Dressage Judging Advice

[helm]

I'm hoping to take Ern to his first dressage. We're going to do one of the Intro Tests. Am i likely to get better marks if in sitting trot. We can do both but he's probably more free and forward in rising if i really rise off his back. Does it even make a difference at that stage.

 

[nessiehhorse]

At this level the judge will be looking for balance, freedom of movement, regularity and willingness to move forward. You will not be expected to do sitting trot, infact this may be commented on by the judge in their comments.

Good luck & enjoy.

 

[scrumpygus]

Yes i agree i would 100% do rising trot especially if you can get him more forward by doing so. I think a low level test in sitting trot can look quite uncomfortable if the riders seat is not stong enough - sitting will then only hinder the horses movement. Good luck x

 

[Divasmum]

I would also say rise. I hope it goes well.Enjoy.

 

[JLav]

As a judge I can tell you it makes no difference to the marks if you sit or rise as long as your sitting trot is VERY good and doesn't interfere with your horse in any way.

However most Intro/Prelim horses go much better if the rider does rising trot and fluency and freedom/willingness to go forward are very important at that level so if your horse is freer when you rise then definately do that.

 

[burge]

Don't sit unless you have to unless you have got a reaaaally good seat.

 

[TarrSteps]

What Jlav said. I had the distressing experience last month of judging a competitor who entered rising in a reasonably nice working trot and then presumably remembered that she "should" have been sitting. Neither she nor the horse were far enough advanced (if they had been, they wouldn't have been in that class anyway) to keep the quality of trot in sitting so they lost loads of marks in the middle of the test not because they did things wrong, but because the trot suffered so much. At the very end she rose again and it went back to being a very respectable trot. As nicely as possible I wrote that she wasn't doing herself or her horse any favours and far from getting better marks, was risking worse ones.