Last year, I stood in the warm-up ring at a CDI3* in Wellington, FL, 10 minutes before my U25 Grand Prix test, watching my 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood spook at a photographer's flash and side-step into a group of warming-up horses. We'd drilled passage and piaffe for 6 months, nailed every transition at our national shows, and I'd scored 78% at our last regional competition. But that day, we scored a 69% -- most of the deductions came from loss of balance, tension, and a crooked rein back, all from him being overwhelmed by the international venue chaos I'd forgotten to prepare him for.
That mistake taught me the hard way that prepping for international dressage isn't just about mastering the movements in the FEI test. It's about building a horse that's mentally resilient, physically prepared for new footing and long show days, and acclimated to the unspoken stressors of global competition that no test sheet mentions. Over the past two years, I've taken three different horses to CDIs in the US, Germany, and the Netherlands, and these low-lift, consistent strategies have helped us consistently score 80%+ at the international level, no 12-hour daily training sessions required.
The first, most overlooked step is building mental resilience long before you load the trailer for your first international show. National shows are usually low-key: small crowds, predictable schedules, familiar footing. International venues are a sensory overload: flashing cameras, blaring loudspeaker announcements, crowds of spectators leaning over the ring fence, flags waving in the wind, and dozens of other horses warming up within feet of your space. Most riders focus solely on movement training, but a horse that spooks at a random noise mid-piaffe will lose more points than a slightly off-angle half-pass ever will.
Start desensitization at home, months before your competition. Play dressage test music (or the specific venue playlist, if you can find it online) during grooming and feeding sessions, so your horse associates that sound with positive, low-stress experiences. Bring a portable speaker to the barn during schooling sessions, then to local shows, to get them used to that noise in a busy environment. Practice having a friend take photos with a flash during your rides at home, and ask other boarders to walk around the arena edge with small flags when you're schooling. You should also teach your horse to stand calmly while you step 10 feet away from them -- international stewards will almost always ask you to do this during the pre-ride equipment check, and a fidgety, restless horse gets an immediate deduction for lack of obedience before you even enter the arena. For young horses making their international debut, keep exposures short: 10 minutes at a local show with a small crowd, 15 minutes in the warm-up ring at a CDI before your actual test, so they don't get overwhelmed before they even start.
Next, you can't skip footing preparation, no matter how perfect your home arena is. International venues have wildly different footing than what you're used to: some CDIs have deep, soft sand that makes passage feel like wading through mud, others have hard-packed, slightly sloped warm-up rings that throw off your horse's balance, and some have uneven, slippery grass warm-up areas that trip up even the most well-trained horses. Don't wait until you arrive to test how your mount handles new terrain. Over the 3 months leading up to your international trip, take your horse to local shows with a mix of footing types: sand, grass, packed dirt, even slightly uneven ground if you can find it. School figures on a gentle slope (a low hillside, or the edge of your arena if it's not perfectly level) to get them used to adjusting their balance without you having to micromanage every step. If you're traveling long-distance -- cross-country shipping or flying across continents -- do short, 15-minute loose rein walks 1-2 days before travel to keep their legs loose, and stick to your regular leg care routine (ice, poultice, or liniment) so they associate it with low stress, not pre-travel anxiety. When you arrive at the venue, skip the hard warm-up entirely on arrival day: do a 20-minute loose rein walk around the arena edge to let them get used to the new footing, the smells of the foreign barn, and the distant noise of crowds, before you pick up the reins or ask for any collected work.
Once your horse is mentally and physically acclimated to new environments, you need to master the small, judge-focused details that separate national-level scores from international ones. FEI judges at global competitions are far stricter on the obedience and precision details that national judges often let slide. First, the rein back: most international tests include 2-3 rein backs per program, and judges deduct points heavily for crookedness, tension, or the horse opening its mouth during the movement. Practice rein back every single day at home, not just on the center line, but on the quarter line and even off the rail, so your horse is comfortable doing it in a smaller, more confined space. Second, the halt and salute: judges look for the horse to be fully square, straight, and attentive, not leaning on the bit or shifting its weight mid-salute. Practice this 10 times after every ride at home, so it becomes automatic, no last-minute fidgeting when you stop in front of the judges' box. Third, self-carriage: international judges penalize horses that are behind the vertical, or rely on the rider's hands to hold their frame, far more harshly than national judges. Incorporate half-halts into every single movement, not just before transitions, so your horse learns to hold its balance on its own, even when you're not actively asking for a change of gait or frame. Finally, drill the specific transitions from your test (e.g., collected trot to medium trot, walk to piaffe) 2-3 times per ride, not just general transitions, so your horse knows exactly what to expect on test day.
You also can't ignore the long, grueling nature of international show days. While national shows are usually 1-2 days long, global competitions often run 3-4 days, with 6-8 hour waits between your scheduled ride time and your actual warm-up. The same feeding and care routine you use for a local Saturday show will fall apart here. Switch your horse to the venue's local feeding schedule 3-4 days before you leave, so their digestive system adjusts before you travel -- sudden changes in feed are the number one cause of colic at shows, and a sick horse can't compete no matter how well you've trained. Bring enough of their regular hay and grain to last the entire trip, plus 2 extra days, in case your travel gets delayed. Many horses refuse to drink from unfamiliar automatic waterers at international venues, so bring a portable water bucket that they use at home, and add a splash of apple juice or their favorite electrolyte to the water if they're hesitant to drink. Pack high-value treats (peppermints, carrot chips, whatever they love most) to reward calm behavior during warm-up, and plan 10-minute rest breaks in the stall every 2 hours on long show days to keep them from getting stiff and bored. After your test, do a 15-minute loose rein walk, not just a quick cool-down, to flush lactic acid from their muscles -- international tests are longer and more strenuous than national ones, so proper recovery will prevent soreness if you're riding multiple tests over the weekend.
Finally, stick to a strict 72-hour pre-competition routine to eliminate last-minute stress. The biggest mistake I see riders make before international shows is cramming hard work 1-2 days before the test, or changing their routine at the last minute. Stick to this simple schedule:
- 3 days out: 30-minute light ride, only walk, trot, and run through 2-3 key movements from your test, no hard work, no piaffe or passage if you can avoid it.
- 2 days out: 20-minute ride, only walk and trot, practice the halt and salute 2-3 times, no strenuous work.
- 1 day out: 15-minute loose rein walk around the pasture or arena, no work at all.
Pack your competition kit 2 weeks in advance, so you don't forget critical gear: extra stirrups, a backup saddle pad, your horse's favorite treats, an ear bonnet if they use one, extra girth straps, and a printed copy of your test sheet. Forgetting a small piece of gear can throw off your entire pre-ride routine, and a stressed rider creates a stressed horse.
The first time I took my 8-year-old gelding to a CDI in Rotterdam, I followed every step of this prep, and we scored 84% in our first Inter I test, placing 5th out of 38 horses. Last month, we scored 88% in the Grand Prix Special at a CDI in Aachen, and the judges commented on his "exceptional calmness and obedience" -- which had nothing to do with how well we drilled piaffe, and everything to do with the months of small, consistent prep to make him feel safe in any environment.
International dressage isn't just about perfect movements. It's about building a partnership with your horse that holds up under the stress of global competition. The small, daily steps you take to prepare them mentally and physically will always pay off more than cramming for movement drills the week before your trip.