The nice thing about Novice is that it really is a level for any horse. Dressage often gets a bad rap as being elitist and purely for the ‘money set’, but a well-schooled crossbreed has just as much chance of doing well in a Novice test as an imported Warmblood.

In fact, many dressage experts believe that any horse can easily compete right through Elementary. This means that simply by caring for your horse and being committed to your schooling, you can enjoy years of dressage with a horse of any age or budget. Better yet, an imperfect horse will most likely benefit greatly from the strength and flexibility that this training will give him.

Prelim prep

If your Prelim foundations have been well established, the transition to Novice should be fairly smooth. While your horse will continue to be challenged by the athletic requirements of each test, if you’ve started him correctly, his body should be able to adapt to the demands with minimal stress.

Again, consider how you would embark on a training programme yourself. You wouldn’t walk into a gym and immediately lift the heaviest weight in the rack, or set the treadmill to the fastest or toughest level; instead you’d build up strength and stamina gradually, while maintaining correct form. The same applies to your equine athlete.

 The Tests

There are seven Novice tests – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and a Freestyle, which is dressage ridden to music. As in Prelim, the horse should be ridden in a snaffle bit and the rider may ride with whip and spurs. The movements introduced to your horse in Prelim will now require more accuracy. Gait changes are more pronounced and should be accurately ridden at the marker. A lengthened canter is introduced, which will show that you are able to ask for a burst of impulsion and then a return to a working canter within the space of two markers – quite a challenge if your horse is not on the aids, but it’s an excellent way to teach you to use your seat rather than your hands to control speed.

Judges will also be paying more attention to your horse’s rhythm, straightness and balance, which will be tested in movements such as the ten-metre half circle in trot and the 15-metre canter circle. Don’t overlook the importance of the ‘stretchy trot circle’, in which you allow your horse to take the rein and stretch down on a 20-metre circle. It allows the judge to see that your horse is working comfortably over his back and is happy to reach forward to the contact – fundamental aspects of good schooling.

By the time you reach Test 6, you’ll be doing the rein-back, counter-canter and lateral work in the form of the leg yield. While this may sound daunting, all of these are natural progressions of your basic schooling and your horse should adjust to them with minimal resistance. For example, consider that a horse working in balance will not need to ‘lean in’ on a canter circle, so should be comfortable working on either lead. Also, if your horse is responding correctly to the leg aid, stepping away will be a simple response to leg pressure, resulting in a leg yield.

Of course, many of these things are easier said than done, because in a lot of instances you will be learning at the same time as your horse. But this is the beauty of dressage – it’s an endless journey of discovery which ultimately strengthens your relationship.

Next month we’ll look at the Elementary classes, where the pressure starts to mount.