These rules were made to guide a pony through a Modern Flower Dressage pattern without revealing the pattern to the pony.
Originally designed to achieve Tall Tail's Whip It Right achievement, it can be a fun challenge to take on further for trainers seeking thrills!
Both the pony and the trainer should be familiar with Modern Flower Dressage rules before attempting this.
If performed correctly, there will be no visible difference between a pattern done in regular Modern Flower and Crack Flower.
Ponies should not make sharp turns, stop, nor hesitate.
1 - Guiding the Pony: The trainer must use only a whip HUD, such as any full carting HUD (e.g., Abi's Carting HUD)
2 - Command Perspective: All commands are given from the pony's perspective; e.g., "tug left" means the pony turns left.
3 - Whip Command Difference: Whip commands do not necessarily follow their usual meanings and are defined as follows below.
4a - Pattern Start: The trainer uses "tug left" and "tug right" signals to steer the pony in the correct starting direction.
4b- The trainer starts the pattern with a single whip crack.
5 - Movement Rules: Ponies continue circling the current letter unless commanded otherwise.
6 - "Tug left" and "tug right" indicate turns at crossings where lettered circles touch (meaning, this exclude crossings between the centered and lettered circles).
7 - "Speed up" or "crack to go faster" means the pony walks the straight outer line (e.g., A-C).
8a - End of Current Letter: One whip crack signals the end of the current letter; the pony heads to the center.
8b- Another command follows the first single crack. 1 crack = Continue forward past the center, 3 cracks = take a left, 4 cracks = take a right, 5 cracks = come back the way you came from.
9 - Pattern End: Two whip cracks signal the end of the pattern; the pony finishes the current letter and returns to the center to curtsy.
Here are examples of translated patterns:
For those familiar with Classic Flower Dressage, an alternative to the more common Modern Flower Dressage, the above rules can also be applied to command a pony through a pattern using only whip commands.
There is one amendment to the above rules due to the differences in how the center is handled in Classic Flower Dressage.
If doing a pattern of Classic Crack Flower, we amend rule 8a in the following way:
8a - End of Current Letter: A whip command signals the end of the current letter; the pony heads to the center. This first signal indicates how the pony will use the center before exiting. 1 cracks = the pony takes a direct exit, 3 cracks = the pony walks clockwise around the center to take the exit, 4 cracks = the pony walks counterclockwise around the center to take the exit. For special cases when the center circle is walked for more than a full lap, such as when FxA is performed, a “Crack to speed up” is used between this first signal and the second one to signal the full lap.
Example: In the case of FxA, the commands indicating the way to navigate the center would be: 3 crack (Walk the Center Clockwise), Crack to speed up (Do a full lap), 1 crack (Exit towards the exit opposite of where you entered the center circle from)
These rules make it possible to attempt Crack Flower Dressage with up to 4 ponies as with typical Modern Flower Dressage rules.
For an additional challenge, Crack Flower Dressage can be attempted by a blindfolded pony and blindfolded trainer.