▹What is the Dictionary?
It’s a collection of fundamental rules concerning Dressage used by our Club, this one contains only few Chapters than the Official one.�
▹Why do we share it with you?
To allow anyone to have access to basic knowledge on the world of Dressage, the Chapters available in this Open Server Dictionary are essential for anyone who wants to practice this discipline.��▹Will the complete dictionary ever be released?
No, the Dictionary will never be made available completely, it is a personal Club dressage guide containing exclusive Chapters created by the Owners.
Original Line ▹ The line where all the Riders Lineup. After having performed a move and failed it, if the instructor says "Lineup on your original line", then all the riders will lineup where they first formed the line.��Current Line ▹ The line where you are in THAT moment. This type of line is always changing and it changes its position as you change yours in the Arena.��Arena Line ▹ It refers to every line on the Arena (dotted or not).��Standard Direction ▹ If you are the Line Leader and arrive in a situation where you can both turn right or left, ALWAYS go right.��In/Out ▹ The word “In” means towards your partner/arena center and “Out” means away from your partner/arena center. You may also hear “Internal or External”.��Wave ▹ In wave moves we use numbers. During EVERY wave moves the riders' number 1 will do the move to the right and the Riders' number 2 will do the move to the left.��Leader 1 ▹ The Leader 1 is the first rider of all the rider line. You can also see it as the Leader of all number 1s.��Leader 2 ▹ The Leader 2 is the second rider of all the rider line. You can also see it as the Leader of all number 2s.��Mid-Leader ▹ The Mid-Leader is the rider that is at the middle of the rider line. Example: If we have 6 Riders, the Mid-Leader will be the 4th Rider that perfectly divides the rider line if it splits.
�
The field of view is crucial, having a good view of the surroundings can do the difference!
Let’s take as an example these two images:
In this image arena lines are not that visible
In this image we have a perfect view of the Arena, so we can clearly see where we are and where we are moving
Go in the main menù
Click on Settings
Go on Game
Set options as shown in the image
How to adjust your camera
Another fundamental aspect for dressage is the use of the mouse, in fact it is important to see if you are positioned precisely on the lines/slant lines, if you are applying the alignments in the right way, to check the reference points, etc etc. For all these reasons it is essential, but how can you use it correctly?
As shown in the video on the left,
the right button must be constantly held down so that the mouse is always available to check the horse from different angles, the lines and the position!
Keep the mouse in motion!
Always check your position in the arena!
A Dash is the space between two dotted lines.
A grid of general slant lines towards the right of the arena
Dash
Slant lines
In the next three slides you’ll find the terms with which we indicate the most generic lines of the Arena.
The diagonals that go from letter to letter.
- Walk: ¼ of a Dash�- Trot: Half of a Dash (2/4 )�- Canter: Opposite dotted line (4/4)
Secondary slant lines
Gaits’ gaps
Each gait covers a certain distance, for example if we make a belt starting from a dotted line we will end up:
A grid of general slant lines towards the left of the arena.�
They are the largest and main diagonals in the Arena, the yellow circles are very useful reference points!
Slant lines
X slant lines
Each represents an area of the arena.
Quadrants
Complete Grid of the horizontal and vertical lines in the Arena.
Complete grid
Battleship Method
What’s its purpose?
Thanks to this method each dotted line is associated with a label, which must not be learned by memory but rather by reasoning.
What does that mean?
Let's take a sample line to explain it better: the yellow line is identified by the label “1-A”.
First of all, it’s essential to remember that in our lines’ nomenclature the vertical central line is called Y Line, while the horizontal central line is called X Line.
Remember!
How to calculate the number of a dotted line
To calculate the number of each line it’s necessary to count starting from the center line (the line 0) outwards. It works the same for vertical and horizontal dotted lines.
So, to calculate the number of a vertical dotted line, we start counting from the Y line (line 0): 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 towards the outside, paying attention to always count only the vertical lines.
The same method is applied when counting the horizontal dotted lines! (X line = line 0)
Example: from Y Line to the last vertical dotted line
Example: from X Line to the last horizontal dotted line
How to calculate the letter of a dotted line
Finding the letter of a line is a little more tricky than calculating its number! First of all, we need to understand the subdivision in Sectors of the Arena.
