Q: Can you explain why corners are important and what is expected when riding through them at the various levels?

~ Deanna

A: Corners are a part of every ride from Introductory Level to Grand Prix, and they provide an ideal opportunity to help set you up for success in any test. But a lot of riders tend to pay less attention to corners because they’re not an official movement. This is a common mistake, but one you should try to avoid because riding accurate, quality corners will improve your transitions, accuracy, balance and allow you to properly prepare for the next movement in your test. Riding correct corners also demonstrates that you are actually riding your horse and directing his line of travel instead of relying on the arena.

We’ll take a look at what judges expect on corners through the levels.

Lower Levels

If you look at the tests in Introductory and Training Levels, every single transition comes through a corner, with the exception of your centerline. This means corners will be crucial in executing accurate and quality transitions. If you’re riding your corners correctly with inside flexion and where your horse is already underneath himself, he’s prepared for any transition you ask for.

At the lower levels, I often see riders make one of two common mistakes: They either go too deep into the corner which creates an unbalanced horse or they have no concept of corners and are never really traveling on the short or long sides while navigating their corners. This can be especially problematic because they’ve now compressed a 20-by-40 meter arena into a tiny 15-by-30 meter arena, which will make every movement more challenging.

In Introductory and Training Level, I expect riders to demonstrate some degree of bend through the corner, so I want to see a little bit of flexion to the inside. I should be able to clearly tell when you’re on the short side, when you’re moving through the corner and then when you’re on the long side. You want to at least demonstrate to the judge that you’re trying to ride the corner in some way.

Upper Levels

As you move up the levels, the degree of bend through the corners should increase as the overall level of difficulty increases with circles and half circles in the tests. It’s important to note, however, that at the lower levels when you first learn how to turn down the centerline, you’re essentially riding a 10-meter half circle and that can be really hard when you’re first learning.

But at the higher levels, we expect riders to be able to make that 10-meter circle fairly easily. At Third and Fourth Levels, you’ll have to start cantering down the centerline and making that turn at the canter. Additionally, as you move up the levels, balance becomes even more important because transitions in tests start to appear on straight lines.

For example, let’s say you have a trot to canter transition on the long side at K. Your horse must be balanced and prepared going in and out of the corner or you risk being late on the transition or picking up the wrong lead. So you must use the corner before K to prepare your horse.

Tests Are Meant to Challenge You

So many dressage riders tend to look at their test sheets and focus solely on following the directions … “I’m going to halt, track right, make a circle, cut across the diagonal, etc.” But they never really study what the expectations are for each movement. If you read what judges are looking for, it’s all about using your corners to produce balanced transitions and improve the quality of your gaits.

There is a reason these tests are written the way they are. They’re not arbitrary by any stretch of the imagination. The tests are written to challenge you. Like we’ve talked about a lot in Ask the L, it’s not just about being able to do the “tricks” at the right time. It’s about being able to do the movements correctly and in balance. And your corners inform so much of what you’re able to do well.

For More:

• Don’t miss our ongoing “Ask the L” segment with Aviva Nebesky on the Dressage Today Podcast here.
• For a simple exercise to improve the quality of your corners at any level, click here.

About Aviva Nebesky

Aviva Nebesky started riding in her 30s, but horses rapidly took over her life and she went on to graduate with distinction from the USDF “L” Program. She actively trains and competes in dressage while maintaining a busy teaching and judging schedule throughout the mid-Atlantic.

She has her USDF Bronze Medal and the Fourth Level scores towards her Silver and has competed internationally representing the USA at the Maccabi Games in Israel in 2022. Aviva regularly works with eventers, working equitation riders, Western Dressage riders and traditional dressage riders. With a master’s degree in social services and Social Research and decades of work in the field of physical rehab, Aviva specializes in working with adult amateurs with fear issues.