Training in the Right Way: When to Compete

With Regional Championships well underway and the show season in Florida starting to ramp up, this week’s article discusses some of the things to consider when developing your plan for the upcoming competition season.

Dressage training is supposed to be the process of training ANY horse to be a better riding horse. The more the horse learns, in theory, the easier it is to communicate with and therefore complete more complex tasks with. Although competition dressage training often is more focused on training for the dressage test, that is not what the original intention (and original judging requirements) were for competitive dressage. Initially, it was designed to give riders and trainers a way to determine how their training measured up to the theoretical ideal of the training process. That said, it is critically important to understand the meanings and reasons for some of the terms we use to describe dressage training and what to look for when observing training and competition (and videos and photos), regardless of whether you intend to compete or just train your horse to be a better whatever you do with him. That, ultimately, is the main purpose of my articles. To provide education and knowledge for riders to understand and improve their eye and understanding of what dressage training is supposed to be. While there will always be some differences in practice and theory, good horse training is always recognizable to the educated eye. That said, it absolutely is necessary that we remember and understand that limited knowledge is limited judgment.

* * *

Here we are in USDF Regional Championships and National Finals season, and everyone is getting ready for, or just finishing their Regional Championships. Because riders are finishing the year at their current level and are often considering moving on to the next level, this is the season when I have many people talking to me about competing next year, or during the winter season, wanting to know what to consider when developing their plan for competition.  Sometimes this comes after fantastic success at Regionals, and sometimes it comes after a discouraging failure, but either way it is important to understand when to compete and at what level so that you can best develop your competition plan and set you and your horse up for success.

Gwyneth McPherson and Eskandar at the USDF National Finals, 2014. Photo (c) Susan J Stickle.

It is especially timely to consider these things now, with fall and winter looming on the horizon, as these are typically the most active show seasons and a time where we can both improve what’s going really well and work towards moving on to the next level for the winter season (or next spring). It also gives us a chance to evaluate, and if necessary, go home and really take a close look at what needs to be addressed and put back together before trying again in the late spring.

Many riders choose to compete their horse when they feel like going to a show. They may or may not have an understanding of how to select the appropriate level of competition. They also may not fully understand how to determine if their horse is even prepared to be presented in public. Here are some thoughts about when, and if, your horse is ready to go to a show, how to set your horse up for success at the show (i.e.things you should be doing at home beforehand), and how to choose what level you should compete at.

Elizabeth Caron and Porteno XXII, 2024 Region 8 Finals. Photo (c) Elizabeth Caron.

Often people do not consider that horses have no real understanding of competition and that realistically, we can’t expect them to. Horses cannot comprehend levels, or winning, or even why they are brought to an unfamiliar place with a herd of unknown horses. Interestingly, in a sport like racing, the concept of arriving at the finish line (end) first is not outside of a horse’s cognitive reach. In contrast to that though, actually winning a dressage test is entirely beyond their grasp.

That being said, horses absolutely can understand if their people are pleased or not. They may also read this and enjoy “showing off,” obviously with some awareness of being special or being the center of attention. With this in mind, competitions are training experiences — what happens at the show is the horse’s experience of competing. Depending on how the process is handled by the rider and trainer, the horse can be trained to understand that going to a horse show can be:

1. No big deal, just doing all the regular things but in a different geographical location with lots of horses we don’t know.
2. An activity where all the rules change and now I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, or even I don’t have to do all the things.
3. A place where I get punished for not doing I have no idea what? (all the things).
   (Hint: B and C are lousy choices)

It is our responsibility as the riders and trainers of dressage horses to teach them what is expected of them at horse shows, and then adhere to these expectations both at home and at shows. Remember, training is repetition over time. Whatever you do with your horse every day, is what your horse’s experience is of what you are supposed to do every day. Yes, it is critically important that you vary the intensity of training and the exercises TO SOME EXTENT each day, but the basic expectations must always remain the same. An easy way to look at this is if you wouldn’t want it to happen at a competition, don’t do it/ allow it at home. An obvious example is mounting at the barn. If you mount at the barn and allow the horse to canter away from the mounting block every day at home, you cannot expect the horse to stand quietly at the mounting block while you get on, and walk away on a long rein, (into a busy show grounds with car/truck/trailer, golfcart, pedestrian, dog and horse traffic) at the show. Obviously, things get more complex than that, but you get the gist. So, if you want to compete, remember that what you do at home every day is training for what you do at the competition, and what you do at the competition is also training for what you do at the competition. So, likewise, when you get to the show, don’t change everything from the way you did it at home (because you should have already been doing it the way you should do it at the show).

Gwyneth McPherson and Dio at the World Equestrian Center. Photo (c) Gwyneth McPherson.

