10 reasons to try online dressage

In this modern age of technology, it was always going to be inevitable that competitive equestrians would eventually find a way to use the internet to their advantage. It began with photo competitions where passionate horse owners could enter a picture of their beloved equine into an appropriate class (mountain and moorland for example) to be judged against other horses in the hope for a placing or even better a WIN! From there the photos have evolved into video competitions and there are now thousands of people around the world competing in different equestrian disciplines such as Showing, Horse Agility and my personal favourite Dressage.
​If you haven't got involved in this quickly developing community here are 10 reasons why you should.

liIn this modern age of technology, it was always going to be inevitable that competitive equestrians would eventually find a way to use the internet to their advantage. It began with photo competitions where passionate horse owners could enter a picture of their beloved equine into an appropriate class (mountain and moorland for example) to be judged against other horses in the hope for a placing or even better a WIN! From there the photos have evolved into video competitions and there are now thousands of people around the world competing in different equestrian disciplines such as Showing, Horse Agility and my personal favourite Dressage.
​If you haven't got involved in this quickly developing community here are 10 reasons why you should.

1. Say goodbye to the early rises - Dressage competitions regularly have a start of 9am and of you have horses to feed, muck out and load before you even set of to the event it can often mean dragging yourself out of bed before daylight, often leaving you feeling like a zombie for the rest of the day. With the online version you can film the test at any time of the day.....first thing in the morning, late in the afternoon or in the middle of the night (so long as you have appropriate lighting) 
2. Compete from the comfort of your home - Unaffiliated shows are often more regularly available to riders but on taking the leap into the affiliated realm there can often be a 2 - 3 hour journey to the venue which sometimes has an effect on your horses performance in the arena. And then we raise the subject of loading! If you have an issue with this It can not only add length to the day but also often creates a element of stress to both horse and human. Online dressage often eliminates these issues completely, as long as you have available to use an arena or flat area of the field with a minimum size of 20x40m you can take part without really having to go anywhere.
3. International participation - Unless a rider is at the top of the sport and part of the National team, its very rare that they would ever get the opportunity to compete against people from other countries. We all know that the internet allows us to be in touch with people worldwide and online dressage is no different. Everyone can be involved no matter where they live. It has now become the norm to find yourself competing in the same class as riders from Germany, Denmark and as far away as Australia and the U.S.A. Each person is taking part for exactly the same reason, to do the best they can and surely this is a good thing, right?
4. Wear the clothes your comfortable in - Do you ever get fed up of putting on those sparkly white breeches and crisp fresh show jacket to end up covered in dirt, stains and horse snot the second you step out of the horsebox? Yes.....well then worry no more in the online world there are no competition outfits in fact you can pretty much wear anything you like so long as it is correct riding equipment (Hats, boots and gloves are a rule across all shows). So if you have an obsession with Matchy Matchy, now is your time to shine!
5. ​Take part in your own time - If you have a busy schedule or work odd hours, it can be very difficult to find a competition in your diary you are able to attend. This can mean going weeks or maybe months without being able to take your horse anywhere. This is often followed by a real lack of motivation for any rider. Imagine being able to do as many or as few tests as you like on any day of the month....well now you can. Online competitions often run from the first day to the last day of the month, and as long as your entry is paid and your video loaded by the last day you are in the game.
6. ​Save some cash - Not only can competing be time consuming it can also be very quick at emptying or pockets of what little change we have left in our pockets after paying for all of our horses other essentials. By the time you've paid the entry fees, fuel to get to the venue and all the posh competition clothes you need to wear your often left counting the pennies just to buy groceries until pay day. By eliminating the need for travelling or expensive show clothes  with online competitions, you are already making a big saving before the results have been announced.
7. No more hours of washing and plaiting - Preparations for a live dressage competition can often begin early the day before. If you are lucky enough to own a bay you can often get away with a thorough grooming to have them looking presentable, but own any horse with a grey tone and you could be spending hours washing so the judge doesn't look at you with disgust as your horse enters the arena with multiple poo stains. As discussed earlier for own turnout so long as your horse is reasonably clean your judge wont mind a stray bit of muck here or there.
8. Great Prizes - Many competitions rarely offer any more than a small frilly rosette as a prize to riders who have often spent a lot of time and money to take part in the event, with some going home disappointed having received nothing for a long hard day out. The majority of Online dressage competitions have managed to seal sponsorship for each class on offer from various equestrian businesses. Prizes can vary in value from a pair of jazzy riding socks to a personal hand drawn portrait of the winning horse.      
9. Make some new friends - When going to a show, especially at a new venue, its very easy to feel isolated especially if you are there on your own. Chances are that your far too busy seeing to your horse or trying not to forget your test that you often come home having never really spoken to anyone. A lot of Online companies also have a discussion groups or forums available for all its users which can lead to friendships developing across the globe.
10. Progression - When all is said and done, the only genuine reason we compete our horses is to improve. Improve as a rider, improve as a equestrian and improve as a person. Surely then in this case it shouldn't matter if you compete in a live or online competition, right? But for many it can be quite stressful to move up the levels whilst also having to deal with the issues discussed above and the added intimidation of other competitors watching from the side lines.   By choosing to take part in a higher level at an online competition you can eliminate these issues completely as you can choose to have you video completely private so that only you, the organiser and the judge can see it. This is a great way of assessing if you and your horse are ready for the next level or what you need to work on to get up there in the rosettes.

Having taken part in online Dressage for the last few months I can honestly say it has done wonders for my confidence and instead of feeling like I'm stuck at the lower dressage levels for the rest of my days (with local competitions only go to novice and British dressage having restrictions on coming back down the levels once you have moved up) I now have an urge to get on my horse and improve our abilities so we can try new classes/levels that id never dreamed were possible before. Who knows perhaps one day you'll see me in top hat and tails
​If you would like to find out more about Online Dressage why not check out the following websites.

• Haygrazer E-riders. www.e-riders.co.uk  Levels from intro - elementary with speciality classes every month. Amazing prizes on offer each month with points league for even bigger prizes. A really friendly group excellent for seasoned and new competitors to the discipline.
• Dressage Anywhere.  www.dressageanywhere.com  Levels from intro - Prix St George. Classes also for Riding for the Disabled riders and Pony Club tests. a variety of prizes are also on offer each month. 
• Equimind  www.equimind.co.uk   Levels from intro - medium they also hold sections for showing and western showmanship. with regular photo classes also on offer. 

​Go on give online competing a try.
​SS :)
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