The Sector C is vertical and includes the entire portion of the Arena that goes from the Y line to the left end.
The Sector A is vertical and includes the entire portion of the Arena that goes from the Y line to the right end.
The Sector B is horizontal and includes the entire portion of the Arena that goes from the X line to the upper end.
The Sector A is horizontal and includes the entire portion of the Arena that goes from the X line to the bottom end.
Now that we know the Sectors, the rule is pretty simple! We need to assign each line to the Sector they are in.
Example 1: each line that is contained in Sector A and that follows its direction is considered an “A line” (Sector A is vertical, so we consider only the vertical dotted lines).
Example 2: Sector E is horizontal, so each horizontal line from the center outwards is assigned with the E letter.
Sector A
Sector E
Remember that to assign the letter to a dotted line, it must have the same direction (vertical or horizontal) as the sector to which you are assigning it!
“Vertical Nomenclature”
The middle line (orange) is called “Y Line”.
Vertical lines
“Horizontal Nomenclature”.
The middle line (orange) is called “X Line”.
Horizontal lines
Each represents two different horizontal areas of the arena.
B & E sectors
Each represents two different vertical areas of the arena.
C & A sectors
The J-corner is inaccurate and inefficient as it leads you to round the corner on which you want to cut, ruining the distances. Never use this method for turning corners!
Wrong method ◦ J-corner
The L-corner is an efficient method that allows you to perfectly and precisely turn every corner of the arena by turning them at 90°.
Depending on the gait, the gaps differ and for this reason the L-corner is implemented differently for each gait. Let's see how below!
Right method ◦ L-corner
Walk ◦ L-corner
Trot ◦ L-corner
Canter ◦ L-corner
Extended canter ◦ L-corner
Why do we have to follow the rules that this dictionary contains? What is the goal? Does it make sense? Behind all this questions, the only reason for which we have to follow the rules is the “Screen Delay”. Let’s see what it is and how it works below!
Screen delay ◦ What is it?
Screen Delay affects all of your movements in game and is always present, this is why we need to know and well practice all the methods that our dictionary contains. It is basically lag, or in other words a delay, in the informations exchange between the game server and your home wifi connection. This delay shows the riders one horse behind their real position. Is also very important to know that this lag is never stationary and vice versa it always change its value.
Legend: R1: Rider 1, R2: Rider 2
R2 horse's nose have to touch R1 horse's tail without overlapping. �From the instructor view riders will have 1 horse gap between each other.
NTT
Nose to Tail
R2 horse's nose have to touch R1 horse's back of the saddle and the R2 horse's front legs overlap the R1 horse's back legs. From the instructor view riders will have half of a horse gap between each other.
OT
Overlap tail
R2 horse's front of the saddle have to touch R1 horse's back of the saddle. From the instructor view riders will have 1/4 of a horse gap between each other. This is often used in Elite Dressage since it creates very short gaps between riders and this is really useful for a large variety of moves.
HI
Halfway inside
R2 horse rides totally in R1 horse.
From the instructor view riders will be in NTT.
FI
Full inside
To improve the efficiency of each member in maintaining gaps we have adopted the “Gap Combination” method. Since it is really impossible to maintain a single perfect gap for the overall minutes of a generic routine, with the Gap Combination we can basically do the impossible! ��To perform the Gap Combination you have to use both FI and HI gaps. Hence, you want to stay completely in FI or completely in HI or somewhere in between.
HI - Minimum
Somewhere in between
FI - Maximum
R2 has to ride half of a horse behind R1. �From the Instructor view riders will have 1 horse gap from each other.
HH
Half horse
R2 rides 1 horse behind R1.
From the Instructor view riders will have 1 horse and a half gap from each other.
OH
One horse
- The Instructor will say “[Gait]..Pre..Go”
- At the “Go” being called, the Leader 1 will immediately trot while the Leader 2 is going to wait 0.5s before following
- All the other riders will trot once they see the rider still after the one in front of them start to trot
When moving within the Arena it is really important to follow few rules that allow smooth and precise movements as well as decreasing the chances of making mistakes. Let’s see how to start moving!
