How it Works

We've tried to make everything as simple as possible when entering Dressage Riders Online! Please read the guide below to get started on your online competition journey with us.

General Rules

On entering a class with Dressage Riders Online, you accept and abide by the following rules/conditions-

*All riders under the age of 18 MUST have parental permission.

*Ride at your own risk, Dressage Riders Online take no responsibility for any injuries that occurred to the horse or rider when practising or filming a test.

*Dressage Riders Online reserve the right to refuse entry, without stating a reason. (Don’t worry this is unlikely to happen)

*Videos of tests must not be entered if they have previously been judged..

*Entry fees will not be refunded once entry has been accepted. This includes missing the closing date, being horse owners ourselves we understand that things can go wrong and we will be more than happy to transfer your entry to a later date due to lameness etc if contacted before the closing of the classes.

*Copyright laws must be abided by when submitting any video footage. Dressage Riders Online will not be held responsible/liable for any costs incurred because of infringement of copyright laws by any competitor or third party.

*Callers are allowed in all classes apart from the eventing dressage. No outside help other than test directions is allowed. (no outside instructions to help improve)

*Dressage Riders Online reserves the right to amend rules without notice, we advise you to check the rules on a regular basis.

*Judge’s decision is final. Please ensure we are notified by email within 24 hours of receipt of your test sheet of any errors where we will endeavour to rectify them.

Although we don't run to British Dressage rules we still require our riders to be safe.

*Gloves must be worn when riding or leading.

*Casual riding wear can be worn. Bright colours and matching wear are allowed.

*Show attire is not required but is welcome to be worn. For eventing classes, boots or bandages must be used if show attire is worn.

*We no longer run to British Dressage rules therefore any tack is allowed in our classes however side, draw or elasticated reins are not permitted.

*Spurs and whips are allowed, when used in a correct manner. When saluting with a whip the whip must not be in the hand in which salutes the judge.

Riding Attire

Entering a Class

Our classes have changed a little for 2024, we have new leagues and we’ve made things as fair as possible for all riders.

First and foremost, entering a class is the same. Enter your chosen class via our navigation link above ‘Enter Classes’.

Standard Class –

Our standard classes now run from In-hand & Walk only level up to Medium Level 5 and are automatically an enter into the relevant league running at the time. (You do not need to take part of championship classes if you do not wish to do so.)

All levels are run separate, Intro Level 1 & Prelim Level 2 will also have and extra test judged separately each month (you can enter either or both but only one entry per month is valid).

To qualify for the championship class you will need to gain 1 score of 63% or over and enter 3 out of 4 classes in the league period.

List of standard classes –

* In-Hand

* Walk Only Ridden/Walk Plus

* Intro Level 1 (two tests available each month)

* Prelim Level 2 (two tests available each month)

* Novice Level 3

* Elementary Level 4

Highest Placed Sections – what does this mean?

Add on a section and if you have the highest score from that section you gain a highest placed rosette.

Available sections are as follow –

Ex Racehorse – For those who have raced or been in race training, whether Arab, Thoroughbred or Standardbred who have raced or trained racing flat, hurdles or cart. Proof of racer identity may be required. All horses must be of 4 years or older.

Veteran Horse Section – For horses that are 15 years or older as of January 1st of the current year.

Iberian Horse Section – For horses with Iberian breeding, whether full or part-bred.

Cobs only Section – For horses of a ‘cob’ breed/stamp only.

Young Horse – For horses of 4-6 years from the 1st January of the current year.

Coloured Horse – A section purely for those with coloured horses to compete against one another.

Rescue Horse – For those who had have a rough start but now in ‘better’ hands. Show off your rescued equine.

Junior Rider Section – For riders of 15 years and under.

Veteran Rider Section – For riders of 55 years and over.

Other Classes –

We also have some classes which don’t fit into our leagues/championship classes. These can be found on the second half of our schedule.

Class Restrictions

Horse & Rider combinations must ride at the appropriate level, we reserve the rights to stop a horse & rider combination riding at a level if their ability shows they should be riding at a higher level. We want to keep this competition as fair as possible.

Please note – these are a general guide, please see each class schedule for any alternative restrictions which may be applied.

Horse and rider combinations who have achieved the following below will need to enter into the open section if no open section is available the next level is to be entered or enter the current level HC:

*In-Hand – No restrictions, this class is designed to be there for those needing it whether suffering from low confidence, an older horse, a young horse, rehab etc.

*Walk Ridden – No restrictions, this class is designed to be there for those needing it whether suffering from low confidence, an older horse, a young horse, rehab etc.

*Intro Level 1 – have scored 70% and over, four times in the Intro Level 1 classes.

*Prelim Level 2 – have scored 70% and over, four times in the Prelim Level 2 classes.

*Novice Level 3 – have scored 70% and over, four times in the Novice Level 3 classes.

*Elementary Level 4 – currently have zero restrictions.

*Medium Level 5 – currently have zero restrictions.

Any leagues started in a level when not yet met restrictions, but then throughout the restrictions are met the league is allowed to be continued in the normal class of that level.

*No horse & rider combination may enter a class more than one level below their highest entry without permission from DRO.

We understand things can change when it comes to horses so just send us a message letting us know your situation and so long as it’s a fair reason then you can go back down levels if required.

