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

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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That's out of order people like that should not be judging.
 
A few years ago a pony I had was going down the centre line & suddenly he decided to take a dump, He was NOT going to move & dump, no way. It seemed to take forever, everybody seemed to be watching & I could have died. I got docked 2 marks error of course for an 'unrequired movement'. Well he thought that bowel movement was required.!:mad:
 
Many years ago I used to event, my pony Charlie was amazing at X country and showjumping but thought dressage was a total waste of time.

I will never forget the comment we got at Twesleldown "Would score higher if stayed in the arena... " , as every time we cantered Charlie tanked me out of the arena at full pelt!
 
Well I have gone sailing down happily to do a test, cool, calm,collected and prepared.

Only to be met by a very red faced friend exiting the arena who said...I told you the wrong test...

And had finished a test. Halted and saluted just at the moment someone jumping in the arena next door decided to really let rip at her horse. Cue large explosion and the quickest exit ever from my horse. The kind judge said, dramatic exit but had completed most of the movement..
 
I was trotting around the outside of the arena, waiting for the bell to ring, when the horse spooked at something and hopped over the little low railing at F. The judge said, "I've seen them jump out of the arena but I've never seen one jump in."
 
With my old boy - "A Very enthusiastic test, I'm sure he'll settle with age"

...He was 21 at the time. His former owner, a friend of mine, was writing for the judge so I'd like to think the judge had been told how old he was and was being deliberately funny, and not that she really thought he was 4!

And with my current boy - "Does he suffer from hayfever?" There were two flowerpots either side of the entrance at A and there was no way he was going anywhere near them!
 
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"horse spooked at H.....blah, blah, blah.....
horse spooked at H.....blah, blah, blah.....
horse spooked at H......
horse not paying attention"

yes he was, he was VERY interested in and attentive to the letter H!
 
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!
 
In my first ever test I got - "not on centre line but well done getting him into the arena!" and "needs to go forward more" - he was busy going up instead!!

Other comments I have received from subsequent tests were - "nice flying change, not required at this level" and "nice horse but owner needs to breathe"!
 
At a ODE "Polo is not paying attention today " - he had done the whole test in canter, no matter what I did, he did trot speed canter and lovely walk speed canter and canter on the spot, neatly calmly accurately just all in canter.

Oh and he was paying attention - just to the jumping that was coming next (too clever for his own good!)
 
"We'll sat" ... the arena, which I didn't realise prior to my test had a train line running right next to it. Train came by during my test. My already worked up horse (he's very spooky and quite hot to ride) leapt all four feet into the air, spun and made a high speed break for the exit! Don't know how I managed to stay on that one and complete the test!
 
These are brilliant, made me feel a lot better about some of mine :D Once had a comment saying 'Pony obviously despises dressage, maybe give up?' and recently at a Pony Club event the judge actually physically got out of the car and came up to me to shake my hand, congratulating me on persevering with my 'youngster'.
 
Once I had a score of about 38% with the comment 'high school movements not required at this level!!'.

Was rather embarrassed when I was standing near the scoreboard when the scores went up and people started saying "oh my gosh I would have loved to see that test, I wonder how they got that score" I left rather quickly :-)
 
'sorry'. Judge put windscreen wipers on as i was just past x. Horse whipped round and bolted! They restarted me but he then wouldnt go down past the car so we did a 20 by 20 arena version!
'bouncy' as another jumped every white line every time. We were on a rugby pitch so there were a few
'Enthusiastic transition into canter' as we nearly jumped into gallery...
 
'Rider kept her composure during the hectic parts' :o :D

From a test waaaay back in the early 80's.
I'd just done one on my 'best' one, then followed on mid morning on a newly backed 6 yr old as his owners wanted him out.

We stayed in the arena all the time :D did all movements :) tho some were 'hectic' ;) - particularly one of the 20m circles in canter - and the halt was done beuatifully - spoile by him launching into a half rear on the sport :rolleyes: looked impressive tho (so was told at the time :D )
 
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!'
 
BBB's first canter test we slid out of the arena on the corner in both canters. My comment was 'horse found arena a little slippery but well tried' I'm not sure if she was being nice or didn't notice we left the arena but we still came 4th!
 
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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If I judge wrote this on my test sheet I would have to be stopped before I hospitalised them!
 
I've had...

"As yet the partnership is not relaxed or secure"

"Nice horse but a lot of rider inaccuracies."

"Shame about the L canter lead. Try to recognise when your horse is on the wrong leg!"

"Promising moments but..."

I'd like to think we've improved, but not totally sure. Was out competing yesterday and someone I know who watched said when I came out: "Your jacket looked lovely!" :rolleyes:
 
From the other side of the 'box'. I once spent a day writing for a List 1 judge and we were absolutely horrified at one rider who came in to do a Medium test. Held the balance strap the whole way round, was very tense and ineffective and the horse was hollow and incapable of many of the more lateral movements. The rider did so little that we actually had to double check all of the paperwork to ensure they were not a para rider or similar but no such indication. Very odd!
 
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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