Got this from, of all places, a cello-players' message board!

"The Real Dressage Test".

A: Enter in working trot.
X: Halt.
G: Try to halt again.
C: Freeze in horror at judge's ferocious stare. Salute hurriedly.
C: Track left. (Turn left for those not sure what I am talking about!)
H: Working rustle of spectator's crisp packet.
HXF: Extended bolt.
F: Track right. Just.
FAKE: Working gallop right.
E: Circle 20 metre strange polyhedron.
E: Freestyle pirouette, change rein.
EKAFB: Couter canter, cross canter, camel canter.
B: Medium bird shuffling in bush.
BX: Working spook left.
X: Freestyle Piaffe.
XK: Freestyle half-pass (backwards).
KEHCMBFA: Working trot (bouncing).
A: Turn right.
ADXG: Extended walk.
G: Halt. Attempted immobility. Trembling salute. Leave arena at walk on a long rein, muttering "You're dog meat now." under breath.

Mary 

 I think it would be quite difficult to memorize that test .............

or would it be more of an ad-lib freestyle test  

I wonder if there is a cello solo going on in the background? 

OMG!!!    I just saw this.  That's the funniest thig I've read in a long time!  I nearly choked on my gummy worm when I got to  "Medium bird shuffling in bush". 

Any chance you can post the link?  I'd love to read the conversation that prompted this post and give credit to the author.

OK, glad to oblige, here's the URL, I couldn't figure out how to post it as a link.  The dressage test is somewhere in the thread after the light bulb joke (which I got on EquiSearch and posted to ICS!), and there are a few more horse jokes.

http://cellofun.yuku.com/topic/4158

Mary 

My frear of riding this exact test is part of why I haven't shown yet.  Very funny!!!!  I have witnessed variations on all of these moves at the shows I have worked.  I think my favorite move is "extended bolt"  I know I've ridden that in a few lessons.   LOL!!!

bassclef54:

OK, glad to oblige, here's the URL, I couldn't figure out how to post it as a link.  The dressage test is somewhere in the thread after the light bulb joke (which I got on EquiSearch and posted to ICS!), and there are a few more horse jokes.

http://cellofun.yuku.com/topic/4158

Mary 

Thanks!  Can't wait to check it out.

My horse excelled at the 22.6 metre Lurchng Square Circle, Counterbending.  We still managed to score in the 50's.  I have no idea how.  Blind judge is my theory 

 So swallow your pride and get out there!  Why should I bring home all the questionable blue ribbons? 

A question about dressage:  Does the rider need to have a fairly decent English seat before starting, or could a Western rider start dressage in a dressage saddle??

I'm mulling over trying dressage someday and am trying to figure out what the "prerequisites" are.  Would use a lesson horse, my girl doesn't have the chops for dressage, I fear.

Thanks,

Mary

OOO!  I can actually answer this one! 

 I went from decent English on-the-flat to jumping badly to barrel-racing to dressage to reining to dressage to jumping even worse back to dressage and now I'm learning WP.  I can tell you that reining and dressage have almost the identical seat.  The cues are similar as well.  Barrel-racing isn't far off.  I haven't actually done WP long enough to say I know how to do it, so I can't speak to that. 

All that said, I'd say if you've got a decent seat and good balance it doesn't much matter which saddle you ride in.  The dressage saddle feels to me almost identical to my barrel saddle in terms of where it puts my legs/seat/back.  The devil is in the details (and the funny clothe), not the saddle. 

 In addition, I've seen dressage horses improved by pole-bending. My mare learned her tempi changes bending poles bareback.  It all works together. 

Go for it!

OMG! Every line is so brilliantly funny and ironically true!! This actually made me laugh out loud. Though I have to say these movements are not limited to a dressage test as I have experienced many of them (especially the extended bolt, 20 meter strange polyhedron and working trot bouncing) when taking jumping lessons!!