07/28/2024
I know I'm not alone in this. I read stuff and then sit on my hands so I don't post something I regret. I think about it darned hard. But I don't put it out there. Usually. This comment in an article I was reading broke my filter.
This isn't about the whole CDJ mess. Please don't go there. But it is about an excerpt in an article regarding the issue. The title of the article innocently sucked me in as it appeared to be a training and psychology article. Psychology of people and animals is fascinating. Sadly I only got to this paragraph in the article before my hackles raised and I had to walk away. It read:
"There are many ways to address a training problem of this sort". I think all of us including CDJ agree that there were many other ways she could have addressed the issue more humanely and correctly. Our social media expert (Hereby referred to as SME) who wrote the article then goes on to say "One is to insist that dressage judges stop rewarding riders whose horses show extreme leg animation and boycott competitions until they do".
It's all the judges fault. Again. But it was so random in the middle of the article it bugged me.
At this point I want to make an effort to dispel the numero uno myth about dressage judges - "Judges don't ride". (You can insert the fingernails screeching on the blackboard sound here for effect). There are other equestrian endeavors where this myth applies, but not in dressage.
Take myself as an example. I'm actually quite average as far as judges go. I have trained a few successful Grand Prix horses by myself all the way up and even dabbled in a CDI here and there. I did it mostly to make stories for the old age home. I compete not only because I enjoy it, but I find riding tests in a competitive situation gives me insights as to the more subtle holes in my training that sometimes go missed in the day to day training. In essence it is the ultimate test of my training. My story is more common for a judge than I think some would like to believe. Some of our top judges are or have been incredible riders, and I have been privileged to have been educated by some of the best in the saddle as well as in the judges box. I cannot think of one current judge who hasn't trained at some point. Some of the most incredible and correct lessons (and biggest butt-kicking) I've had have come from the mouths of illustrious FEI officials. Their fabulous lessons are likely a result of the fact that a judge not only has a highly trained eye to interpret what they see in split seconds, but because of the training requirements judges need to become a judge, they also have just a few tools in their tool boxes that helps bring horses along.
Back to the issue at hand. There isn't a judge on this planet or any other that would advocate the type of behavior CDJ displayed on the video. Neither would any of them believe for a minute that that type of training would lead to a successful dressage career for the horse. A judge cannot police what happens at home to the horses who we see for only a very few short moments. However - judges are coached to watch for the signs that tell the story of the training up until the time it enters the arena. IMO - horses do wear their hearts on their sleeves and tell the stories of their training experience if you watch. Judges are educated to watch those clues. If they're clear, scores stop dead at a 6, or lower, depending the degree of unhappiness they witness. Do the math. That's forty per cent of the riders score out the window just for a mouth hanging open or tongue hanging out. Those same signs can be something other than flags raised from unethical training but will still be penalized. They can be signs of just general poor riding, or balance issues. They can be momentary, or pervasive. Clearly if the horse is saying "bad rider alert", there's a four coming. But an open mouth in a transition or momentary issue would be dinged a bit less. Judging is a lot less simple than SME would lead you to believe.
Judging from a picture on the internet is pretty easy. Analyzing the biomechanics up close and personal as to how well the partnership in motion adheres to the training scale is a much more complicated job than judges are given credit for. Dressage is more than riding patterns in an "obedient" manner. Submission is about ridability and balance not subservient toe dragging complacency. Dressage is the harmonious gymnastic development of the horse's physique and ability through correct training, and all those qualities are evaluated in each and every score. The horses gaits SHOULD get bigger and more active as a result of proper training. Sadly not all horses are created equal, just like some people are truly athletic and then there's those of us with two left feet. (those who know me....know...) As hard as I tried, I would never be an olympic gymnast. I'm not gifted that way. While gymnastics helped me be more flexible and supple, dressage is beneficial for every horse. However it's important to realize not every horse is cut out to be an international athlete. For all horses the work should make the joints more free to articulate as the muscles become more loose, supple and strong. The gaits, even in the most average horse, will develop at least some cadence and suspension. Shorty, aka Audacity, my most average dressage horse with an above average heart (and probably a horse you would never pick out of a crowd as being a competitive GP horse if he was standing in his paddock) was an incredible example of how to use the exercises to develop the gaits. As a result of the training, there will be more activity, or what the SME referred to as action. The difference being is the well trained horse can maintain that fine line between balance and power, and the good rider can use both to create an incredibly beautiful picture. Even if there's a small piece of harmony that keeps the judge from rewarding the rider with 9's and 10's, there is still a lot going on correctly to be able to show that level of expression consistently in the ring.
In summary- as much as judges DO reward correct training, because the effect of training dressage is reflected in the development of the gaits, quality of movement will always be very important in the overall evaluation of the partnerships performance than some would like because it is the result of the training itself.
It's sad that we don't have access to the comments on the tests rationalizing the scores so we can all understand the judges thinking or maybe we'd better understand how the deduction works. I would honestly love to know how the SME comes to these conclusions without seeing comments. Even with all my education I can't. Perhaps they can share with us the winning lottery number too because judges aren't paid much. We do it not for money. We do it because we truly love the animals as well as the sport.
While people can say a whole lot of things on the CDJ debacle, SME blaming the judges for her behavior is truly silly.
Rant over. Carry on. And now back to your usual programming of puppies and orchids.
