The idea of these tests is sort of like the young horse tests- you are given a series of movements and you must perform them, but the marks are all collective. Meaning you don't get judged on each specific movement like a typical dressage test.
The emphasis in the scoring is completely on the rider. Clearly you need a horse capable of these movements, and if you aren't riding them well, the judge is going to ding you as a rider for not being able to ride your horse through the movements. But it's nice to have tests where you can get around that damn gaits score.
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| Just because my pony can't canter, doesn't mean I sit badly. I can sit badly regardless of the quality of the canter. |
These collectives are:
Rider's Position- just generally that you are in correct alignment and balance, that your seat is correct, and that you maintain a connection.
Rider's Correct and Effective Use of the Aids- I like this phrase best: 'the horse responds willingly, giving the impression of clear communication between rider and horse' because it implies to me that there needs to only be the impression of clear communication. I choose to interpret it this way.
Horse's Response and Performance- obviously the horse HAS to do the movements, this tests the training of the horse. They mention the training pyramid and the horse clearly *reacts* to the longitudinal and lateral aids. React is such a harsh word, let's call it respond instead.
Accuracy of the Exercises- good riders ride accurately I guess. They want to make sure that you go into your corners and do the movements correctly.
Harmony Between Horse and Rider- they want you and your horse to appear to be calm, focused, and confident. Again, you only have to appear this way, apparently you can be freaking the fuck out on the inside. Nice.
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| Most harmonious ever |
The rider test has its own purpose:
To confirm that the rider sits in the correct posture and alignment and shows correct mechanics in walk, ring trot, and canter. The seat is sufficiently independent for the rider to maintain a steady, elastic rein contact and encourage the horse to stretch into that contact. The horse is ridden actively forward showing impulsion and balance required for the level, bends equally to the left and right sides on turns and circles, and makes smooth, willing transitions.
This test is restricted to rising trot, just FYI.
The directives have a lot of information about what the rider should be doing, but other than that, it's a pretty normal training level test with some interesting things in it. Like the half circle with 3-6 steps of walk across centerline. My guess would be that this movement tests the rider's ability to ride precisely.
The canter work is a tad odd, no long side, only a half circle and then you immediately go across the diagonal. That could prove difficult for some horses, but I think for a horse like TC who gets so fast and unbalanced, I like being able to pick up the canter on the circle in a good place (across centerline) and then immediately go across the diagonal and trot.
My impression of it is that it's a pretty short test. I think for some riders, it's going to seem a lot easier, especially than T3, but IMO I would probably skip it. Other than the canter pattern, for a horse like TC, it's just asking for me to be out of control. There's also just not that much time in the ring, which isn't great for a young horse. I see the point of the test (no I don't) but I don't necessarily like it for either horses or riders. Maybe I'm interpreting it wrong or maybe it rides differently than it looks though.
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| So cute, but needs miles |
Purpose:
To confirm that the rider, in addition to the requirements of training level, shows correct alignment, posture, and mechanics in sitting trot, including maintaining a steady, elastic rein contact. In turns on forehand and leg yields, the rider remains centered and the horse responds willingly to the aids. The transitions are ridden in a better balance and with more throughness than at training level. In response to the correct application of the rider's aids, the horse moves actively forward showing a consistent tempo and correct rhythm in each gait, shows appropriate bending, lengthens and shortens the stride in trot and responds willingly to both longitudinal and lateral aids.
Wow that sounds harder than First level, even before I've looked at the test. Upon looking at the test, you don't sit the whole time, just for bits of it. Phew, because I was going to say- you don't have to sit the trot at First so the rider test should not reflect that.
I think this test is interesting. You start with this weird short diagonal lengthening, which I don't think is very fair to horses. That's an awfully short period of time to do a lengthening- I can see riders kick kick kicking out of the diagonal and then yanking the horse back before the horse has time to respond. After that you immediately go into sitting trot, which is nice because it makes you have to think about your downward transition, props to the test makers there since a lot of people just fly out of a lengthening with no transition.
