Very first dressage show... any advice/tips?

Originally Posted by LoveStory10    

Next month is our very first drssage show... I'm super excited but I'm also kind of nervous. It will be novice class as it is our first one

Love Story works very nicely from behind, and she is very balanced and willing. She circles nicely and behaves very well at shows. She has a nice headset but sometimes lifts her head. I don't know how dressage is judged and marked, so I have a few question:

1. How are you judged?
You are judged on:
A. Accuracy of your figures -
I. Are your circles more like diamonds?
II. Do you transition (like walk to trot) where you are supposed to and not before/after?,
III. How the horse moves - is horse moving FORWARD yet not running, is horse "on the bit" (if so you'll see a bulge in the middle of her neck), is horse using it's back (if so horse will appear to be "wagging" its tail at the trot.
IV. The effectiveness of the riders aides - in other words if horse doesn't turn when asked how does rider fix that problem? If horse jumps what does rider do to fix it? Does rider know how to bend the horse sround the inside leg in corners?

2. In a novice class, do they take away points if you're horse lifts it's head every now and then? Depends. When a horse looks around they may lift their head, sometimes if they're moving well they may start to step underneath themselves more and that will cause them to lift their head - BUT - that is what the judges want to see. So if she's lifting her head to avoid bit contact, look around, etc then the rider needs to correct it.

3. What must I wear? Light colored britches (white or light tan preferred), hard hat, boots (if recognized show knee high boots), if recognized show white shirt otherwise nice polo shirt - no loud colors (Navy, Black, White, light pink OK for local shows).

4. We are going to braid manes, but is braiding tails also required? No, but tail is normally cut straight across at the bottom.

5. I have a General Purpose saddle, is that acceptable? Yes although a dressage saddle helps the rider sit up straight.

Any other advice and/or tips would be most welcome