I haven't done a 'What the judge is looking for' post for ages. Here is one about a movement that I think ist quite a challenge for intro level horses and riders. Two 10 meter circles with a give and retake of the inside rein, from Intro C test. I would probably have given this a 7/7.5. It was well prepared, accurate, the rhythm was four time beat as it should be. The first give and retake was clear but a bit brief, the second one was better. For a higher mark the walk could have had a bit more energy. Thanks so much to Geraldine and the lovely Cracker for great demo😃
A really handy exercise here, a 10 metre circle at each end of the school, with a 20 metre loop. Easier to show you than explain! Here demonstrated beautifully by Nikki and Tom. It is a great exercise for focusing the horse and rider on accuracy, helping the horse to carry more on to the hind legs, helping suppleness and straightness develop. Done in canter, it is a good exercise for helping counter canter without too much pressure, as you return to true canter at each end. If you make a mistake, doesn't matter, just carry on following the pattern and try again!
An attempt at a bit of lateral work today, this was the only sane bit 😆oh dear, I think a good shampoo is needed 😬⛄
What the Judge is looking for...
'What the judge is looking for...'
'Half 15m or 10m circle in canter returning to the track in counter canter'
These crop up in various tests from novice level and are a test of the developing balance, connection and partnership between horse and rider.
All of the training scales are looked for.
As with everything else, the judge is looking for rhythm first and foremost, so the clear three beat of the canter should be maintained throughout.
Accuracy is crucial as always and the rider needs a clear idea of where they are going! Where the three quarter line is, for the 15m and where the centre line is for the 10m! This will all have a knock on effect for the riders mark, as it is a test of forward planning and preparation.
The half circle is followed by a straight line back to the point as specified in the test, then counter canter (which is basically maintaining the same canter but now in the other direction!) along the track followed by a transition to trot, again at the letter as shown in the test.
The judge is also looking for suppleness over the frame, (and through the ribcage on the half circle) and a quiet and elastic contact. Balance to be maintained, with an ‘upright’ appearance the whole time through the changes of direction and through the transition back to trot.
Impulsion (which is controlled power of the horse) helps the balance and straightness. The straightness is looked for with how well the horses hindlegs follow in the track of the front legs through the whole movement. Some collection is needed too, as in order to carry out the movement the hindlegs need to support and carry a little more to help the balance and flow of the movement.
Here is a bit of film of the adorable Odin, owned by Jane Audsley, with his first ever attempts at these exercises! There is a voice over with my comments, thoughts and marks as if judging.
Hope this helps, any questions please ask and if you could like my page for future posts that would be great. There are
In hand, shoulder in
Shoulder in, in hand
Once you are both feeling happy and confident with your turn about the forehand, and then the leg yield, nose to the fence,(see previous posts) the next stage is to try the shoulder in.
If you want to get technical, it is still really a leg yield with the shoulder coming in to the arena rather than out towards the fence. It becomes a shoulder in when there is less angle. I will try to highlight in the film how the exercises help each other by joining them together.
Remember, if you get stuck, if your horse stops for instance, it doesn’t matter, just re establish the forward movement, with your guiding hand at the nose first, before asking again. If your horse tries to speed up, just do some walk/halt transitions until he is listening again, then have another go. If it is proving too difficult at this stage, just return to the previous two exercises. Don’t get bogged down if things aren’t quite going to plan, just remember that it doesn’t matter, everything that you are doing is improving the bond with your horse, finish on a good note, go back to something easyier, then try again tomorrow. The process of trial and error is actually the best way to learn the necessary feel.
Here Rio and I start with a leg yield nose to the fence, then a turn on the forehand which sets us up the flow for us to continue in the other direction with his shoulders in to the school, leg yielding in the other direction. Aim to keep that inside hind leg moving one step at a time, by applying that pressure release feeling with the hand just behind the girth area. Be ready to check with the hand at the nose to explain to the horse that you are not travelling across the school but staying in the forwards and sideways mode. (You are looking for finding that balance between guiding forward but not allowing too much forward so that you remain in control of the sideways.) As we travel further I guide his nose and shoulder a little away from me towards the fence to reduce t
In hand leg yield
Leg yield in hand
This follows on from my last post showing the turn on the forehand.
When you feel like the turn on the forehand is working quite nicely, then it’s time to try the leg yield. Here is some film of Serren once again. I have found her more difficult than most horses that I have trained in hand. I’m not sure if it’s because she was hand reared, but she does turn into a tank at times! Hence, working with nose to the fence is always particularly useful, rather than facing ‘open country’!
