Dressage Judges Comments,what are the worst you have received!

Foxhunter49 said:
I was out of the saddle due to a broken leg so my instructor was going to rode my horse - a very nervous, frightened of his own shadow, type in a medium test at Goodwood.
The instructor had the horse for a week before the show and the horse was going beautifully for him.
On the entry, a good trot to X and a perfect halt. Then instructor removed his hat to bow.
Gone was the horse and after several erratic attempts at getting some sense into the horse without any luck, he retired.
Next day, different test but same judge, he went up the centre line, great halt and instead of removing his hat he very gently just tipped it and proceeded.
The entry and halt earned a 9 with the comment 'COWARD!'
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Love love love this!
 
Britestar said:
My best will always be 'rider should salute, not horse' as we stopped at X and pony showed off her new front shoes to the judge!
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Hexx said:
A friend was doing her first walk & trot test, and we told her she had to salute the judge at the end. She saluted like she was in the army - hand right up to her hat!!

The judge wrote "Thank you for the Salute, I felt like a Captain!". We then had to explain to the friend what she meant!
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quirky said:
Horse is unhinged :eek::o
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:D These did make me laugh!

starsky said:
Some of these comments are nasty! My friend judges for PC dressage and he says he always writes nice, constructive things. He was judging one day on grass, dressage arena marked out in a big field. Pony bogged off in canter with the kid across the field, then came back and carried on where he left off. He wrote 'circle a little large, but otherwise very good' on his sheet :-)
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Aww. Sounds like a nice chap - unlike some of the judges out there! :eek::eek: Some of these comments are so mean!
 
quirky said:
Horse is unhinged :eek::o
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ossy said:
Nice test for a chestnut.
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Hilarious :D

maisie06 said:
I have had "horse shows promise but rider doesn't have much hope" I don't put myself through it these days, in fact if I do get on a horse I just hack in walk only. Especially as a riding instructor has also said there isn't much point in me riding.
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Oh Maisie06, I feel your pain. My riding "skills" have never seen me as far as a dressage test but my instructor did once say that watching me ride my mare was like "watching an idiot with a shotgun."
 
First ever dressage test for me, riding a horse I'd only had on loan for a month or so. Test was anything but pretty, it was hollow, wobbly, we exited the arena many times, and had some flying changes thrown in, plus a halt at G, turn on the forehand and point your backside at the judge. I was a bag of nerves, very nearly threw the towel in after crabbing up the centre line, but carried on despite it being horrendous.
At the end of the test the judge called me over and said..

"You have a lovely horse, but please go away and learn how to ride!"

I cried!!!

The next judge wrote a comment at the end of my test at said "Well done for keeping your cool!"

ETA- Owner of the horse went and had a word with the judge after she'd finished marking the next test, and was most apologetic!
 
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Intro A test on my 6 yr old ex racer a few months after I got him.

' Very well done on a horse that looked like he was about to explode'

He was. Not our best!
 
The most puzzling comment I ever had was simply .... '?' What did that mean! I assumed, that alongside the '4' I got for the movement, it was so bad no comment was worth it!

I've also had, 'Nice buck', 'Good, then spooked and spoilt the good', 'Good luck with the jumping, I'm sure it will go better than this!'. 'Swishy tail', 'The shadows were obviously very scary today, do the test again on a dull day!' 'You should have seen the horse before, it didn't go well either!'

But, to me, the one that I remember best was, 'You have a beautiful smile, don't forget to use it'.

We don't do dressage now!! :D
 
In our third (and last!) attempt at dressage the judge observantly wrote about me and Buster: 'half way through the test the horse lost interest....marginally before the rider did!' Quite right too!
 
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Pony club judges are the best for making nice comments on horrific tests. Asked pony to canter, pony tanked off then refused to turn in the corner, hauled him round. Only for him to kick a board in protest, spook at the noise it made and exit the arena, just about managed to get him back in time to make it round the corner. Judge comment, lost balance in canter.

