Many of us ride dressage and compete in competitions. After every competition, you get the overall ranking result for that class. However, you can (and should) also collect your test sheet which gives you the judge’s comments for your test. If you coach riders that compete in dressage, you should get them to collect their test sheets so that you can help them work through their weak spots.

We use the same tests as Australia mostly. So I will use the Equestrian Australia tests as examples. Each test sheet will show you the Purpose of that test, Introduces what is new in the test, and gives Instructions for that test. For example, this test can be done in sitting or rising trot unless stated otherwise and has to be ridden in a snaffle.

Then you look at each test movement. It tells you what you have to do in that movement and then what the directive ideas are. The directive ideas tell you what the judge is looking for in that movement. The judge will give a mark and possibly also a remark, which will help you improve for next time.

Some movements will have a co-efficient of 2. That means that the movement is important and the judge’s mark will be multiplied by 2 to give a total score. You should train accordingly for movements with co-efficients to score the highest possible mark.

Each movement is given a score. This ranges from 0 – 10. Half marks also can be used (e.g. 6.5 / 8.5)
0 Movement not executed
1 Very bad
2 Bad
3 Fairly bad
4 Insufficient
5 Marginal / Sufficient
6 Satisfactory
7 Fairly good
8 Good
9 Very good
10 Excellent

Taking the movement above as an example, the judge may give :
– A mark of 6 with the remark “Needs to show more bend to the right, more activity”
– A mark of 8 which means the movement shown was good

Generally, judges are taught to give a remark for marks under 7 so that riders can learn from their mistakes and know what is needed next time.

After all the movements are completed, we have the “collective marks”. This is basically a summary of your whole test. Generally the paces and impulsion relate to the quality of the horse and the submission and the rider’s position relate to how well the rider and horse work together.

A horse that does not have clear paces will not score well in the Pace mark. A horse lacking activity and cannot show difference in length of stride will not score well in the Impulsion mark. A horse that is against the hand in every transition cannot score well in the Submission mark and the Rider’s score is also affected as the Rider is responsible for how well the horse goes. If the rider is inaccurate or rides roughly, using a lot of hands, the Rider score will not be high.

The technical fault column will show you if you have any deductions due to mistakes such as – wrong equipment, incorrect salute, entering before the bell, repeated use of voice.

You may also realise that you have an error of course once you have checked your test sheet. The judge does not necessarily have to ring the bell if there are error like doing sitting trot when you are supposed to be rising, or going across the diagonal from F to S, instead of F to H.

Some countries use the FEI tests for children which have a different collective mark. This is seen in the photo below – a lot of emphasis is placed on the rider. This is still marked out of 10 but judges are allowed to use 0.1 – 0.9 as well (8.9 / 5.7), unlike in technical marks where only 0.5 or full marks are allowed.

To know more about how this part is marked, you can read the criteria for judging children (the rider).

When I judge, I always try to give a comment that would be helpful to the rider. Often my poor scribe is lamenting about her aching hand after a class with many entries, but as a rider myself, I appreciate the judge’s feedback – how I can improve and what scored well. This can confirm that your training is on the right track or that you may need to keep working on making things better.

So riders, pick up your test sheet after your class and read the judge’s comments!! You can also take your test sheet to the judge and have a discussion about your test – the general impression, what she felt you could have done better, what she liked etc. The judges are normally quite approachable as long as they are not rushing for another class, but you MUST bring your test sheet with you. Coaches, teach your riders to pick up their sheets and go through it with them. Take the judge’s comments on board and use it as constructive criticism. Don’t just say to your rider that the judge is wrong without reading through the comments with an unbiased eye.

As a show organiser, I throw out many unclaimed test sheets after a competition. Hopefully after this blog, I won’t have to throw out as many!