Another thing to note that is often forgotten (probably because we get ahead of ourselves) is that familiarizing a young or green horse with the show environment often includes not actually competing. Often riders are either very excited, or completely terrified to bring their young or green horse to their first horse show. This is because young/green automatically implies not entirely on the aids, which can make things quite exciting at times. Even if you have done everything at home in a way that should have prepared your horse for his first adventure to a horse show, sometimes things just go off the rails. Because training is repetition over time, one has to expect that bringing their young/green horse to multiple shows will be necessary for the horse to understand what his job is at this new geographical location, with its herd of unknown horses.

Different genders and different temperaments will require different handling on these excursions. Mares and stallions often instinctively think that a horse show is a breeding opportunity. Others are fearful of all the new horses, and some want to be dominant. This is all normal “herd behavior.” Our job is to have trained the horse to overcome nature and look to us for guidance in this situation (stay on the aids). This means that we have to do what our horse needs us to do to understand what their job is. Often it initially means just bringing the horse to school at the horse show. By doing this, you can focus solely on training the horse and take the time you need to teach him what he is supposed to do in this environment without the pressure of getting in the ring at a specific time and completing a specific set of exercises on demand. This allows the rider to take the time to make the horse more relaxed and aware that when they are at the show they are expected to do the same work as they do at home (stay on the rider’s aids). Once your horse has been familiarized enough with the environment to focus on doing his usual work in the new environment, you can plan on competing at whatever level he is best prepared for. A young or green horse will need to start out at Training or First Level, but sometimes a horse may be green at competing while still being able to perform at a higher level.

It’s important to give your horse the opportunity to familiarize himself with the new environment. Photo (c) Gwyneth McPherson.

Which brings us to the next consideration, determining what level to show. Your horse should compete at a level or two lower than the level it is schooling at home. It is absolutely necessary to understand that competition is supposed to be the opportunity to show off the previous training. It is not meant for the horse to compete at the highest level of its training (read that line again). It is ok for a horse to be green competing at that level, but not green training at that level.

A horse that is at the start of schooling Grand Prix should be showing Prix St Georges/Intermediare 1. A horse schooling all the Prix St Georges movements would be competing at Third Level (maybe Fourth). A horse that is schooling Third Level should compete at First Level, (maybe Second). And a very young or vey green horse, once they are familiarized with the idea of going to a horse show and working (on the aids), can really only compete at Training Level, maybe First Level depending on their age and previous education. The idea is that when you are ready to compete, your horse can do everything in the test, in order, at home, without difficulty. All of that is to say that you know your horse is ready to compete (stays on the aids when you ride it at the horse show) at a given level when he is schooling one or two levels above that level, AND can perform the whole test, at home, consistently, without difficulty. This is the scenario that sets both you and your horse up for the best possible success in the show ring.

Deciding it’s time to compete can be both exciting and a bit daunting. But knowing if your horse is ready can help increase your confidence going into the next show season and recognizing that you have to provide your horse with the educational experience he needs to be ready for each competition is a critical component of that. Once you have determined that your horse is on the aids enough with enough consistency in new environments, the next step is to determine which level will best showcase his training. If you’ve done your homework in these areas, you are setting yourself up for a productive season that should further your horse’s training and be enjoyable for you both (and by enjoyable I mean feeling competent and successful).

Remember: Limited knowledge is limited judgment.

Gwyneth and Flair in competition at Grand Prix. (c) flatlandsfoto.

Gwyneth McPherson has over 35 years experience competing, training, and teaching dressage.  She began her education in in the late 1970s, riding in her backyard on an 11 hh pony. Her first instructor introduced her to Lendon Gray (1980 and 1988 Olympian). who mentored Gwyneth for a decade during which she achieved her first National Championship in 1984, and her Team and Individual Young Rider Gold Medals in1987.

In 1990 Gwyneth began training with Carol Lavell (1992 Olympian) who further developed Gwyneth as an FEI rider and competitor. Gwyneth achieved a Team Bronze in 1991 and a Team Silver in 1992 in the North American Young Riders Championships, and trained her stallion G’Dur to do all the Grand Prix movements while riding with Carol.

In 2008, while Head Trainer at Pineland Farms, Gwyneth began training with Michael Poulin (Olympian 1992). Michael was trained by Franz Rochowansky (Chief Rider for the Spanish Riding School 1937-1955). Michael has shared much of Rochowansky’s knowledge and wisdom with Gwyneth, completing her education as a Grand Prix rider, trainer, and competitor.

Gwyneth’s teaching and training business, Forward Thinking Dressage,is based in Williston, FL. In addition to teaching riders and training, Gwyneth also loves sharing her knowledge of the sport and art of dressage as well as discussing relevant topics pertaining to the training itself and the current competitive landscape.