Another test pony tried to stop on the first centre line then refused to move if I had any contact so we did the test with washing line reins, judge very politely said he needed to be more in to the contact.

Pony likes making his own entertainment in tests so comments usually go along the lines of has potential for a good test.
 
From the other perspective...........many's the time I've sat there desperately trying to find something nice to say after complete armageddon in the arena. The best/worst one was at a teeny RC show where my WINNING horse had fallen in the first canter, bogged off and been caught (by me, the judge) as he flew by the car window by means of a walking stick catching the reins (was rather proud of my reactions on that one), remounted the rider and completed the test. Horse was 18.2h, 4 years old and the rider was 14. The winning score was 26% (eliminated, technically); everything else was FAR worse.
 
B1 and I only tried once. She was so confused as we normally jump in that arena and very disappointed not to be that the whole thing was tense and angry. Most constructive comment was 'horse a little hollow' well I had noticed seeing as i'd almost removed her back teeth trying to hold her and if I touched her with my leg we leapt into canter! We may try again soon.
 
Dolly's tests tend to go MUCH better in a school than on grass.

Numerous "pony seems very hungry today" comments at the free walk on a long rein section!!!

One judge called her "The Lawnmower" :o:p:rolleyes::cool::eek:
 
16.1 chestnut mare , she hated dressage with a vengence and reading down the score sheet went as follows
movement one ....5 *tense*
movement two, 5 *tense*
movement three free walk on long rein , *not executed* 1
movement 4 canter , 3 *very tense*
movement 5 transition to trot ,1 *not executed*
etc etc etc
judges comment at bottom ........*horse a little tense today* !!!!

best score for the dressage in a ode was 51 but she was so fabulous at jumping and cc she was nearly always placed , .....then we went to our last ode , when she got to the free walk the judge leapt out of her car and came to check it was the right horse my husband was riding as shed judged her for over 16 years and had never given her an 8 before , said in the comment sheet ,*wow she finally grew up!!!!!*
mare was 21 lol oh and she went into the cc in second place and hubby went clear inside the time but misjuged the finishing flags and was eliminated lolol
 
When I was a kid, my pony at the time would always snatch the reins out of my hands in the final halt. I was told by my instructor at the time to "smack her when she does that." She happened to try it when I was halfway through saluting so I swiftly smacked her firmly on the neck. She snapped to attention and behaved, and the judge commented something like "nice halt, interesting salute." :o

I had a large number of "well tried on difficult horse" comments. The only one that ever made me cry was a judge who said "Rider and horse not ready for this level, try something lower" because he didn't like ponies (two ponies in the class, equal last, behind a horse who bucked the entire test and nearly sent the rider through the judge's windscreen!). I (aged about 12) was doing the lowest possible prelim test on a well schooled little mare who had done, IMO, a rather nice test.
 
Best for me was my old advanced medium mare. Beautiful test...coming down centre line to finish and a judge driving away from the next ring reversed into the shed and pretty much demolished it...so Teasle ended up going from the centre line to outside the arena and I don't remember her feet touching the ground.

Overall comment read, "beautiful test, harmonious partnership...evidence of superglue between saddle and riders rump!!! She also wrote on the back of the test sheet that I should move up a level as she scored me 78.9 despite the issue, but I couldn't place as I left the arena :-( she added, which made me very happy, that "the horse showed total harmonious acceptance of you and willingness to work...until a bomb exploded in her bottom" :-)

Safe to say, I will not forget that day in a hurry!!!
 
We had 'if that horse had gone as nicely as he did in the practice arena he would have won. Sadly he didn't!'

And he never did lol.
 
"lovely looking horse, rather distracted today..."

I have a feeling that may have been the zig zag battle down the centre line:
Horse - I want to get out, and I'll half pass there if I have to...
Me - Back to the middle... Grumble...que half pass back...
Horse - no. I want out! Half pass to door...
Me- Innnnnn!!!! Half pass back...
Horse - head up, I want out...
Me - sigh. In. This isn't how we practiced... :rolleyes:

Shame it was prelim really :rolleyes:
 
I had a horse sit on my car bonnet once (ruined car), and still gave it several 7's and an 8 in the test. I shall go to heaven for that one.
 
