I've been teaching Flower Dressage for years.  Many of you know, I rewrote the original rules for Flower several years ago to try and make them easier.  At FFF, where I'm a pony and trainer, we call this rule set STANDARD FLOWER DRESSAGE.

For a long time, I've been wanting to write down how I teach Flower so others can try it.  The ORDER of teaching the rules is important, because each one builds on the previous ones.  This is the BASIC Flower class, with just enough to teach what the rules are.  Obviously you can go much further, but this is about what a pony can handle for starters.  When I sign off a pony's Thoroughbred Checklist for Flower Dressage, demonstrating knowledge and proper use of these rules is what I'm looking for.

FEEL FREE to copy this to a .TXT file so you can have it at the side of your monitor while you go thru the rules.

(I REVISED this page in March 2017.)

OK, here we go!

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START with Pony standing in the small Center Circle.  (IF two ponies, place them outside the small one, but inside the larger one.)

Flower Dressage, like all dressage, is about BEAUTY.  And about a special bond that exists between the Pony, and her/his Owner or Trainer.
When done right, it looks like a ballet; and like the pony and trainer are thinking with one mind.
In Flower Dressage, Pony will walk a pattern made up of these circles and line.
Pony will be given the pattern as a string of letters.  Pony has to interpret the string according to a short set of rules, which I will teach you today.
Then Pony walks the pattern following that interpretation of the character string.

A pattern can be one letter, or a LONG string.  So you can never outgrow Flower Dressage.

It will all make sense once we start, so let's begin.

The FIRST RULE is one you are already following.  Pony always STARTS and ENDS in the CENTER CIRCLE.

If one pony, you're in the small center one.  If multiple ponies, then each one stands outside the small one, and inside the larger ones.  You'll know just where to stand, and which way to face, once you receive the pattern.

OK.  SECOND RULE: the FIRST circle is always walked CLOCKWISE.

So, if I just gave you "A" all by itself, you would start here, set yourself, and walk around the A circle clockwise, and end here.

You have to use a little bit of the straight lines, and that's fine.

Do that for me please, pony.  Do "A".

(Pony does it.  Correct if needed, and then move on.)

Good!  OK, next rule:

If two letters in the string are joined by a small "x" like AxC, that means Pony must CHANGE DIRECTION.

So if the first circle was Clockwise, the second must be Counterclockwise.

Pony will walk the first circle CLOCKWISE until she meets the next one, and then that circle must be COUNTERclockwise.

So pony, if I give you AxC, you walk A until you meet C, and then walk C counberclockwise.  A big Figure-8.  Understand?

(pony should STOMP; if not, explain or demonstrate).

Please do AxC for me, pony.

Excellent!  (Correct if necessary; if not, move on.)

Now pony, the same rule goes if we're using the big and small circles.

For example, if I give you ExF, then you start here, walk around E until you reach F, and then go COUNTERclockwise around F.

We always do curves smoothly, so you'll need to use a bit of the E circle to make a smooth transition to the straight line that you walk to get back home.  Does that make sense, pony?

(Demo or explain if necessary)

OK.  Please do ExF for me, pony.

Perfect.  Well done, pony.

OK?  THIRD RULE:

If two letters are joined by a "-", a hyphen, that means that pony does NOT change direction.

If the first circle was clockwise, the next must also be clockwise.

and the shape of the hyphen, which is a little short line "-" gives you a clue; you MIGHT have to walk a line from one circle to the next one.

I want to demo this one for you, pony

If  I give you E-G, here is what you do.

Clockwise around E to here.  (Pause as you explain:)

but F is NOT in the pattern.  Instead of walking around F, we follow the LINE right thru it. (Then continue thru F to meeting G and pause:)

That gets me to G, which I continue on, clockwise. (and continue)

Understand, pony?

OK.  Please do E-G for me.

Very good.  (Give a hug or a bow; something supportive of the pony.)

OK FOURTH RULE:  This is the HALFWAY RULE, and it's tricky.

Halfway Rule says: if the string requires the pony to go LESS THAN HALFWAY AROUND A LETTERED CIRCLE before the next one, then pony must first go ALL THE WAY AROUND the circle before continuing.

Let me demonstrate that for you. (Do something like AxBxC, pausing to show the Halfway Rule at B.)

Here I am at B. (pause)
But it is a VERY short trip around B, less than halfway. (Go to C and pause)
So I have to go ALL THE WAY AROUND B FIRST before I can continue.

OK Pony, please do AxBxC for me.

(Pony does the pattern.  After that, fix errors, demo if needed, or continue.)

Good pony!  Excellent.

One important note about the Halfway Rule: it applies to the LETTERED CIRCLES IN THE PATTERN, NOT the CENTER circle.

And that's what we'll talk about next.

FIFTH RULE is simple.  The CENTER CIRCLE is ALWAYS walked CLOCKWISE.

We need the center circle to get across the Flower, or sometimes to force ourselves to change direction.

So you NEVER walk THROUGH the center circle.  You always walk around it, always CLOCKWISE.

The reason for this becomes obvious the first time you do a Flower with multiple ponies.  Its a way to avoid collisions.

So let's do a simple pattern.  BxF.

 For BxF, we start here, walk to B, around it clockwise.  Then back to the center, around it CLOCKWISE.  Then to F, around COUNTERclockwise, and back to home.

(Demo this one.  Then have the pony do it.)

Very good pony!

One more rule, which we added last year.

It is simply that Pony should strive to follow the most efficient route possible to complete the pattern.  (As opposed to wandering all over the place.)

So for example, if I gave you B-B...

That is just "walk clockwise around B, and then Clockwise around B again."

(demo walking to B, around it twice, and back home.)

No need to walk back to the center, or anywhere else.  Just walk twice around B.

That is ALL the rules, pony.

From those simple beginnings come patterns that go out to ExG-B-FxE-H-DxExF-BxA-ExG-B-FxExG-B-F

Yikes!

And adding a second, or even third or fourth pony, makes Flower far more beautiful and even more challenging.

That's the end of the training.  But please ask any questions you have, and practice all you can.

You can practice without a trainer. Clicking the red circle or the yellow one around it will give you patterns to try.

And there are LOTS of patterns on the SL Dressage Society Website at http://sldressage.yolasite.com/pony-flower-patterns.php

There is a video there too.

Thank you for the opportunity to train you on Flower Dressage!