[drivingpairs] learning dressage test

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There is, in one of the equine catalogs, small whiteboards with the dressage lettters on them. Those of us who learn visually can draw our course and erase over and over...or however many times it takes to learn it.
anne
----- Original Message ----- From: "FreeLists Mailing List Manager" <ecartis@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "drivingpairs digest users" <ecartis@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, June 02, 2006 2:03 AM
Subject: drivingpairs Digest V5 #126



drivingpairs Digest Thu, 01 Jun 2006 Volume: 05  Issue: 126

In This Issue:
[drivingpairs] Re: ETIQUETTE FOR DRIVING PAIRS ~ OWNER/DRIVE
[drivingpairs] Rachel in BC
[drivingpairs] Re: Rachel in BC
[drivingpairs] Re: Rachel in BC
[drivingpairs] Re: Rachel in BC
[drivingpairs] remembering tests
[drivingpairs] Re: remembering tests
[drivingpairs] Cones (was Rachel in BC)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Caribbeanminis@xxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 1 Jun 2006 08:05:32 EDT
Subject: [drivingpairs] Re: ETIQUETTE FOR DRIVING PAIRS ~ OWNER/DRIVER ~ OWNER/


Get in touch with John Porter of Cypress Keep in Florida. He has helped my
hubby and I with our etiquette needs. You can look him up on his website for
Cypress Keep.


Linda Kern
_www.CaribbeanDreamsMiniatures.com_
(http://www.CaribbeanDreamsMiniatures.com)


------------------------------

From: Highhopesfarm@xxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 1 Jun 2006 13:12:53 EDT
Subject: [drivingpairs] Rachel in BC


Rachel in BC could you also fax me some cones courses. I have to make one
at a welsh show in July and it would be good to get some ideas. thanks, Sarah
in NY
Fax# 585-624-7637




Sarah, Jon  and Witt Bates
9096 County Rd. 14
Honeoye Falls, NY 14472
(585)  624-7637
_www.highhopesfarms.com_ (http://www.highhopesfarms/)






------------------------------

From: noel jones <gedeckt@xxxxxxxx>
Subject: [drivingpairs] Re: Rachel in BC
Date: Thu, 1 Jun 2006 16:38:22 -0400

One ideal way to create a cones course is to take a driven dressage
test for the level you want and set it up with cones.
That way you can be sure that you are not exceeding the expected level
of performance for the whips and their equines.

I learned by first dressage tests by dragging the arena with the
tractor in the pattern....much easier that trying to follow the
numbers....but cones would work too.

Are the ADS dressage tests available for download?

noel jones, aago
noeljones@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.frogmusic.com
athens, tennessee
On Jun 1, 2006, at 1:12 PM, Highhopesfarm@xxxxxxx wrote:


Rachel in BC could you also fax me some cones courses. I have to make one at a welsh show in July and it would be good to get some ideas. thanks, Sarah in NY Fax# 585-624-7637


Sarah, Jon and Witt Bates 9096 County Rd. 14 Honeoye Falls, NY 14472 (585) 624-7637 www.highhopesfarms.com




------------------------------

From: "jerrell friz" <jfriz@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [drivingpairs] Re: Rachel in BC
Date: Thu, 1 Jun 2006 13:56:23 -0700

Hi Noel.
Dressage tests can be downloaded from the ADS site.
I don't understand what you are saying to use cones on a dressage test. The different levels in cones are mainly the width of the cones. I would suggest using a narrower width when in practice. At least one level above your level. However, when first starting a green horse, I would suggest a very --- W I D E --- cone sitting, and slowly bringing the cones together. Some horses, will try to duck away from the cones. If your horse is ducking open up the space.


Regards,
Jerry Friz
Anderson, CA.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


----- Original Message ----- From: noel jones
To: drivingpairs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, June 01, 2006 1:38 PM
Subject: [drivingpairs] Re: Rachel in BC



One ideal way to create a cones course is to take a driven dressage test for the level you want and set it up with cones.


That way you can be sure that you are not exceeding the expected level of performance for the whips and their equines.

I learned by first dressage tests by dragging the arena with the tractor in the pattern....much easier that trying to follow the numbers....but cones would work too.

 Are the ADS dressage tests available for download?

 noel jones, aago
 noeljones@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
 www.frogmusic.com
 athens, tennessee
 On Jun 1, 2006, at 1:12 PM, Highhopesfarm@xxxxxxx wrote:



Rachel in BC could you also fax me some cones courses. I have to make one at a welsh show in July and it would be good to get some ideas. thanks, Sarah in NY
Fax# 585-624-7637



Sarah, Jon and Witt Bates 9096 County Rd. 14 Honeoye Falls, NY 14472 (585) 624-7637 www.highhopesfarms.com




For your security this Message has been checked for Viruses as a courtesy of Com-Pair Services!



------------------------------

From: noel jones <gedeckt@xxxxxxxx>
Subject: [drivingpairs] Re: Rachel in BC
Date: Thu, 1 Jun 2006 16:59:57 -0400

I mean to lay out the pattern for learning the test pattern, or to use
as a cones event.
noel jones, aago
noeljones@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.frogmusic.com
athens, tennessee
On Jun 1, 2006, at 4:56 PM, jerrell friz wrote:

Hi Noel.
Dressage tests can be downloaded from the ADS site.

I don't understand what you are saying to use cones on a dressage
test. The different levels in cones are mainly the width of the
cones. I would suggest using a narrower width when in practice. At
least one level above your level. However, when first starting a
green horse, I would suggest a very --- W I D E --- cone sitting,
and slowly bringing the cones together. Some horses, will try to duck
away from the cones. If your horse is ducking open up the space.