The same as with the turn about the forehand, I have my left hand at her head, to guide her a little bit forward if need be, should we get stuck. If this happens I temporarily abandon the ‘sideways’, to re establish the ‘forwards’, before starting again. Then my hand by the girth asks for her to move away from it, with a pressure/release feel, in time with her step. When she moves away the pressure is released. I quit while ahead after a few steps!
I will follow on from this post with a shoulder in. Possibly with a different horse as I need to establish this a bit more with Serren before moving on! Hope you found this useful, if you would like to ‘like’ my page, that would be great. Thank for reading/watching, and take care.
What the Judge is looking for...Circles not Squircles!
What Judge is Looking For…Circles not Squircles!
Circles. It wouldn’t be Stressage without them! Like all the other movements in a test they help us train our horses, and ridden correctly they are an invaluable training tool. The judge is looking for accuracy. It’s not just about appearance for appearances sake. If a circle is performed accurately and correctly then it helps the horse and rider develop balance and harmony. The rider learns to co-ordinate aids, half halt and prepare in order to carry out the movement. The judge is looking to see that the horse follows the line of the circle with a nice rhythm, and a quiet steady contact and balance. The hind legs need to be following in the tracks of the fore legs, and if this is achieved successfully it demonstrates and assists the suppleness and straightness through the body from nose to tail. Imagine the body of the horse from above, superimposed on the line of the circle, with the nose on that line, the neck, the spine all the way along to the tail. It should look like the horse is bending in the ribcage around the riders inside leg. The suppleness and balance will need to develop more as the circles become smaller, that is why they are invaluable in training. As the circles become smaller, the hindlegs progressively need to support more weight to help collection develop.
It is worth taking some time off the horse to look at a diagram and really think about the different size circles, and their positioning and sizing in relation to the arena. Remember accuracy. A circle should be just that, with no straight bits or corners! Quite often riders will drift, or actively ride into a corner as part of their circle. This will lose marks for accuracy and will be, what is known in the trade, as a SQUIRCLE! Also, when a circle starts at a letter, remember to leave the track on the line of the circle straight away, rather than following the track for a few strides.
This film with a voice over shows a 20m Squircle at A
What the Judge is looking for....When rhythm is lost!
What the judge is looking for….When rhythm is lost…..!
In my earlier posts I have covered the rhythms of the different paces.
Here is a short post to show the reason why the judge may come up with the mark that they do for a movement.
Before everything else the judge is looking for rhythm. If the rhythm is irregular, we have to give a maximum mark of 4, insufficient.
I have a film here that we could pretend is a walk portion of a test and the horse becomes tense, jogs, and loses the four beat rhythm. (Thanks to my friend who I asked to purposefully spoil the rhythm of her horses walk, which she found quite difficult!)
I give a commentary to demonstrate my thought process as the movement progresses, and how I arrive at my final mark.
Thanks for reading, if you would like to check out my earlier posts and ‘like’ my page Diane Hesketh-Jones Dressage Coach page for future posts, that would be great, Thank you!
What the Judge is Looking for....contact
What the judge is looking for….Contact
(old post redone as I accidently deleted it!)
Here is a little bit about contact. Contact is the third in the scales of training, coming after rhythm and suppleness.
The contact isn’t just about the mouth, hands and reins. Imagine the hindlegs as the engine, producing the energy, then, imagine a circuit where, if the horses back is supple and relaxed, the energy from those hind legs can pass through the muscles of the quarters, over the back, through the muscles on the top of the neck, through the poll, and finally to the bit in the mouth.
The rider instigates this with the aids of the legs and seat and then receives that energy in the hands at the end of the reins. The energy is contained by the hands and seat, but not blocked, so that the energy can keep flowing through in a cycle. For all this to happen, the rider has to be balanced and stable to enable that steady contact.
The horse will be round in appearance over the top line and looks ‘connected’ from the hind legs to the horse’s mouth, to the rider. When the active energy passes smoothly through the horses body to the contact and looks effortless, then the aids are coming ‘through’. This phrase may well crop up in tests too with comments such as ‘transition could be more through’ etc.
The contact also needs to be equal. The circuit isn’t going to work if for a variety of reasons there appears to be more contact in one rein than the other. One may appear saggy and the other tight for instance.
The contact should look ‘elastic’ not static.