After riding a horse that had dumped my friend in the warm up the comment started by saying Some interesting interpretations of the required movements :o well sat
 
In one particuarly memorable show (intro where i had gone HC as nerves + injury + bad dee dictated) a judge got out of the judging box fater dee bronced and bolted with me saying that i shouldnt be riding if i couldnt control my horse :(
 
Having been blessed with a horse with a great sense of humour I have a bookful of "interesting" comments. A brief selection are:-

Enter at A, halt at X, horse decided to have a wee ......"Halt only needs to be brief"

At his last competitive outing as an extremely well preserved c. 30 year old, walk to canter transition was a huge buck, lengthened strides in canter down the long side continued along the short side and next long side ......"Horse shows promise when he settles into his work"

Dressage to music, entered to the opening trumpet notes of the Post Horn Gallop with horse farting loudly in time to the music........"Music very well matched to horse" - the judge was laughing so much she was crying by the time I reached C. Music was changed before next competition.

However he could be a total star and one of my prized sheets is from when I was judged by Molly Sivewright who wrote "What a superbly honest horse". How right she was.
 
Is no-one else snorting with laughter at Hex's friend & their army salute? :D

The best judges comment was a few years ago. My eldest son was Nearly 3. I had taken him with me to a dressage comp in a large, posh indoor arena. He was being looked after by a friend & they were sitting in the spectators area to watch me.
It was all very quiet & serious. Then as I trotted up the centre line my son shouted at the top of his voice
'MUMMY! MUMMY! I NEED A POO! I NEED A POO!'
I could hear my friend trying desperately to hush him & get him out of the stands & all I could see was the judge & writer roaring with laughter.
The comments were
'Well done for keeping calm despite obvious distractions (maybe leave him at home with Daddy next time)
:D
 
"Pretty pony, obviously learns well."
As I forgot the dressage test and it was too windy to here the caller many years ago and she just recietced it for me..don't think I blagged it trying to look like I knew it
 
'well controlled' What a nice comment I hear you say.... just ironic as I had done 5 laps being towed around in canter before leaving the arena at speed :o:rolleyes: Not sure whether the judge was confused or just being very nice.
Not dressage but I was doing my show at a local agricultural show pony struck off on the wrong leg in canter and then obligingly changed of her own accord. Judge told me that it wasn't an equitation class and I shouldn't show off :cool:
 
My son has had some crackers on his NF pony. The pony HATES flat work and never will learn to like it. He throws all toys out of the pram until he can just jump !!
He has had Well sat, nice pony when he listens, pony not responding today, bet he is looking forward to the jumping , etc
The last dressage lesson we tried, the instructor asked if we would like her to get on him for a bit . My son had had glandular fever and was struggling so we said yes thats fine. Pony had a major hissy fit. he tanked off all over the place and when she tried to make him go into an outline he just ran her leg along the fence cutting her hand and ripping her jods.
We have given up the hope that he will event because he just will not do anything he perceives to be dressage or flatwork
 
_GG_ said:
Best for me was my old advanced medium mare. Beautiful test...coming down centre line to finish and a judge driving away from the next ring reversed into the shed and pretty much demolished it...so Teasle ended up going from the centre line to outside the arena and I don't remember her feet touching the ground.

Overall comment read, "beautiful test, harmonious partnership...evidence of superglue between saddle and riders rump!!! She also wrote on the back of the test sheet that I should move up a level as she scored me 78.9 despite the issue, but I couldn't place as I left the arena :-( she added, which made me very happy, that "the horse showed total harmonious acceptance of you and willingness to work...until a bomb exploded in her bottom" :-)

Safe to say, I will not forget that day in a hurry!!!
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Awww. What a lovely story.
 
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