Well, its not exactly cheating but you can do some things to help yourself. In the Training level canter departs, absolutely use the corners to assure the correct lead. If you wait till after the corner you can really get screwed up. In the turn on the haunches and walk pirouttes, you can fudge the size a little when they are called for on the quarter line as opposed to the long side where it is very obvious if they are too big.. In leg yields and half passes, the rider can usually start a few meters early so the track of the movement isn’t too steep. If you arrive on the centerline a few meters late, its not the end of the worlf as the quality is the most important thing. If you have double half passes with a change of bend, you will notice the professionala arriving a few meters before they have to change the bend to give themselves more time to make a smooth transition. To shorten the distance of a trot lengthening, you can try leaving the corner a few minutes late and arriving at the end of the diagonal a few meters early to shorten the distance. Just don’t make it too obvious. After the bell rings, don’t rush down the center line. Use the 45 seconds if you need it. And attention senior riders. If you are feeling creaky going into an extended trot its legal to hold the bucking strap for a few strides aa long as you still hold onto both reins. But most importantly, everyone remember to use the corners and short sides to set things up!
Illustration by Thelwell.