Get Eights (or Higher!) in Your Dressage Tests

While it’s true that some dressage tests highlight a horse’s natural brilliance, making some of the lower levels seem like a beauty pageant, there are several movements where any rider can earn high marks regardless of their horse’s breed, size, or gaits. Success in these areas hinges on precision, balance, and rider effectiveness rather than extravagant gaits. By focusing on these movements and mastering the basics, everyone can shine in competition.

1. The Halt, Salute.

Nail that entry and exit centre line! Both the entry and the final centre line are places to score well. A well-executed halt demonstrates obedience, balance, and connection. The good news? A square, immobile halt is achievable for any horse. Combine it with a super straight line that is actually ON the centre line, a crisp, clean transition riding off with a soft turn, and you have all you need for an eight (or better!).

How to Score Well:

Scroll to continue with content

Ride forward into the halt with energy, ensuring the horse stays engaged from behind. Ride with the amount of energy you can control, try not to overdo the big trot if you have a hard time gearing down for the halt.
Keep the line straight by having the feeling of your feet on train tracks on either side of centre line, while you look up at the judge, who will likely be standing.
As you approach X, E and B will be on the edge of your peripheral vision. Make your horse’s gait smaller and smaller, then make your transition to halt smoothly. Aim for a clean, straight halt. Straight is more important than square for most dressage tests with just one judge at C; all the C judge should see is the front legs.
As you put your reins (and whip) in one hand and drop the other for your salute, maintain immobility for at least three seconds.
After putting reins back in both hands, strike off crisply into trot while staying on centreline. Prepare for the turn at the end of the centreline with soft flexion and turn to the next movement.

Tips: When practicing on centre line, practice slowing down the trot as you approach X, then continuing on after X without completing a halt so that your horse does not come to anticipate it.

To keep your horse on the bit in the halt, as well as controlling the fidgets, make sure you soften the reins as a reward for halting. Once the horse understands there is a reward to halt with a softening, they will stay halted on the bit. This may take some time to teach – let it take as long as it takes!

2. Halt, Rein-Back

The mark for the “Halt. Rein Back” includes the trot up to the halt, the quality of the halt, the quality and number of rein-back steps, as well as the strike-off out of the rein back. This tests the horse’s obedience, balance, and responsiveness to the rider’s aids.

What are the judges looking for?

A clean transition from trot to an immobile, square halt, then two to three seconds of immobility prior to stepping back.
The horse steps back smoothly in consistent diagonal pairs for the prescribed number of steps. The horse stays round and picks up their feet rather than dragging them back.
The horse steps back in a straight line with even steps.
The horse strikes off out of the last rein-back step sharply with no walk steps.

Tip: Practice the rein-back in short sessions, mixing it up with halts without reining back. Reward one or two steps from soft aids before adding more steps. Ride the rein-back forward rather than pulling back. Think of it like driving your car: when you lighten your seat to rein back, push on the gas (your leg) to go backwards, sit down with leg on to go forward again.

3. Transitions up and down between gaits.

Accurate, clean, and smooth transitions are highly rewarded and don’t require extravagant movement — just accuracy and engagement.

What scores well:

Trot-to-walk transitions that show a soft transition that takes place right at the letter.
Trot-to-canter and walk-to-canter transitions shows a clear strike-off without a change in rhythm at the letter while having the same frame and rider maintaining their balance (not leaning forward or back).
Be accurate. If the movement calls for the transition between letters, aim for the middle point between the letters. If the transition is at the letter, aim for your horse’s head or your body at the letter for the transition.

Tip: Practice transitions on a circle at specific points during schooling sessions to develop responsiveness, such as riding half a circle in trot and one full circle in canter with transitions on points on the circle. Once this is secure, move your transitions to the location in the test pattern.

4. Stretchy Trot Circle

The stretchy trot circle evaluates the horse’s relaxation, suppleness, and willingness to seek contact. Even horses without flashy gaits can excel if they maintain rhythm and stretch forward and down, then come back onto the contact – all while scribing a round 20m circle. Don’t forget that half of the mark is about the circle!

It’s a co-efficient! Meaning it is a score x 2! Break up the 20m circle into 3 parts:

Set up and start the circle from the start letter to the first circle point (first quarter of the circle). The stretchy trot is always a posting trot, so make sure you have established your posting trot prior to starting the circle.
From the first circle point, gradually allow the reins to lengthen while maintaining light contact. The horse should look for the stretch while reaching forward and down as you continue in the same rhythm for the next half (two quarters) of the circle.
On the last quarter of the circle, you start to shorten the reins. This can be done smoothly by starting with the inside rein first and adjusting the reins alternately until you are back on contact. Ideally the horse is back together in working trot by the time you are finished the last quarter of the circle, returning to the letter you started at.

Tip: Start with a good quality circle; once you have a secure 20m circle you can start to ask for the horse to stretch by letting your outside rein longer first. As the horse starts to stretch, you can let the inside rein out a little. Continue bit by bit until you have a full stretch. If at any time the horse pops up, loses balance, speeds up or slows down, start again until all the pieces come together. Most horses like to stretch, so once they get the idea, you will be able to let them stretch and put them back together on one circle.

5. Walk Pirouettes and Turns on the Haunches

Walk pirouettes can be so tricky! Often horses learn to get around any old way, but there are a few tricks and tips you can use to improve your scores.

Turns on the haunches and walk pirouettes are mostly a rider’s exercise, highlighting how much control over the horse’s balance and their steps the rider has. The most important thing is maintaining the quality and rhythm of the walk: clear four-beat, flat-footed steps.

Start from a steady rhythm in the walk. If there is no collection in the walk (as in second level) the rider will need to shorten the walk in preparation for the turn.
Maintain a steady rhythm and slight bend in the direction of the pirouette. This can be done with a soft shoulder-fore set up as you approach the turn.
As you start to turn, ride the first step with a tighter turn, then ride soft travers around the rest of the turn (two-three steps). Remember to maintain the rhythm of the walk and maintain the bend in the direction of the turn until you leave on the straight line.

How much does size matter? Less than you think!

Smaller will get you a better mark BUT means more risk of mistake. So when in doubt, let it be a little bit bigger and show off your rhythm and clear walk.
A turn on the haunches is a big walk pirouette. Imagine a turn on the haunches is the size of a round table for two and a walk pirouette is the size of a dinner plate. The size is measured by the circle scribed by the hind legs.
However, smaller is NOT better if you have a rhythm mistake like stopping, short step/long step, step wide behind, or pivot around one leg.

Tip: Try to begin and end on the same line. Once you have mastered the pieces of shoulder-in and travers on a 10m circle, put them together and practice quarter turns and half turns on the long side.

Other Top Tips for Extra Points

Be accurate. Know your test, know your markers and ride your figures.

Have steady rhythm. Rhythm is number one on the training scale and the top thing judges are looking for. Rhythm and purity of the gaits.

Have steady frame and contact.

Have fun! Although dressage is serious, the riders who look like they enjoy their horses and have smooth, accurate tests always score well. Showing off your harmony and partnership with your horse always gets extra points!

You don’t need an extravagant mover to score well in dressage. By focusing on precision, balance, and connection, any horse and rider can excel in these foundational movements. Mastering accurate transitions, geometric figures, and relaxed stretches will not only earn higher marks but also create a more harmonious partnership between you and your horse.