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

"horse needs to work in a softer, rounder outline".....don't know what they were talking about, she was in a lovely round outline. It was upside down, but I can't see how that minor detail matters!!! :-D

Actually that judge was very generous - we spent more of the test out if the arena than in it and Grace was doing a brilliant job of impersonating a giraffe. I was half expecting the rangers from the local safari park to turn up at any moment to take her away!
 
Cortez said:
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.
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And I thought I'd had some tricky classes to judge! You should have had a medal for that reaction.

Worst for me was when a friend and her husband both entered a class at a venue I'd been asked to judge at. Husband didn't really want to be there and his horse certainly didn't, and I had to think of kind and constructive comments as the horse entered at A screaming to his friend, and refused to come near the bottom third of the arena, because of the car.

Horse napped, bucked, resisted and did virtually every movement on the wrong bend still shrieking his head off, and of course I had to mark accordingly - I was struggling to give him a 4 for anything other than the salute - and guess who came last, behind all the children? He is a really good rider out on the hunting field, but that was his first and last dressage test.
 
claracanter said:
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!
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My OH and our old boy had a comment like that "Tactfully ridden especially as horse looked like he was about to explode":D
 
Some brilliant ones - tears and snorting laughter :D:D

I had one at the start of a dressage test (Prelim something or other). Told the Judge we might not canter as there was a good chance we wouldn't stay in the arena (having seen my horse's nostrils from the top whilst I was still sat in the saddle!). She looked at me and said "You make him do it!" in a tone that brokered no argument... So I did. We almost managed to stay inside the boards and we did most do the canter pieces, albeit with the shortest reins known to rider kind :cool::rolleyes:
 
" Canter rather hurried and circle a little large" as my horse took off with me around the arena attempting a 20m circle. I did manage to keep him in the arena though which I was quite proud of! He also jumped the puddles that were in the arena so I had another comment "ability to jump not required!"
 
PMSL" Reminds me of being put in the bold corner as a child lol :D

MrsMozart said:
Some brilliant ones - tears and snorting laughter :D:D

I had one at the start of a dressage test (Prelim something or other). Told the Judge we might not canter as there was a good chance we wouldn't stay in the arena (having seen my horse's nostrils from the top whilst I was still sat in the saddle!). She looked at me and said "You make him do it!" in a tone that brokered no argument... So I did. We almost managed to stay inside the boards and we did most do the canter pieces, albeit with the shortest reins known to rider kind :cool::rolleyes:
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Worst comment I've ever gotten:

"Riders idea of a sitting trot is compromising the horse's ability to move"... yep, got it, I couldn't sit that horse's trot!

Fortunately things have changed now and my current horse is much easier to sit on.
 
'Test was better than anticipated'

My 4yo had gone round the ring in passage/levade/explode screaming in a voice that would have made a banshee proud :D
 
These have made me LOL! I got funny comment from the judge after my lad had been rather excited. As he handed me the rossette he said"Well done for hanging on!"
 
A lady i used to be stabled with went and had her first go at dressage and her test said please and have lessons at a riding school before attempting any more dressage tests! :eek:
 
When I was a child the only dressage you did was at the Pony Club ODE. Back in the 50s the test was not only long but it also consisted of turns on the forehand and haunches and counter canter. As most children were riding school ponies - fat chance of doing much more than memorising the test.

I was riding a roan pony, she was one of the best at teaching children but, she not only knew the rules she adapted them!
My instructor told me to ride to the markers.
I entered the arena (which was two poles on the ground at each corner and another at E & B. Markers were large tins with the letters painted on them)
I entered at a jog trot, halted, saluted and jogged on. As I went down the long side so the judge hooted. I hadn't gone wrong so I continued. After about the 6th movement, all done at a jog, the judge gave up hooting.
I finished down the centre lone and when I halted the judge got out the car and came to me saying "I am sorry my dear, you have gone wrong."
I burst into tears and said "I haven't!"
She then explained that the arena was inside the poles not the markers. I had done most of the test outside the arena!

My sister on the other hand must possess the best dressage test ever.
Times changed and the PC introduced some very simple tests to encourage children to try dressage.
Little sis was riding a superb pony, a little black mare that went in an outline and had lovely paces. They were last to go in a class of about 20 children (10 years and under)
It was no surprise that she won the class with a very pretty and accurate test but the score was something else!
Every mark was out of 10 and she received 12s and a 14. This put her way ahead of other competitors and a possible score of 120 she was 155.
The judge had been 'encouraging' so when sis did a good test she wanted to make sure that they won by a margin hence the extra points.
 
Great examples - what fun!

I once did a complete Prelim test (our 1st) on my 4 YO on 2 legs from start to finish. this involved a lot of me leaning forward and giving him the reins so as not to go over backward. Judge's comment 'rider needs to maintain a more consistent contact'.

Rider sold horse to somebody more competent!!
 
Only folks in the West Midlands will appreciate this one..

Kings Heath Horse Show. Had someone told me that this very long running and immensly popular show was jam packed into half an acre and ran more sections/classes than any big county show does I would not have bothered to take my 5 year old show hunter in the making. Same horse as mentioned in an earlier post only difference is he was 18h at 4 and 18.2 at 6.