How to start
Once the members have started trotting, they will be in OT and will have to perform a Hop to position themselves in HI-FI, then keep this position.
How do we keep the position? Thanks to the fixing methods: the Hop and the Wiggling.
The Hop is a leap forward, performed with a rapid succession of the W key and immediately after S, it can be performed in all three gaits and serves to shorten the distance from the member in front of you while maintaining control of the gait, it can be also used to slow down (performing a leap backwards).
Walk hop
Quick Hop from trot to walk which let you slow down
Quick Hop from trot to canter which let you shorten the gap
What’s the hop?
Canter hop
Quick hop from canter to trot that let you slow down
Trot Hop
Wiggling is a movement formed by the rapid succession of A and D keys which lets you slow down the horse while maintaining the same gait. Tap your keys gently!
The only difference between the Wiggling and Hop is that the first lets you slowly slow down the horse, while the second lets you perform a wider leap backward.
Wiggling
How do we halt correctly?
To effectively perform a Halt in Line, riders must stop as soon as the rider still after the one in front of them stops. For a better understanding, we have to follow the same logic of the start. Look at the scheme below!
Note: When you hear the word "Alt" you have to walk and then stop as specified above when you hear the "Go"
Hooves Halt Set
Pivot Halt Set
This command is given when there is a need to stop in a specific position on precise reference points (eg. Dots / Arena Lines). At the "GO" all riders will stop when the front legs of their horse have reached the center of the reference point given to them by the Instructor.
This command is given when there is a need to stop in a specific position on precise reference points (eg. Dots / Arena Lines) on which, after stopping, a Pivot must be performed (spin around while standing still). At the "GO" all riders will stop when the hands of their character have reached the center of the reference point given to them by the Instructor, after which they will do a Pivot. By doing the Pivot following these indications, you’ll see that the front legs of the horse will always remain at the center of the reference point!
Due to Screen Delay, based on the gait at which each member is going, obviously also the way in which the horses can keep aligned with each other changes, so let's analyze how to stay coordinated by using the STANDARD ALIGNMENTS:
Always keep as your reference point the line Leader (usually the one with the highest stats) and ride ahead of them with your tail touching their horse’s nose.
Keep in mind that due to screen delay you will see yourself one horse ahead than the other riders and that’s CORRECT
Remember to always use the mouse to adjust the view
Walk alignment
Always keep as your reference point the line Leader (usually the one with the highest stats) and ride 1 character ahead of them.
Keep in mind that due to screen delay you will see yourself one horse ahead than the other riders and that’s CORRECT
Always keep as your reference point the line Leader (usually the one with the highest stats) and keep a gap of a full horse between you and them.
Keep in mind that due to screen delay you will see yourself one horse ahead than the other riders and that’s CORRECT
Remember to always use the mouse to adjust the view
Remember to always use the mouse to adjust the view
Trot alignment
Canter alignment
Take as your reference point the line leader when performing alignments!
During a Comb, based on your gait, you are going to use one of the methods previously explained above to keep you aligned with the other riders. If you are doing it right you will see yourself one horse ahead of all the others and that is correct. Every time you do a Comb (straight or slant) you need to adjust yourself based on your gait!
Comb Alignment
This type of Alignment is unique and used only for the Tidy Waterfall which is used to divide the riders line following a precise pattern. To perform this alignment correctly it is very important that all riders have accurate and ordered FI gaps when in single line, then when they get at the reference point indicated by the instructor (always one of the dots on the arena), all riders will have to perform a wave belt when their horse’s nose touches the dots given.. After the Belt, all number 1s have to keep OH gaps between each others while number 2s will use standard Alignments based on the gait they are using in that moment!
Tidy Waterfall
This type of Alignment is unique and used only for the Untidy Waterfall which is used to divide the line following a precise pattern. To perform this alignment correctly it is very important that all riders have accurate and ordered HI gaps when in single line, then when they get at the reference point indicated by the instructor (always one of the dots on the arena), all riders will have to perform a wave belt when their horse’s nose touches the dots given. After the Belt, all number 1s have to keep OH gaps between each others while number 2s will keep HI gaps with their partners!
