Disappointing dressage scores at BE :(

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elliebate

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Just wondered if anyone else competes or used to compete at both PC eventing and BE. This year is my first season eventing properly as well as my horses who is 5, due to me being a later starter riding. I have been on my PCs novice team competing at equivalent BE 90 and have gained dressage scores of 22, 24 and 34 this season. When competing in unaff dressage I am usually in the placings prelim and novice with scores on mid 60s to mid 70s but in the 3 BE runs I have managed this season I have had 37 at Berriewood on hard ground, 41.5 at Hutton in an arena that resembled a ploughed field and today, 38.5 at Kelsall on great ground and watching back the video I thought he did an good test, maybe tense in places so to me that score seemed a little mean.

Has anyone else found that PC judges are more lenient that BE? My instructor who is a highly regarded dressage judge/trainer will the PC said that the judges are of the same standard or is it just what the judge thinks on the day?

Thanks, chocolate bars for reading this as I'm sat in the back of the lorry with the horse on the way back!! :)
 
PC judges are far nicer than any where else, I have ridden some shocking tests and expected to get about a 60 but came away with a 40! Depends on the judge on the day as well but in general pc are generous.
 
Same test, a few weeks apart, not a huge difference in ground or execution (both equally bad, to be honest!). 33.5 unaffiliated, 40.5 affiliated.

It depends a lot on the judge on the day, and some seem to have preferences for particular types. I have an Irish bog pony (cobby but cute), and he regularly scores higher at unaffiliated. He's just not a typical BE horse. Plus I think they try to be more encouraging at unaffiliated level.

Not sure about PC, but I'd imagine they are more used to seeing lots of shapes and sizes of horses and ponies competing, which might make them a bit more generous.
 
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It is important to look where you are in a section to rather than just the score a some judges are kinder than others. One judges 6 is another judges 7.

If you are in the section I think you might have been in at Hutton (as I know a friend there on th Sunday was horrified with her score :eek:) the best was 36 and the worst 55 so in that context 41.5 was not a "bad" score.

I don't know about PC judges as I am rather old ;) but we did get a PC judge to judge at our RC and she was very generous compared to other ones we have had giving 75% plus to a few!!

Also at BE lower levels standard of judge varies hugely. I have been judged from List 1 judges right down to unlisted.
 
DarkHorseB said:
It is important to look where you are in a section to rather than just the score a some judges are kinder than others. One judges 6 is another judges 7.
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This definately. Always look to see what others get in your section and only compare against them. I always do horrific tests at BE, usually in the low 40's, occassionally the odd high 30's on a good day at Novice level - yet we were regularly highly placed the few times we ever did pure dressage.
 
As has been said above, I do think they are more encouraging at PC level, mine did the Open at Burghly PC last month or whenever it was and scored 24, however my best score at BE is 33, I do compete in Open sections BE though.
 
I think it depends on your PC as well, and if you're doing junior ODEs or senior ones. Senior ones tend to be more in line with BE judging, whereas junior tend to be more lenient as they have the littlies competing as well and standards are slightly different...

There's not been much disparity between PC scores and BE scores for Al and Reg, as in it has been (bar once) with a penalty of what she was expecting.
 
Thanks for your replies everyone, yes DarkHorseB I was in this section so know that my score wasn't too bad overall, shame BE doesn't describe the conditions on the record! Oh well guess its a winter of SJ and dressage for us and see what next year brings!!
 
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