductory, the word forward is mentioned, but it is not qualified by anything else. There is no mention of free forward movement, which comes in at Training. Not until First level do we see thrust, which is propulsion from the hind legs to create forward energy.

He is forward but not free (retraction in the neck) and I'm lucky
that he has natural impulsion (but unlucky because there is not
much engagement)

So as the horse progresses, forward is the most important thing, regardless of how you get it. Then you must develop free (glossary mentions "lack of constriction") forward movement where the horse moves willingly forward without constriction/holding them back. THEN you change the mechanic of the energy, where you start to ask the horse to propel themselves forward from the hind end. While a Training level horse can get away with being forward by simply being a little quick or maybe pulling from the forehand a bit, a First level horse must have correct impulsion.


On the Bit

At Introductory, an elastic contact is required. There is no mention of being on the aids or on the bit, although obviously the horse will not be dinged for being on the bit. By Training level the horse is required to accept contact with the bit. There isn't a notion of being steady or reliably on the bit, but of course it'd be hard to score exceptionally well without that. In comparison to Introductory, Training requires acceptance rather than just demonstration that the rider can establish an elastic contact. So while Introductory seems to focus on the rider, Training also starts to require more of the horse.

Elastic contact, maybe. Acceptance of the bit? Nope. 

At First, consistency is introduced, and I would think that this means that a Training level horse who is a little unsteady may not be dinged as much as an unsteady First level horse. At Second and Third level, reliability on the bit is required. This means to me that you'll be nailed for any moment of unsteadiness. Reliably on the bit to me also means reliability between movements and in transitions. While a First level horse may get a little hollow coming into a leg yield but recover- a Second level horse would be dinged more for getting hollow coming into a shoulder-in even if they recover.

This is not to say that a rider will lose points for having a super steady round horse at Introductory. I think that the purpose of the levels really describes what is expected, what is sufficient. Meaning a 60%. If you went into Training with an unsteady horse, I think it'd be hard to score all that much higher than low to mid 60s unless you have some really spectacular movements.

Overall

Overall I find the purpose of the levels to be pretty helpful. Especially when looking forward with TC's training. I think that at home he's starting to leave Introductory and school Training, but at shows he still doesn't meet the Training level requirements of being supple (due to tension), accepting contact with the bit (he does go round and I guess technically accepts contact at the walk/trot but the canter is where we are lacking), or being freely forward (he does GO forward but he is not moving forward without restriction due to the tension he carries in new places- I have to hold him back a lot of the time).

I'm curious to see how TC progresses now that I'm more educated. I got Rico when he was a little further along (and had been to a lot of combined driving shows so didn't have the nervousness that TC has in new places) but I was 18 years old and had only shown through First. I was impatient and undereducated for a horse like him, which led to me making some major mistakes with him. Everyone told me you always ruin your first Grand Prix horse! Now I really believe it.

Luckily I had awesome trainers to help fix him later

With TC I'm focusing more on the basics, getting him really rideable before attempting to do any rated shows or throw any movements on him. Much of our rides are focusing on getting the connection solid, the response to my aids immediate, and all the little boring things like perfecting the change of direction and working on an even push off from both hind legs into a transition. I'm sure with my next project, I'll be even more diligent.