Riding More Accurate Dressage Corners and Serpentines

Corners are not all the same!

Dressage riders know corners are important. Corners are the beginning and end of all things. A better corner makes for better movements, improves accuracy, balances the horse and presents a polished picture.

But not all corners are the same for every level. A young horse does not ride the same kind of corner as a Grand Prix horse, and a Training level test does not require the same deep corner as a higher level test. Watching a good test you may not even notice the riders’ corners because they are so seamless and all the movements flow so easily. So what is the same and what is different about corners in different levels?

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The goal of a good corner to be able to ride into then out of the corner ready for whatever is happening next with balance, suppleness, engagement and preparedness. In your corners you should be able to maintain the rhythm, suppleness, contact and impulsion. In simple terms, you should be able to come out of a corner as good as, or better than, you rode into it.

But the corner for a Grand Prix horse is quite a bit deeper than for anyone else. And it is not better for a training level horse to be deep into a corner if the horse is not ready and emerges from the corner unbalanced and a little wobbly. Sometimes it is not even possible for a young horse to ride a proper corner, but the objective is still there to use some kind of soft corner to help develop the horse’s balance and turn-ability.

Although not deep, corners for the young horse are deeper than a 20m half-circle on the short side. Maybe all that can be done is a 15m circle curve in the corner, working towards a 12m circle curve like for Training level and First level.

In Second level, it is the first time we see 10m circles and the start of collection. At this point, the corners should be at least a 10m circle curve. This makes a very clear straight line on the short side joined by two 10m corners. The curve of the shoulder-in and travers for second level is expected to be the same as the curve of a 10m circle, so the right corner will set you up well to start these movements. The same is true for Third Level where you see the half-pass start out of half 10m circles; again where the bend should equal a 10m circle curve, so too the corners should be at least the same curve.

At Fourth level, 10m corners are still okay since the circles are still 10m; however, this is where we start to expect more collection than Second and Third level, so an 8m corner is not out of the question and a goal to work towards. This is when corners really start to look like corners as we think of them.

By FEI Small Tour the corners are expected to be 8m corners with the level of collection to be greater and firmly established. By this time the corners really look like corners and the horse’s collection is established before the corner after medium and extensions to be able to ride into the corners without losing balance. At this level, the corner is not supposed to help you to regain balance like it can be used in the lower levels, but should highlight the secure balance and collection.

The pinnacle is Grand Prix where the corners are expected to be minimum 6m corners. If 8m was deep, 6m is super deep, making the long sides look really long! The turn down centre line no longer looks like a 1/2 10m circle from the long side, but a corner, a wee straight line, and a turn down centre line all in top balance. The corner letters also look like they are far away from the short sides, riding the super-deep corner allows for more space to set up the steep half-passes, preparation for extensions in addition to showing off more elevation and collection in all gaits.

When riding your corners, remember they are the set-up for your next movement and help you to develop more collection, but the most important thing to remember about a corner is that you should be as good ‒ or better ‒ when you ride out of it!

Riding Better Serpentines

The best way to impress the judge at Second Level? Ride a great three-loop serpentine!

In Second level, one of the biggest pet peeves of judges is that riders ride the three-loop serpentines so poorly. The three-loop serpentine is in both Second level test 2 and test 3. In test 2, the serpentine includes a simple change through walk as you cross the centre line; one simple change each way. In test 3 the serpentine is to show the proficiency of the counter-canter, holding the same lead through all three loops. Accuracy is one of the points that all riders on all horses can do well and gain extra marks.

To improve the accuracy, you need to know the geometry. A three-loop serpentine in a 20m x 60m arena is a combination of three half-20m circles. Each loop of the serpentine is the same as a 20m half-circle connected where they meet at the centre line. The serpentine begins at the letter (A or C) and ends at the letter. This means as you approach the start of the serpentine, the first corner of the short side is ridden like a corner then start the serpentine at the letter by leaving the track onto the 20m circle curve, changing to the next 20m loop at the centre line and as you approach the final loop and the end letter, you finish the movement by going into the corner and onto the next movement.

In the pictures above and diagram to the left you can clearly see the three loops of the serpentine are the same lines as three 20m circles. Each 20m circle (at A, E/B and C) touch at the same points on the centre line. For the simple changes, place the down transition to walk on one side of the centre line, walk across the centre line (ideally 3-5 steps) and start the new canter in the new direction onto the new loop. The serpentine ends at C. Remember to finish the last loop as you approach C, WITHOUT going into the corner before you finish. Once you reach C, your serpentine is complete and you ride into the corner.