More trot-walk-trot transitions over centerline. Not sure why you'd have that both at Training and at First for the rider tests... Though it's in a sitting trot bit so maybe it's to give the riders a break?
They have you do turns on the forehand in the test. That's interesting since it isn't a movement you ever do in a dressage test. Not sure if there's a point to that (I mean the movement is important but I'm not sure what makes it important for the rider test and not for the regular tests) or if it's just something else they're going to dump into this test because they wanted to make it different.
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| I bet you get extra points for looking down |
Your canter work is weird. You pick up the canter at E and immediately start a canter circle, then half way through you
After the first bit of canter you leg yield from the rail in sitting trot to X. That's surprising since that's a steep leg yield for First. Immediately you half circle to R, then pick up the canter at B and do the same pattern but then randomly do a serpentine with simple changes through the trot on centerline. I guess that helps you set up for the 2-1 test, but I feel like it'd be hard to ride that as well as the 2-1 pattern- the walk is slower than the trot so for First level, these simple changes have to be QUICK to get them equivalent to the 2-1 pattern.
Immediately after the serpentine you do another steep leg yield to a half circle, this time to a stretchy trot which is one and a half circles instead of one. I think they just threw that in to get you situated in the right place to get you up centerline. But I, as a person with a horse who struggles with stretching, think it's dumb. I don't think I'd care as much if I were riding a different horse though, so take that with a grain of salt.
Overall I think that test is even stupider than the Training rider test. The simple changes on the serpentine are dumb, they come up so fast that you're going to get a lot of riders pulling. The turns on the forehand are dumb, but not as dumb as the short lengthenings or one and a half circle stretch circle.
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| TC and I will not be doing that First level rider test, not least because I can't look up or sit up or keep my hands up |
Ugh the last one. Let's look at the purpose:
To confirm that the rider, having achieved the requirements of first level, is able to ride the horse reliably on the bit with an uphill tendency. The rider lengthens and shortens the horse's stride in trot and canter while maintaining correct alignment, posture, and mechanics. In lateral movements, the rider stays centered and demonstrates an appropriate angle and bending of the horse. As a result of the correct application of the rider's aids, the horse shows a greater degree of straightness, bending, suppleness, throughness, balance, and self-carriage than at first level.
That sounds good! And you're now sitting the trot the whole time, awesome.
This test starts out great with a medium trot, then it throws a FOURTH LEVEL MOVEMENT at you, which is shoulder-in on centerline. Then you do a 10m circle and ride travers up centerline. I'm actually not opposed to this series of movements, since it is hard to see the exact angle on the long side. But I feel like on a green Second level horse, I'd rather pour hydrochloric acid in my eyes than ride this movement in front of a judge.
The turns on the haunches are on the long side, which remember I said was sort of mean. Because these things are meant to be ridden larger than walk pirouettes (which are on the spot) so you're going to end up way off the road if they're a tiny bit large. Which then means that you have to ooze back to the rail. Oh well, not the meanest thing they did to you in this test.
The first canter movement is the simple change serpentine from 2-1, cool. Then they make everyone on FEI horses cry because they have you ride a medium canter across the diagonal from H to P, then you hold the counter canter to A when you ride a simple change. Wow recovering from a medium canter in counter canter is ROUGH.
Right away after you do your simple change at A, you do the exact same pattern from K to R with a simple change at C. Then you trot at S randomly, and randomly go down to V for your half circle onto centerline where you halt at G. Dude, could you not have made this test shorter and just had the rider trot at C and come up centerline at S or E?
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| Half halt, pony, need to prepare for endless random trotting down the long side |
I think the trot work on centerline and the mediums across the diagonal are too much to ask of Second level riders. I mean sure it's a Second level movement, but so would be two tempis with simple changes instead of flying changes and we'd never ask that. It's like the habit of xc course designers to ask upper level questions at Novice. Just because the height is low doesn't make it a friendly course for a green horse or rider.
But the worst thing that can happen at these tests (vs eventing) is that you get your ego bruised with a low score. But hey, you can just blame it on not having a fancy warmblood right? Wait, you can't? Damnit.
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| This is my half warmblood so he is half fancy |
