In the arena, symmetry beats shine

The judge sees one side first, and sees it standing still. Why dressage grooming is a question of symmetry, and how to prepare a horse for it.

A dressage test does not begin with the first movement. It begins with the halt. The horse stands still for a few seconds, and in those seconds it is looked at like a photograph. A photograph forgives no crooked mane and no loose plait.

A judge registers a crooked mane long before registering a lack of shine.

How many plaits is a decision about the neck

Plaits sit on the right side of the neck, which is convention and the side the mane is trained to lie on. The number is decided by the neck, not by a rule. Many small plaits, eleven to thirteen, lengthen a short neck; fewer and larger ones give a thin neck substance. More important than the count is even spacing: two centimetres of difference shows up from twenty metres away.

• Shorten the mane first, ten to twelve centimetres is plenty.
• Equal widths count for more than a particular number.
• Plait the forelock properly or leave it alone. Half done is worst.
• Wash the night before and plait in the morning. A freshly washed mane slips.
• Take the plaits out after the class. A night in plaits pulls at the crest.

Quarter marks, used sparingly

Quarter marks are nothing more than coat lying in two directions. A stencil or a damp comb lays small patches against the grain, and the light breaks at the edge. On a dark summer coat they work, on a grey they disappear, on a long winter coat they turn into stripes.

The rule is the same as everywhere else in the arena: both sides alike, or not at all. A mark on the left quarter sitting two fingers higher on the right is worse than no mark. And it belongs on the quarters, not halfway along the horse.

Where the saddle pad meets the horse

A white saddle pad is a commitment. It shows every sweat mark from last time and every shaving picked up while tacking up. Before you go in, run a flat hand under the edge so the coat lies the right way, and pull the pad up into the gullet. There has to be air over the withers.

Boots come off before you go in

A dressage horse wears boots to warm up, not in the test. They come off minutes before you enter, and whatever is underneath is what the judge sees. A leg with three strips of hair flattened by velcro lost its appearance in the preparation. So the legs are finished first, boots over the top, quarter marks last.

Shine shows up in photographs. Symmetry shows up at the distance you are judged from.