In dressage which hand do you salute with

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The Team Roping Journal. Stable Management. I'm sure I had a comment in a test I did a few years back saying saluted with wrong hand?! Piaffe63 Well-Known Member 26 November Joined 31 August Messages Location Yorkshire. Dont know if you have to, but I always salue with my right hand. Joined 25 July Messages 1, Location half way over. Tnavas Well-Known Member 27 November If the salute is at the beginning of the test I look at which way we have to turn at C if left then I will salute with my right hand as if carrying a stick it is most likely to be in the inside hand.

If turning right then I'l salute with my left hand. If at the end of the test it will be with the hand that is not holding the whip - or if not carrying a whip then either hand. Joined 21 January Messages 11, Location Yorkshire. Always with my right hand, no particular reason why other than I am right handed and it feels more natural to do it with my right hand than left. Use all your focus and mind to get a better performance instead of thinking whether you have to turn right or left or what is waiting for you on the next long side.

If your memory sometimes plays a trick on you, it is OK to use a caller during your test, but do not rely on one. I know there are a lot of discussions as to whether or not it is good to ride the test many times since many horses start anticipating transitions and movements.

However, it is my opinion, especially for less-experienced riders and at lower levels, that if you practice the movements, then you will be much more confident when you enter the arena because you will know exactly how to prepare a transition or movement and how the horse will react to specific aids and, of course, what preparation is required.

Give a good impression as you circle the arena. Even though the rules state that what happens before you enter the arena at A cannot affect your score, usually the judges start looking at you before that. So ride to impress.

Use this time to show the best you can of your horse and do not do inappropriate things like kick or jerk your hands because it does not give a good impression. Also, even if you are feeling really scared, try to show confidence and smile. Try to have your horse on the aids, active and in the way you want to show him during your test, not more, not less.

This is the first impression for the judge. Master your entrance and halt. Even before you enter the arena, you must look where you are going.

On the short side at A you must start focusing on the letter C and actually look into the eye of the judge who is usually exactly behind C.

In this way you will find yourself on the centerline and not off to the side. Once you are on the centerline, start preparing your halt before you get to X, and do not just stop at X.

It sounds simple, but time and time again, I see riders approach X with no preparation for the halt. The results are abrupt or unbalanced halts, and this, with practice and planning, can be so easily avoided. However, if you feel that your horse is a little tense and can move at any time, three seconds is very brief and it is better to initiate the movement yourself rather than wait until he starts to move on his own.

Judges can easily tell the difference. Since immobility is an essential part of the movement, work on that at home and it will be easier at the show. However, after a nice halt do not stay there for an eternity, waiting for your horse to get impatient and move. Just proceed with your trot. For the salute itself, simply take your reins in your left hand and lower your right hand to salute.

Remember that the rules now allow men to keep their hats on. Before, the rules forced men to remove them, which, in my opinion, was a disadvantage for men because some horses get more anxious with us moving the hat at the halt. Another consideration is what to do with your whip during the halt. Since you usually salute with your right hand, it is practical to have the whip in your left hand, but there is nothing in the rules about this.

My only recommendation is not to move the whip from hand to hand during the salute or afterward during the test losing your contact and concentration by doing it. This action will disturb your test and focus.

Some riders have asked me what part of the horse should be exactly at X. Remember that your body must be over the letter at all halts and movements prescribed during the test. However if it is the head of the horse or his haunches, as judges we find it acceptable because we are looking for the quality of the movement. On the other hand, some horses that have competed a lot always try to halt earlier.

Therefore this is the only movement that I will not practice a lot on the centerline. Instead, I suggest you do a lot of centerlines at the trot or canter, without the halt, with your horse really in front of your legs. By doing this, on the day of your competition you will be able to go down the centerline straight, with your heels down on a horse that is in front of your leg. This will allow you to prepare for a nice halt through a series of half halts, which is what judges want to see.

Regarding the transition itself, it is very important to remember that in a Training Level test some walk steps are allowed, but please consider that as the level gets higher you must go directly to the halt. In any case, avoid abrupt halts and transitions to the halt on the forehand because this will not result in a very high mark.

Also remember that it is not just a perfectly square halt that counts because if the transitions had big problems your score cannot be high. One final comment: The rider must only salute the judge at C and not the three or five judges around the arena. Some riders may do this due to a lack of experience and others, as a way to impress the judges, but, believe me, it is not very effective.

Focus on accuracy. Although basics are always more important than accuracy and geometry, please do not ruin a good score by riding circles, diagonals or serpentines the wrong way. I recommend that you know the exact distance between the letters as indicated in the FEI or USDF rules so that you can ride accurate figures. It is also very important that you look up and know exactly where you are going.

You cannot show good geometry if you are looking down instead of looking where you are going. For example, look at the letter you are headed toward while you are still on the short side before the corner and diagonal.

Before you start a circle, think about how you are going to use your aids to make it properly round.