BD Judging

Tempi

Tempi

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I know this has been done to death, however i still find the way some people judge really wierd.

Last weekend i went out to Kingston Maurward and did N22. I rode like a complete pleb and really let Archie down who was a little saint. Anyways, on my second counter canter he broke as i over corrected him and i think he thought i wanted a simple change (which we've been doing lots of at home). I didnt bother to try and correct him as we only had about a stride before we hit the track and then two strides of counter canter as hes got such a big movement.

I knew i would get a '0' for this as there was no counter canter shown as i trotted it. However i recieved my sheet back yesterday and i got a 4 and it said 'no counter canter shown' - so why on earth did i get a 4 then?? I think 4 is 'insufficient' or 'poor' i cant remember which exactly, but either way i shouldve got a '0' as there was non shown.

Quite a while ago when he was going through his really naughty stage out competing i did a test at Sparsholt in the indoor and he did a flying change in the counter canter and i got a '0' as there was non shown which is fair enough.

So why did this judge at the weekend give me a 4? I really dont understand..........Oh, and i got an 8 from her for my centre line and halt when my halt wasnt square behind (i have it on video)
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The rest of the marking from her was fine, just those to movements.....
 
Hmmm I also got a 4 when you were with me at Medstead, when the judge said I didn't show counter canter, I agree it should be a 0. Even though I still argue the point that day
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The movement is F-E change rein in working canter E-S counter counter (or the other side) so your marks will have been for the whole movement. If you changed virtually on the track you will have had part of the mark for the F-E bit.

TBH its the only explaination I can think up - I think sometimes judges just like the colour of the horse or what the horse had for breakfast that morning! The more I compete the more confused I get with judging - a crap test with good marks is confusing, however a fab test with crap marks just makes you want to tear your hair out.
 
I think maybe the judge knows you and your national title, so was scared to give you a 0!!! lol

Ah to be a celebrity...
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Some judges will not mark down a halt that is slightly not square, as they look more at the straightness of the centre line and how soft the horse was in the transition forwards to halt..

Conrad who I train with said in Germany they will never mark down a halt thats not square for the reasons I said above, as long as everything else is fine.. the squareness will come with experience and further training!
 
ah, i see now! But when i did the same test at sparsholt i got a '0'
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And i showed more canter in that one than i did on sunday........

Never mind, at least its sortof explained it now - thank you!!
 
LMAO
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Thats interesting about the 'halt' at the end, he wasnt that out behind, just not totally square - i was quite chuffed i got an 8 as normally that and our 'free walk' are the worst marked movements!
 
Yeah, agree its because you carried out most of the movement correctly (the FE part). Unless the whole mark is for the counter canter you'd be unlucky to get a 0, personally I think you were hard done by at Sparsholt unless he was being a naughty boy for the whole movement...
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I had some crazy judging at the weekend - I got my best score ever at Novice for a test I was disappointed with (pony went like a train!) and improved in my next test only to drop 6% (albeit with a different judge)!!!
 
It depends what makes up the rest of the movement, it should be rare to get a 0 as usually the person has completed some of the movement. So in a counter canter movement it probably includes the change of rein then the transition to trot as well, some judges will hammer you to a 1 if you break before the CC, others will look at the rest of the movement and will try to be as positive as possible.

Judging is not an exact science and the judge may feel that the horse just lost balance and broke and give a 4, as opposed to a horse that resisted and was disobedient also failing to complete the movement may get a lower mark.

Re the halt the judge cant see the hind legs in a halt unless it is crooked or wide behind etc, so will mark on the straigtness, softness and postitivity down the C/L.

Just be glad you had a positive judge, it will make up for the times you feel you have been marked harshly.
 
Dont get me started on the idiosyncrasies of dressage judging!!

Speaking of dressage judges, have you ever been judged by J cooper or H Ashley? ( oops I shouldnt really be saying names on here but heyho!)
 
im not complaining!!! Just found it odd that i got a 4, but i understand why now
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It was exactly the same test at sparsholt, but he completed more of the movement, then did a change as he went unbalanced so i brought him back to trot - but got a '0'!

Never mind, the rest of the test at Sparsholt was pretty horrific anyways, so i didnt matter much either way!! I just found it wierd marking wise.
 
My fave judge of all time is Judy Harvey
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not because she puts me first every time, cos she doesn't but because she is so consistent, fair and very helpfull in the comments she writes (and she has a sense of humour)

Doesn't it help when you ride down the centre line at the beginning of a test and the judge is smiling at you rather than sitting there with a scary scowl on their face!!
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Its the judges who scowl at you when you do your final halt that get me!
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Please smile at me it boosts my confidence.
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daughter got a 0 once for a 20m circle with the comment slightly unbalanced! Was a PC comp but a well known aff judge.

Was def a 0 not a bad 6 and it cost her a place. (was a ODE)
 
I think judging is an art and i can't work it out at all, but i do find judging much better at affilated (or should that be harder). I also find it very funny if judge is looking very po....... faced and can't smile, it makes me laugh which then i then relax and go better
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But have done a bit of writing and you defo do see judging in a different light.
but don't ask me to work it out can't really, the only thing that pee... me off a little is that i know my horse is makeing progression and then the idiot on board 'cocks-up', more sloe gin is the key
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Yeah I have written for judges, and I have to say it was SOO tempting to give an extra mark here or there on the sheet when the judge wasnt looking because IMO the judge was being very stingey!

I did resist though...
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As clear from other replies, it was the 0 previously that was incorrect, not the 4.

0 means "Nothing that was required was performed" and you did most of what was required with a mistake at the end.

Regarding the halt - a judge can only judge what she can see. If you were absolutely straight then she probably couldn't see that your horse wasn't quite square behind.
 
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thats awful - i wouldve definatley complained about that
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Tried to complain but judge had gone home as she was last but 1 to go and they wouldn't return sheets until everyone had jumped.

It was a hot day, I think he fell asleep and missed the circle, not sure how he gave a comment though!
 
This is an interesting post. I've also looked at dressage score sheets and wandered what the judge was looking at!! However, i also judge locally and it is so difficult to give marks immediately and move on to the next movement.
I sometimes find it hard to judge each movement because it is made up of different elements, like in your case the counter canter, but also includes the beginning of the canter across the diagonal. I like to start with ten in my head and then deduct from there for various things which should lose the movement a mark. But it is very very hard to do over and over again looking at combinations which are sometimes very similar!!
I think we need to recognise more the jobs that judges do and pay them properly. I only do local stuff but i insist on being paid cos lets face it, it's a demanding job!
 
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