Show Strategy

Jazzy and I had a good show this weekend at the HDS Laborious Day Show.  My trainer and I talked about improving our show strategy.  Of course doing well at shows is NOT why we ride and train and work hard, we do dressage for the improvement of our horses, to make them increasingly beautiful and sound, and to improve ourselves in the journey as noble equestrians.  However, it seems reasonable to have an element of test riding skill if one continues the not inconsequential effort and expense of going to horse shows.

With that in mind, and as USDF Region 9 championships are a few short weeks away, I did an analysis of all Jazzy's second level test three scores and individual marks from this year by building an excel spreadsheet.  Here are some of the trends that emerged: 

Test movements I need to improve most (in order of urgency):
Travers left,
Transitions to and from medium canter left lead,
Simple change right to left (double coefficient),
Travers right,
Medium canter left lead, 
Walk pirouette left (double coefficient),
10m trot circle right, and
Transitions to and from medium trot left to right rein (double coefficient).

The other double coefficient movements are worth improving too, they are (in order of average score lower to higher):
Transitions to and from medium trot right to left rein,
Simple change left to right,
Halt-rein back,
Walk pirouette right, and
Free walk.

Interestingly, the walk pirouette right scores higher than the walk pirouette left.  The simple change left to right scores a bit higher versus the simple change right to left.

Jazzy's top four highest scoring movements: 1) Centerline halt and salute at end and beginning, 2) transitions from canter to trot near the end of the test, 3) shoulder in left, and 4) free walk.