The USEA Eventing By The Levels Handbook

57 Rider Skills Required at this level The coach should confirm the rider's understanding of and ability to perform all skills identified under Starter through Modified Level Dressage Skills. Preliminary Level riders should be able to: • Produce all required and supporting school movements in the correct rhythm/tempo, with relaxation/suppleness and maintaining an active connection with the horse in an uphill balance. • Ride all required test movements and supporting school movements effectively, with correctness and feel such that they elicit the correct response from the horse. • Use synchronized, coordinated, invisible, effective aids throughout movements and transitions. • Ride all transitions with accuracy, between and within the gaits, and into and out of all required movements and school movements, while maintaining uphill balance, con- sistent contact, and quality of connection. At this level, the correct application of correct, effective aids, applied with feel should be confirmed, with a higher degree of understanding and sophistication. This understanding should encompass: • The definition of the half-halt and applying appropriate use and timing of the half-halt. • The role of all transitions, half-halts, and the lateral move- ments, as the key elements of confirming and improving the horse's balance and strength in preparation for in- creased collection. • The importance of and the relationship between the re- quired and supporting dressage movements in the overall development of the strength and agility of the horse for the jumping phases. Specifically, Preliminary Level riders should be able to effectively produce, while maintaining rhythm, balance, and connection: • Lengthened strides in trot on a straight line. • Medium canter on a straight line or on a 20-meter circle. • Counter-canter movements on serpentine loops to quarter and center lines as well as on a 20-meter half circle (end of the arena). • A low, stretching frame in trot including smooth, balanced transitions into and out of the stretching frame, as well as changes of direction and bend while in the stretching frame. Exercises and Concepts The coach should confirm the rider's understanding of and ability to perform all exercises identified under Starter through Modified Level Dressage Exercises and Concepts. At the Preliminary level, riders should understand how to use various exercises and school movements to improve the horse's suppleness, balance, strength, straightness, impulsion, and quality of the gait. Emphasis should be placed on: • The rider's ability to feel the difference that each exercise creates in their horse. • The role that the movements and exercises have in prepar- ing the horse's strength and balance for increased collect- ed work, and the routine practice of these movements and exercises in a normal training routine. • The correctness of the rider's positioning of the aids, in- cluding correct distribution of the weight. • Ensuring the horse has the correct bend, angle, and foot- work for each movement. • The transitions into and out of the movements become smooth and seamless. • These movements and exercises should be part of the Pre- liminary rider's dressage training routine: • Lateral movements – leg yield (required at this level), shoulder-in and haunches-in (required for the next level). • Transitions between counter-canter and true canter, on a shallow loop (wall to quarter line or center line and back to wall) or across the short diagonal, through the short end and back across the short diagonal. • Lengthening and shortening of strides in trot and canter, with accurate transitions at specific letters or points. • Transitions into and out of the medium gaits. Preparation for the next level brings additional tools to further the rider's understanding of correct application of the aids and the effect of the movements in improving the horse's way of going, including: • Walking turns on the haunches. • Transitions between shoulder-in and haunches-in. • Walk to canter and canter to walk transitions. • Introduction to extended walk. • Introduction to collection in trot and canter.

• Cover