Regards,
Jerry Friz
Anderson, CA.
----------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------



----- Original Message -----
From: noel jones
To: drivingpairs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, June 01, 2006 1:38 PM
Subject: [drivingpairs] Re: Rachel in BC

One ideal way to create a cones course is to take a driven dressage
test for the level you want and set it up with cones.

That way you can be sure that you are not exceeding the expected
level of performance for the whips and their equines.

I learned by first dressage tests by dragging the arena with the
tractor in the pattern....much easier that trying to follow the
numbers....but cones would work too.

Are the ADS dressage tests available for download?

noel jones, aago
noeljones@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.frogmusic.com
athens, tennessee
On Jun 1, 2006, at 1:12 PM, Highhopesfarm@xxxxxxx wrote:


Rachel in BC could you also fax me some cones courses. I have to make one at a welsh show in July and it would be good to get some ideas. thanks, Sarah in NY Fax# 585-624-7637


Sarah, Jon and Witt Bates 9096 County Rd. 14 Honeoye Falls, NY 14472 (585) 624-7637 www.highhopesfarms.com




------------------------------

From: "Helen G. Roeder" <sunshinefarm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [drivingpairs] remembering tests
Date: Thu, 1 Jun 2006 16:13:52 -0500

Noel said:
"I learned my first dressage tests by dragging the arena with the tractor in the pattern....much easier that trying to follow the numbers....but cones would work too.


Are the ADS dressage tests available for download? "

ADS rules book use to have the dressage tests in them.  Hardy?

When learning to do dressage tests and cones, I was taught to NOT drive your horses to do the tests per se. Practice by driving different parts of the test separately, because the horses will learn them too and anticipate....and really screw you up during the test. Practice circle 8s, the three different trots and walks, and collections. If you have a problem REMEMBERING the test sequence, by golly, put the test under your pillow and sleep on it. Just kidding. I have to go over it again and again mentally to try and remember it. Maybe putting it on an iPod and stick the ear piece in your ear while you do the test. Will that work?

We used to get the cone's map and practice mentally or even out on the cones course on foot. Helps to memorize the test....well, it did, way back when. Now, my memorizor doesn't work so good anymore. ;o(

Having said all that, you do need to acquaint the horses with those big letters set around the dressage arena. Use them to practice dressage moves, just not exactly as they appear in the test.

Helen, in N. Texas still waiting for some of that rain they got down south!




------------------------------

Date: Thu, 01 Jun 2006 15:32:07 -0700
From: "Diane Kastama" <dkastama@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [drivingpairs] Re: remembering tests

Helen said "When learning to do dressage tests and cones, I was taught to NOT drive your horses to do the tests per se. "
There is another take on this. I like to walk my dressage test as a warm up. I usually leave out the halts and backups. But this way I get to view my marks, practice getting close to the rail and in my mind I say trot, collected etc. I then will do the whole test at a working trot. By the time I'm done the horse is warmed up and I remember the test. I then practice the test, and I do drive the test exactly how it is. But if I don't make a good 20 meter circle I do it again right then until I am satisfied. I feel that in a show situation it can actually be helpful that the horse knows the test. And until you are at the Advanced level you are driving different dressage test all the time so it is hard for the horse to remember every one of them:-) But I have a horse who likes to jig on the walk part mainly at a show when he is excited. If I practice those exact transitions over and over at home it is so ingrained in his mind that he will go ahead and just walk at the
show in the test. But outside the arena in warm up I couldn't even get him to walk. So it can pay off. Places to watch out for are upward transistions, you can vary where you ask for them if the horse begins to anticipate to much.


Just a few other ideas on how to remember a test. I will say I only practice the tests when I'm on a dressage field (which is only a couple of times a month). So in the grand scheme of things I don't really drive the test over and over every day just the days I have a dressage field:-)

Diane Kastama
(Arroyo Grande, CA - where I'm getting ready for the Driven Dressage Festival)


------------------------------

From: "Jay Hubert" <jhubert@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [drivingpairs] Cones (was Rachel in BC)
Date: Thu, 1 Jun 2006 15:49:46 -0700

When giving clinics on driving Cones, I do not recommend trying to set up and
drive "courses". What needs to be done is practice precision driving. You need
to be able to put the wheels of your vehicle with a few inches of any given
target, from any given angle. Of course, the responsiveness of your animal,
developed through practicing the elements of dressage is a vital factor in this
effort.



I personally use a pattern of markers in a "star" pattern.

         O

O       O      o O

         O

The markers are set 10 meters apart. This allows me to practice precision
driving with no pressure. I DO use cones as markers which makes passing cone
sets at close clearances no big deal for the animal. I will often add a sixth
cone on the inside of one of the outer markers set at advanced clearance for the
vehicle I am driving. Again, this allows me to work through cones gates with no
stress or excitement for the animal. It just becomes a regular part of the
driving day. The rush of adrenalin only comes on competition day! That creates
enough excitement to pick up our speed on course.


Remembering a cones course is a different topic, and is best approached from the
driver's learning capability and the techniques for committing a set of elements
to memory. I find that repetitive trips around the course on foot work best for
me.


As an occasional course designer, unless separate courses are built for different
levels (rare), the angles and arcs used by the designer seldom reflect anything
other than the highest level being competed at the event. With the current
emphasis on speed and the development of more "technical" courses, rather than
the more flowing courses many of us are used to, developing your ability to
position your vehicle and animals with precision is extremely important.


FWIW

Jay E Hubert
Coffing Oaks Welsh Ponies
Galt, CA

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, because you are crunchy and taste good
with ketchup.


And I STILL drive too fast to worry about cholesterol!


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End of drivingpairs Digest V5 #126
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