When am I ready to move up to the next level?
This is a question that stumps even some of the pros, because the answer has almost as much to do with your personality and ego as your capability. By that I don't mean jump into whichever level you'd like to proclaim as yours, but that most often people are far more capable than the tests they ride; it's just that they are terrified of public scrutiny. The horsey set can be a bit vicious in the peanut gallery, and if your ego is too fragile to accept that you just may fail, and fail miserably, than you probably shouldn't go to a show, ever. Anyone with some show experience has realized that even with the most perfectly trained, bombproof animal, with the perfect warm-up plan, who arrived early, drank his elecrolytes, ate the perfect feed and supplements and was groomed to gleaming perfection, one may get to the arena and learn that their horse has an unreasonable fear of the letter E, or balls up for 6 minutes when someone sitting in the back of a horse trailer blows a whistle. Or perhaps the test that you have committed to memory, and can ride in your mind 3 times while waiting for your Starbucks, gets sucked out of your brain when you halt at X, maybe for the entire first year of competition. Emotional issues and unforeseeable circumstances aside, here's what you should know when you sign up for a competition:
Training Level: The Directives
The directives for each level can be found at the top of the score sheet, and I will provide them for you here. They state the goal of each level, which tells you what the judge is looking for. For Training level, the purpose is to confirm that the horse's muscles are supple and loose and that it moves freely forward in a clear and steady rhythm, accepting contact with the bit. A tight, pulling rein indicates a tight, pulling neck and back on one end and a tight, pulling hand on the other-- not acceptance of the bit. If you are pulling to keep your horse from getting quick, you have not mastered the balance and rhythm. If you are begging for every tiny step forward your horse begrudgingly offers, or your pulling on the reins to balance yourself is blocking your horse's freedom of movement and making him take uneven steps, work on finding a seat that doesn't depend on the reins for balance to allow a steady rhythm. A light touch on the reins should result in the horse flexing at the poll and a “softening” feeling that renders the horse free of tension and shows his best possible movement.
The Movements
Ideally you should be schooling one level up from what you are showing. This means that if you are comfortably learning First level's leg yields, some lengthening, and can stay reasonably balanced in 10 meter trot circles and 15 meter canter circles, chances are Training Level will be a breeze. Does that mean that if your horse sometimes picks up the canter a few strides after you ask that you aren't ready? No. Bad days happen to everyone, most likely when the most people are watching. It may not happen perfectly in the show ring no matter how often you do it perfectly at home, so let it go. You probably know if your horse walks, trots, canters, and halts when you ask properly, and if you can make a round circle, even if some days are more round and sometimes the side of the circle closest to the exit gets a little elongated. If you are not confident about your ability, find out from a trainer, take your horse to a clinic, or if your area offers “Fix-a-Test” rides (mock testings where the judges can offer advice on how to improve your scores), this could save the expense and humiliation of going to a show without getting a professional opinion on whether it will be a positive reinforcement of what you've learned. Each movement receives it's own score, and if you and your trainer take the judges' comments into account, your score will improve each time, and experience will one by one eliminate all the things you screwed up because of inexperience. Or you can practice training level at home alone for 15 years and hope a crowd shows up on the day it all goes perfectly. It's entirely up to you.
When to go to a recognized show?
Local schooling shows are the best place to go if your or your horse lacks experience, so as not to blow a lot of money learning what your particular bug-a-boos may be. For minimal time and investment, you can ride the same test, often in front of the same quality judges, and get the same type of feedback you would get by making the bigger investment of going to a recognized show. You don't have to win every class to be ready for the bigger shows, because that all depends on who shows up that day. But when you feel confident that you and your horse can put on a performance that you will most likely be proud of , or that may get you a score that could qualify you for your regional championships, or go toward a rider award, it should be fun to give it a go. And if it turns out that it wasn't your day, don't think everyone out there hasn't wanted to crawl in a hole once or twice too. You only get the glory when you're willing to risk failure.
Plan to succeed, and be willing to see what happens. Take a cooler and and chair and enjoy the time with people as who love horses and competition like you do. Cheer on your friends, shop for additional horses in case of an unexpected windfall, and watch the classes you want to ride in next time to see what it should look like. Realize that we all go to be judged, but not by everyone. Be the person you'd like to see at the shows, who offers help, encouragement, and laughter. Most importantly, enjoy the journey; this is just the beginning!