"STANDARD"FLOWER DRESSAGE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
WHY THIS PAGE?
I sometimes get asked questions about the "Standard" Flower Rules that are shown on the SLDS Website. I also hear about ponies and/or trainers getting into arguments about the Right Way to do something.
Since I'm the original author of the "Standard" rules, I thought I'd try and create a way of not only answering the questions, but explaining WHY a rule is the way it is. Since this material is just coming from me, I'm not doing this on the SLDS Website, although I am linking it from there.
NOTE: I always use whatever form of the pattern starts closest to the start of the alphabet. For example, B-H would be exactly the same as D-B, F-D and H-F.
I would love to hear comments about this page! Please IM inworld, or Email to katrinavelde@yahoo.com .
OK, let's try one! B-H (or BxH)
THE QUESTION: Should the pony go around the center circle to get from B to H, or just follow the A circle around in a smooth curve? (13 March 2017)
ANSWER: Follow the A circle.
WHY: First, it's the shortest way (Rule 8). That's the most important reason.
But a secondary reason is that, in general, you want to avoid going round the Center Circle if you don't have to. We've tried to make these rules work well for any number of ponies, and the most likely place to have collisions is on that very tight center circle.
(The "Classic" rules, by the way, actually CHANGE between single and multiple ponies. A single pony is allowed to walk right straight thru the center but requires muliple ponies to walk around it. We don' t have two different rules in Standard Flower.)
Patterns DxExF and D-F
THE QUESTION: It looks like both of these patterns are walked exactly the same way! Is that correct?
ANSWER: Yes! For DxExF, it's obvious what to do (walk the line to D, around it clockwise, then around E counterclockwise, and then around F clockwise and back to the Center again).
The D-F part is a little trickier to understand, but it's basically that you want to get from D to F by the shortest way possible, which is just walking around E. (No need to go around the center circle. We do try to avoid using that Center circle because it's where ponies can collide.)
Pattern A-B
THE QUESTION: When the pony comes around the big circle clockwise and then has to go around the small circle clockwise, there is no way to make that turn with a smooth curve. How should the pony do it?
ANSWER: We NEVER make a hard turn like that. So pony has to continue around A, go around the Center Circle clockwise, and then walk back to B and go around it smoothly.
Pattern A-C-E
THE QUESTION: The second circle (C) invokes the Halfway Rule. Can you follow the circle in to the center, go around that, and then continue to G?
ANSWER: NO. Go around C the full time.
WHY: The Halfway Rule is very clear; you MUST go around the circle a full turn and then continue; it does not offer another option.
Remember, we really want to avoid the Center Circle if we can. It's also far less complicated to just continue around the big circle, meaning less chance for errors.