These restrictions are put into place to make the classes fairer, please do not abuse them.

Filming the Test

The person videoing your test must be standing behind C for both dressage and jumping tests (judge’s usual POV), if recording from a mobile phone the video must be taken in landscape mode and zoom in at the A end of the school if possible.

*You need to be in the centre of the screen, if you go out of shot you can’t be judged.

*The video must have sound, callers are allowed in all tests apart from Eventing classes. No training/help should be given while you ride your test.

*Your video must not have any editing or parts missing from it. It must start at least 2 seconds before the rider enters at A and preferably 4 seconds after the rider salutes at the end.

*You need to ride in either an arena or on grass but both must have markers, if you do not have arena letters these can be made using buckets, jump wings, cones etc. The test can not be judged without the judge being able to see the marker you are riding too.

*Your arena can be of any size as long as the markers are set out in the correct places. For riding the test, you will need to ride your arena as a 20x40m.

*Make sure you film in good light, a lot of marks can be lost when riding with the sun behind you when coming up the centre line. For cases like this we suggest you swap the markers around so the entry can be made at the other side.

*You are not required to introduce your test but it is advised to help the judge.

Riding the Test

*The judge salute should be made with reins and whip (if carried) in one hand and the freehand lowered to the rider’s side and the rider should nod their head.

*Trot may be ridden sitting or rising (or a mixture of both) in all tests up to and including Elementary Level 4. From Medium Level 5 onwards the trot must be sitting.

SUBMITTING YOUR VIDEO

There's a few ways in which to submit your video for judging

Submitting your video is easy. Please allow 48 hours for my response to your submission being received before the 20th of the month and 24 hours after the 20th. It’s all done manually and not always able to do them straight away. The entries list is updated as I go so please check to see if your name is on the list before contacting us.

Please note – when sending your video to us we need to upload it to YouTube in order to make it easily accessible to our judges, we add the video as unlisted and only give the judge that needs it the link. It is then deleted the next month. Therefore if you have a YouTube account of your own please send as a link, set it to unlisted to enable us to view it but not for public viewing on YouTube.

Facebook

Upload your video directly to our event page in the discussion section. We set up an event page for each level each month, just find the correct level/month and click the discussion page to upload directly. I will like your video post to confirm I’ve received it, however Facebook often requires the post to be approved so please don’t panic and upload numerous videos if it doesn’t show straight away. I try my best to pop onto the event page at least every 24 hours to approve any posts waiting.

YouTube

If you have a YouTube account, upload your video as normal making sure it’s set to either public or unlisted and send the link along via email videosdro@gmail.com with the following information –

Rider Name –

Horse Name –

Class & Level Entered –

I will reply via email to confirm receipt of the video submission, this is usually done within 48 hours throughout the month, or 12/24hours closer to classes closing.

WeTransfer

Head to the WeTransfer website, upload your video and send it to our email videosdro@gmail.com.

I will reply via email to confirm receipt of the video submission, this is usually done within 48 hours throughout the month, or 12/24hours closer to classes closing.

If all else fails...

We will always help if you are stuck on submitting your video. Just message us on our social media or email us direct.

dressageridersonline@gmail.com

Loyalty Points

Here at Dressage Riders Online we don’t want our winners to be stuck with a random prize they don’t need so instead we let you pick your own prize! Every time you win a class with Dressage Riders Online you will receive loyalty points which can be used or saved towards choosing any of our fantastic range of DRO products in our shop.

Join our loyalty scheme, once joined every time you enter, you will automatically get a point per £1 and 10 points equals £1 in our shop. Use them to enter classes or save them up to buy one of our amazing products.

Find out more in the main menu under 'loyalty'.

Rosettes & Prizes

As of October 2023 the following will apply for the giving of rosettes and prizes. All our rosettes and prizes are automatically sent if you live in the UK, however overseas will need to purchase further postage for their items to be sent. All rosettes/prizes will need to be claimed within two months (by purchasing your postage) or they will get added back into our rosette stock.

Rosettes

*Rosettes will be awarded 1-10th every time no matter the number of entries, including double placings.

*Highest placed rosettes will be given for class sections, a further rosette will be awarded per 8 entries in each section.

*Classes will be split randomly into 2 groups with 25-50 entries and they will be split randomly into 3 groups for 51-75 entries.

Class Prizes

Cash winnings will be awarded as following: (Currently on trail)

1st Place – £20 when 10 or more in class unless otherwise stated on schedule. If less than 10 entries in the class, DRO Cred rule will apply.

DRO Cred will be awarded as following:

1st Place – £15 when 6 or more in class unless otherwise stated on schedule.

There will be no winnings awarded for class sections unless otherwise stated on the schedule.

Championship Prizes

Sapphire, Emerald & Ruby League's –

Champions - Winners Sash & Rosette + 20 extra points.

Reserves - Reserve rosette + 10 extra points.

Section’s –

Champions - Winners Sash & Rosette. Reserve - Reserve rosette.

For any other championship please see individual info on class entry.

*Any classes with a sponsor will be stated in the class schedule. Prizes will be sent to the winner if the winner is an overseas competitor then extra postage may be required for the product to be sent or a DRO voucher will be sent in its place.