We are so happy if all the planets align like this, but very often that circuit and contact can be affected by so many things!
If the horse is tense or uncomfortable then it can show up in the mouth, maybe with the mouth opening, or the tongue appearing.
A soft mouth will be quiet with ideally some froth around the edges but too much could indicate tension. It’s a minefield!
So, the judge is looking for the scales of training and acc
What the Judge is looking for..a few medium trot strides
These appear in Novice level tests, and are a test of the developing balance and impulsion.
Some horses are naturally more capable of lengthening their trot strides at an earlier stage of their training than others. I would say that if you feel that your horse is otherwise ready for a novice test but as yet the medium trot is not quite there, don’t let it put you off having a go! Some horses don’t really find the medium trot until a later stage of training. Just make the best attempt you can, while keeping the rhythm and balance, and you never know you might get a 6, and you can find more marks in the rest of the test!
The judge is looking for the horse to lengthen the frame and steps, covering more ground for a few strides while maintaining balance throughout. In order to achieve this the hind legs need to support more and provide power to help maintain the balance and to keep the shoulders light.
Again the judge is looking for a clear rhythm, suppleness over the frame, a steady and quiet contact, impulsion (this is the power produced by the hindlegs, being received and regulated by the seat and contact of the rider), straightness – the horse staying on the line with each hind leg pushing through equally, and to carry all this out we are sowing the seeds of (the final scale of training)… collection.
A few strides that maintain the uphill balance are far better than attempting the whole diagonal and losing balance on to the forehand. Preparation, half halts and good use of the corners before and after are the key. Remember also that the mark given could also include those corners before and after, so this is why, although the rider may have achieved some good medium trot, if they cut the corners, or lost rhythm or bend through them the mark could be affected, along with the preparation for the next move.
Here is a film of a couple of horses and riders who kindly rode at a demo that I did recently showing some medium trot strides. Both do a great job at achieving
What the judge is looking for - Loops
Loops crop up in various tests and can be asked for at trot or canter with depths of 5 or 10 metres.
As with all the other movements, the judge is looking for the scales of training. Firstly, is there consistent RHYTHM? Is the horse supple as he carries out the movement? The loop is a good test of SUPPLENESS as the horse has to show softness over the frame and an ability to bend through the ribcage from one way to the other as the direction varies. Is there a soft and elastic connection from the active hind legs to the CONTACT. A degree of IMPULSION is need to help maintain the balance . Does the horse have STRAIGHTNESS, relative to the line of travel, with the hindlegs following in the track of the forelegs? Loops are great exercises for improving balance and support from the hindleg, towards COLLECTION.
Accuracy is also crucial and is an area where marks are often lost.
The test may specify a five, or ten metre loop, and it is worth taking the time to really get a feel for riding the correct depth. The width of a dressage arena is 20 metres, therefore a ten metre loop will touch the centre line, at X, at it’s furthest point. A five metre loop will be halfway between the centre line and the track, on the quarter line.
Don’t forget the corners! Make sure they are ridden in a balanced way too, as they also could be part of the mark. The first corner is a good preparation for an accurate loop, and the second corner is a good test to show whether the balance was maintained throughout the loop!
Once you’ve got all that… you’ve cracked it! Good luck with your loops! For further details about the scales of training, see my earlier posts.
Check out the film of Amy and Bri with my ‘judges comments’!
What the judge is looking for 6 cont...
Straightness.
In the last post we looked at relative straightness on a circle and how things can go wrong!
Here we are looking at the centre line.
As with the rest of the test the judge is looking for rhythm, suppleness and contact but it is here that any loss of straightness is impossible to miss! Usually the mark doesn’t just include the quality of the centre line itself, but the turn on to it and off it. I think this is where sometimes the rider may be disappointed with a mark, thinking that they rode straight, but not realising that the turn off the line is also included, where they may have lost balance, connection and bend.
The judge is looking for the hindlegs to be following directly in the track of the forelegs, the ears to be level, the contact to appear quiet and equal in both reins, the horse to be in a round frame, the horses nose to be in line with the centre of it’s chest, and for this to carry on fluently through the turn, which requires preparation and accuracy from the rider. Quarters swinging, hindlegs to the left or right of the fore legs, head tilts, opening mouth etc will all have an effect on the overall mark
Here Amy and Bri have helped me with some film, I thought it would be a nice change from Serren and I! I have provided a voice over with the thoughts that may come into my head while judging.
Thanks for watching and reading, keep practising those centre lines!
