How To Fill Out A Dressage Entry Form
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Once you’ve decided on a competition and the level of dressage test you want to ride, you need to send in your entry. A late, incomplete or hard-to-read form risks being rejected, so it’s worth taking the time to do this properly.
Number of Tests to Enter
You’ll probably feel tempted to enter lots of classes. But show day is stressful not only on you but also on your horse, so don’t ride more than twice. The USEF allows three rides per day through Fourth Level, but you’ll find that schooling show management usually won’t let the same horse and rider enter more than two tests. Since you need to memorize them, two tests will be more than enough to handle!
You are allowed to have the tests read out loud for you by someone standing at the side of the arena. This won’t help if you haven’t already learned the order of movements, but hearing a friend’s voice prompting you will reduce your nervousness in the ring.
Current Negative Coggins
You’ll need to enclose a 'current negative Coggins,' proof that your horse has been tested for Equine Infectious Anemia with a negative result. EIA is highly infectious and potentially fatal, with no vaccination or cure, which is why you have to do this. The vet sends a blood sample from your horse to the State Department of Agriculture to be tested. Your copy of the results arrive within about seven days and the document is valid for one year.
Send a photocopy of your Coggins (which says ‘Equine Infectious Anemia Laboratory Test’ on it) to the show secretary, not the original and check that it expires after the show date.
Entry Form
Be sure to include all the required documents:
• Properly completed form (in legible writing!)
• Check correctly filled in and signed
• Current negative Coggins
• Copy of membership card, if relevant
• Self Addressed Stamped Envelope (SASE) if required
Finally, send the entry form within the allowed time. The show information will include its ‘opening’ and ‘closing’ dates and your entry has to arrive between them in order to be accepted.
Ride Times
The ‘prize list’ (details of all the classes offered at the show) will explain how you’ll receive notice of your ‘ride times’ (when you and your horse will enter the dressage arena to ride your tests).
These may be emailed to you, sent to you or posted on the show organizers’ website, and are usually available three days before the show. If that seems a little late to know whether your entry was processed, don’t hesitate to call the show secretary sooner, to find out if you're entered in the competition and put your mind at rest.
Note about the photos: the one week old foal is the same horse that’s wearing a bridle in the other picture. He’s the dressage horse I bred and he is now nine years old!
Next we’ll be looking at how you and your horse can experience a show environment before actually competing. |
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Dreamer100
Cool! I may find a show I want to comptete in thank you for this article.
Cool! I may find a show I want to comptete in thank you for this article.
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Dec 31, 2009
• 3,267 views
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chloe101
its a good job you put this on here because my mum is bad at things like this but now i know how to do it
its a good job you put this on here because my mum is bad at things like this but now i know how to do it
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Jan 2, 2010
• 3,309 views
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