Riding a dressage test in your mind

We interrupt our usual Friday Haffie Math to bring you my last-minute freak-out about our schooling dressage show tomorrow. I volunteer in the morning but don't ride until mid-afternoon, so Paddy will get to hang out at the trailer with the all-you-can-eat hay buffet for most of the day. I'll be on him for an hour and a half, including warmup and our three tests - this will be our longest ride ever and I'm not sure how he'll be by the time we get around to the last test. I guess it's all a grand experiment, right?

I don't know what the rest of you guys do when you prepare for a ride, but I think about every step in our tests and what I'll be thinking/focusing on while I'm riding each movement. I picture what it will look like from the saddle, and what I expect to feel under me. I think about what it feels like when things are bad, and envision exactly what I'm going to do to correct the problem - hopefully before it escalates. That way I'm hopefully prepared for anything that will happen, and I have a good expectation of how things will go. I also mentally give us a score for each movement and think about what the judge's comments are likely to be - this helps me figure out what I need to focus on in my ride.

So for your entertainment, here's a quick window into my head for Intro B.

Intro B (because let's face it, A puts me to sleep and C has canter in it)

Movement	What I’ll be thinking	What score I expect
A – Enter working trot rising X – Halt through medium walk. Salute – proceed working trot rising	Please stay straight. Look at the judge’s stand. Straight, think straight. Don’t let him get motoring down center line. Don’t forget to walk a few steps into the halt. Right leg on during halt to keep butt from swinging right. Head up in halt doesn’t matter. Please stay straight into trot transition.	5. Chances of staying straight during center line and halt are slim. There will be a comment about "Haunches R".
C – track left, working trot rising	Bend before C. Inside leg on. Half-halt left rein. Steady rhythm.	7 if I keep us together. Left is our good side.
E – Circle left 20 meters, working trot rising E – straight ahead	Steady rhythm. 1-2, 1-2. Steady. Right leg in front of girth to keep from drifting toward rail on 2nd and 4th quarters of the circle. Steady rhythm, small posts.	5 if I fail to keep him steady and rhythmic, and forget my right leg. 7 if I keep my shit together.
Between K & A – Medium walk	Don’t let him motor down the long side – steady rhythm. Sit UP in the corner, core engaged for a good downward tx. Keep the bend in the corner.	6. Corner TXs are harder than they should be and it’s unlikely we’ll stay through the bridle on the TX.
F-E – free walk	Ask for stretch down. Don’t forget to go to E! E is over there! Short diagonal! Don’t let the reins get too long. STRAIGHT across the short diagonal. Please don’t choose this time to stare at another horse.	6 if we keep it together – he’s not going to overstride like ever, even if we’re perfect. 5 he’s a llama.
E-H – medium walk	Walk fingers up the reins in an attempt to keep him from llama-ing. If he’s already a llama, shorten reins quickly and ask for right bend and give. Steady rhythm, engage core so he doesn’t trot.	6, unless we break gait, then 5.
Between H&C, working trot rising	KEEP THE RIGHT BEND. Don’t let him anticipate the TX. Engage core on TX to keep TX soft and through. No motoring in trot!	6 if I keep the bend and keep him through.
B – circle right 20 meters, working trot rising	Steady rhythm. 1-2, 1-2. Steady. Left leg to help the turn. Steady rhythm, small posts. Right bend.	5 if he gets rushy and irregular. 7 if I keep my shit together.
A – down center line X – halt through medium walk. Salute.	Balance before the corner. BEND into the turn to center line - no careening! Don’t overshoot the turn. STRAIGHT! Right leg on in down TX. Smile at last salute. Pat the cute Haffie and tell him he's awesome.	6, unless I miss centerline, we're not straight, and his haunches are out. Then a 5.

So based on my scores, we'll end up between a 55% and 60%, maybe a little better if we have some stellar moments, worse if I really mess things up. Megan, that's p > .01 in case you were wondering. ;)

Does anyone else plan their rides like this? What do you think about when you're on course being judged? I'm curious if I'm the only one, or if this is normal?