I am often asked by work colleagues and friends to tell them what constitutes a dressage test. I tell them that a dressage test consists of the 3 basic paces: walk, trot and canter. As the horse and rider gain experience, lateral work is added such as the half-pass and pirouettes. Also added is collection and extention. For the more adveturous, you can write your own test and set it to music, if you are good enough to reach that stage of a competition. However, none of these constitute a "real dressage test" Every dressage rider will tell you that one of these tests is a nightmare. I myself have ridden a few of these and now will tell you exactly what a real dressage test is:
A: Enter in working trot.
X: Halt.
G: Try to halt again.
C: Freeze in horror at judge's ferocious stare. Salute hurriedly.
C: Track left. (Turn left for those not sure what I am talking about!)
H: Working rustle of spectator's crisp packet.
HXF: Extended bolt.
F: Track right. Just.
FAKE: Working gallop right.
E: Circle 20 metre strange polyhedron.
E: Freestyle pirouette, change rein.
EKAFB: Couter canter, cross canter, camel canter.
B: Medium bird shuffling in bush.
BX: Working spook left.
X: Freestyle Piaffe.
XK: Freestyle half-pass (backwards).
KEHCMBFA: Working trot (bouncing).
A: Turn right.
ADXG: Extended walk.
G: Halt. Attempted immobility. Trembling salute. Leave arena at walk on a long rein, muttering "You're dog meat now." under breath.
As I say, this is a real dressage test. I have suffered parts of it, but never had the pleasure of all of it. Yet.