Let us help you remember your dressage test with a selection of tips from four top dressage riders; Gareth Hughes, Sophie Wells, Natasha Baker and Lara Edwards! There is no bigger frustration than wondering about the extra marks you may have earned if you’d remembered your dressage test! Maybe it was a moment you forgot the next movement or the fear of not being able to remember in the first place that’s losing you valuable marks and hindering progress. In this article, we’ve teamed up with some of the industries leading dressage riders to give us their tips on how to remember your dressage test.
Dressage Rider Gareth Hughes
Sponsored by Animalife
“Read through the test and get a general idea of where you are going, then start at the beginning and learn it as a pattern, slowly adding one movement at a time.”
Olympic Gold Medallist Sophie Wells
Sponsored by Weatherbeeta
“I used to forget mine all the time when I was younger. What really helped me was to set out a mini arena in the car park and or at home, and walk through it several times. That way the pattern got in my head.
Another good way is to video yourself doing the test and watch it back, you can also then try and visualise the test in real time, by closing your eyes and keep checking where you are.”
Dressage Rider Natasha Baker, MBE and Gold Medalist Paradressage
Sponsored by Golly Galoshes and Dressage Deluxe
“I used to walk the test out in my garden over and over and you can use cones or something similar for the markers on a smaller scale.”
Dressage Rider and Dyson Stallions Owner Lara Edwards
Sponsored by Alltech
“I prefer to rely on repetition in my training, riding the test instead of reading it, then I visualise myself riding it too.”
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.