We made our way to the dressage (grass) arena at the top left hand corner, we negotiated the heavy horses and the private driving and the running loose welsh cob that has escaped from another ring. Arriving to find the dressage was wedged between the donkey showing and the chase me charlie.

To be fair to him he did try hard to concentrate but we did have a lot of 'wrong bend'. I led him back to the truck ! it probably did him the world of good but it frayed my nerves.

On a different point of view, I was utterly disgusted at the sheets my horse received from the winter championships at Addington recently. Elem test, 3 judges and 2 out of the 3 did not comment on the movements, just scored it and a single line at the bottom 'nice horse' and underlined the submission.

When you consider the cost to register, compete, qualify and the entry fees for regionals etc is expensive, at least the judge could justify the score ! Even though we finished 4th we felt quite disappointed with the blank sheets.
 
"A handsome horse - who clearly knows it - if a little inattentive today" after my first indoor test on my Arab gelding who spent half the test goggling, flouncing and shrieking whenever he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirrors.

"Nice clean girth, didn't expect to see quite so much of it" after a test on a friend's, ahem, difficult mare who preferred waving her front paws at the judge to doing any of the movements.

"Bravely completed - hope the marks come out!" same judge, different day, after the same mare flung her head up about 3/4 through the test, whacked me in the nose and I finished the test with blood dripping off my face all over my shirt, stock, gloves etc. I declined to take that mare to any other competitions after that. We didn't get on...

And one that bordered on nasty: "An unconventional partnership who might find their progress limited" when I took my then-yard's Highland out. Technically true - he was never going to get to Grand Prix - but we had done a neat, accurate test with correct bend and no resistance, and it was an unaffiliated Prelim FFS!
 
J was frustrating when we came to our dressage attempts. He has the boredom threshold of a three year old child. I could take him into the warm up arena and he would work BEAUTIFULLY.. I had lots of lovely comments from fellow competitors and friends of wow he is amazing, stunning etc etc.

We then went in to do the test and J would go...WHAT!? I have just done all that! Now I am BORED! And would proceed to entertain himself in whatever manner came to mind on a particular day. Forget a straight line, we did shoulder in, out, quarters in, quarters out...half pass in whatever pace we supposedly going in a straight line in...Hopscotch over the arena markers, buck transitions you get the picture...

Best comment was one day we were trotting along the long side, J slammed on the breaks to stop and chat to the audience! Luckily I was laughing so much and so was the judge. Her final comment was what a lovely cheeky pony!
 
AA - Kings Heath Show lol went once to take my endurance fit arab into a showing class, he found it very boring and woke the whole class up by bucking and farting then proceeded to charge round the ring at full speed out of control upsetting all the others ! we came out extremely embarrased with the whole showground looking at us - arab looking very smug !!

you were very brave (or mad) to attempt the dressage there :D
 
gingerarab said:
AA - Kings Heath Show lol went once to take my endurance fit arab into a showing class, he found it very boring and woke the whole class up by bucking and farting then proceeded to charge round the ring at full speed out of control upsetting all the others ! we came out extremely embarrased with the whole showground looking at us - arab looking very smug !!

you were very brave (or mad) to attempt the dressage there :D
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I had never been before, or since, come to think about it. ! Had I known I certainly would not have taken him, although I am a great believer in not protecting young horses too much, Kings Heath is not the best place for anything green or stressy ! It bemused rather than stressed him, god bless the irish draught horse, although he did hide behind me when the fancy dress class went past the truck, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs alarmed him.
 
"Tactfully ridden, a little tense today" On a RS very spooky cobby type who had heart failure at the sight of the judge in the judging box, we then proceeded to whip around and disappear to the end of the school with me clinging to her neck. The rest of the test was like trying to ride an unexploded bomb she was so tense :rolleyes:

We still came 5th :o
 
nice pony shame about loss of memory!!! i forgot the walk trot test 1/2 way thru! same with my daughter first test on sp on lr ....needs more energy rider new test unlike muumy!!
 
On judging my then 6 yr olds first show under saddle/dressage intro in the small indoor at myerscough, the judge was v kind to note, that on the entry down the centre line, where pie face spooked to a halt at x, goggled at the c marker and car beyond, then backed up
, went sideways and was finally persuaded to move crabwise to the marker, that 'horse lacked impulsion to C'!!!! V mildly put I thought!
 
'lovely baby horse, showing character and promise for when he is older'

Said horse was 22 and attempting a walk trot test! He turned himself inside out 3 x and bolted in the free walk! :O he hated dresage haha
 
I did a shocking test once & was dreading the judges comments, as the pony was being quite naughty, our score was deservedley very low but the comment for my riding was "tackfully ridden on difficult pony"
So I felt happy after reading it.
I used to write for a dressage judge & we always tried to find something positive to say about even the very worst tests, it was quite hard sometimes!
She would say at the end "how the hell are we going to say something nice about that!"
So I'd end up writting a comment about how well they were turned out, or the horse had a pretty face!
 
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