Untidy Waterfall
This alignment can be used on many occasions to create particular and optically pleasing movements. The performance is very simple but you need to have good mouse control and familiarity with the previous Alignments.
To correctly perform this type of Alignment you must carefully check your position and that of your partner. When your horse's nose is aligned with your partner horse's nose then you will perform the move requested by the instructor.
Similarly to the Nose to Nose Alignment, this one follows the exact same reasoning. Here too, the use of the mouse is very important!
When your horse's nose is aligned with your partner horse's tail then you will perform the move requested by the Instructor.
Nose to Nose Alignment
Nose to Tail Alignment
During moves, sometimes it may be required to change gait during their execution and this change takes place automatically, without any "Go". However, how can we change gait independently in the correct way? By performing one of the two types of Transitions:
�To perform this type of Transition correctly you need to change gait (so pressing W or S depending on the gait you need to go at) once all 4 of the horse's hooves are straight and aligned on the line you started from.
Example: This is valid for every type of arena lines, both dotted and not!
Remember to always use the mouse to adjust the view
Gait transitions
To successfully perform this type of Transition you have to change direction once all 4 of the horse's hooves are straight and aligned on the line you started from.
▹What is the difference?
The difference lies in the time of use, the Gait Transitions must be used whenever a gait change is required during a move (ex. triple curl), while the Directional Transitions must be used whenever in a move a direction change is required (ex. Belt / S / Waterfalls etc.).
In general, however, both types of Transitions keep directional and gait changes accurate during the execution of the moves, especially those in succession (also called chained moves), thus guaranteeing excellent precision.
▹Why can’t we simply use the “Go”?�Because it would firstly cause difficulties to the instructor itself who would feel forced to shoot a burst of "Go" to keep the rhythm of the move, and secondly, talking about coordination, it would be given a larger margin of error.
To avoid all these problems we have inserted the Transitions, also solving the problems related to the Screen Delay, thus making them all coordinated.
Directional transitions
Remember to always use the mouse to adjust the view
Combined transitions
When there is a need to perform both Directional and Gait Transitions then these two are combined.
How to Start: To start making circles the very first few times it is advisable to cut at E or B (it facilitates the vision of dots and lines) and immediately begin to curve towards the markers that you have to follow to form the circle of your choice. Depending on the size of the circle, the dots (markers) to keep as main reference points change.
Small, Medium & Large.
The white dots represent the main reference points to always look at when any type of circle is being performed.
Generic scheme
Small circle
To facilitate the understanding of the Circles we decided to create the "Mantras", or a sequence of key words to remember, useful to well understand the Circles and thus avoiding to lose orientation. In the case of the Small Circle the Mantra used is: External, Internal, External, Internal, External and so on....
OUT
March outside the dot
IN
March inside the dot
Medium circle
The next type of circle is the Medium Circle. In this case the Mantra used is: External, Internal, Internal, External - External, Internal, Internal, External and so on....
OUT
March outside the dot
March inside the dot
IN
The last type of circle is the Large Circle. In this case the Mantra used is: External, Middle, Internal, Internal, Middle, External - External, Middle, Internal, Internal, Middle, External and so on....
Large circle
OUT
March outside the dot
March inside the dot
IN
March in the middle of the dot
MIDDLE
OUT
March outside the dot
March inside the dot
IN
March in the middle of the dot
MIDDLE
Fixing the position when performing a circle is not easy since its success depends by two main elements: individual rider skills and screen delay.
In a circle, none of the fixing methods explained in Chapter 6 are used. If you want to tighten the gap between you and the rider ahead, you will simply increase your tapping key speed towards the center of the arena (using A or D); while, if you want to enlarge the gap between you and the rider ahead, you will decrease your tapping key speed towards the outside of the circle. Be sure to avoid pressing harshly your keys! Find the rhythm!
The view, and consequently the mouse, is very important to always keep set correctly. Make sure you always keep an eye on the arena line you are marching on during a circle, you must always keep it in mind especially when you perform both simple and complex moves which often confuse.
Fixing gaps in a circle
Checking the position
Remember to always use the mouse to adjust the view