I forgot what a thick skin you need for dressage!

The other thing to remember, OP, is we are only talking one day and, on that day, the horse was unlevel. There may or may not be more going on - hence the suggestion to contact the vet, which you've taken on board - but the judge can only go by what he/she sees in the ring and they have to mark and comment accordingly. It's not a rule that the judge has to stop the test if the horse looks uncomfortable, only if there is a welfare question or the horse looks so sore as to be unable to do the work at hand. A few dodgy steps here and there aren't hugely uncommon in older horses - or unbalanced young ones! - and it doesn't necessarily mean they deserve and automatic E. There have been situations where a horse has stung itself, say, and recovered almost immediately. HOWEVER, each movement that shows unlevelness will get marked down and that can really add up. And then it will be reflected again in the collectives. It lowers the bar considerably, even if everything happens in the right place at the right time. Even if it's just "one of those things" the judge can hardly ignore it or take into account something like the horse's age!

I think enough people have convinced you the judge wasn't trying to be mean or insulting, it was just a reflection of what was happening on the day. No need for "thick skin" just a wry smile and a plan to get things checked out.
 
TarrSteps said:
The other thing to remember, OP, is we are only talking one day and, on that day, the horse was unlevel. There may or may not be more going on - hence the suggestion to contact the vet, which you've taken on board - but the judge can only go by what he/she sees in the ring and they have to mark and comment accordingly. It's not a rule that the judge has to stop the test if the horse looks uncomfortable, only if there is a welfare question or the horse looks so sore as to be unable to do the work at hand. A few dodgy steps here and there aren't hugely uncommon in older horses - or unbalanced young ones! - and it doesn't necessarily mean they deserve and automatic E. There have been situations where a horse has stung itself, say, and recovered almost immediately. HOWEVER, each movement that shows unlevelness will get marked down and that can really add up. And then it will be reflected again in the collectives. It lowers the bar considerably, even if everything happens in the right place at the right time. Even if it's just "one of those things" the judge can hardly ignore it or take into account something like the horse's age!

I think enough people have convinced you the judge wasn't trying to be mean or insulting, it was just a reflection of what was happening on the day. No need for "thick skin" just a wry smile and a plan to get things checked out.
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Wise words! thank you. he is unshod behind so could have just stepped on a stone on the way into the test... i'll know for sure what's what next week and will now just move on... i guess i was just so pleased with him on the day that i took offence where it my not have been intended!
 
DonskiWA said:
I wouldn't be thinking vet initially. If it were me I'd be getting a Chiro or Oesteo out to him ASAP.
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Any Chiro or Oesteo worth any good should not look at lame horses without a vet saying so, I have known some refuse to treat a horse that trots up unsound, best to get a vet out first and they can advise what is wrong and if the horse needs this treatment.
 
I feel your pain on this one. Took the Ginger one to his first BD in months last week and although he won both his sections the scores were dire and comments somewhat demeaning and extremely disappointing. He even had 'good luck in your training', which we took to be sarcasm after absolutely pulling him to pieces. I just don't know what judges are looking for these days. We've always shown until I dropped upon this horse who excels at stressage and it really makes us want to bang our heads against a brick wall at times. Happy vibes sent. Don't let it get you down.
 
JadeyB said:
Wow!
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Amymay is right. It may seem rude due to the fact that there isn't the inclusion of a paragraph explaining but it isn't needed.

The judge is being judged by you for marking you harshly when in fact, they have simply judged what wad before them on the day. Take it on the chin and thank the judge for highlighting a potential issue then put it behind you. I would go vet first, then physio if needed. Hope all is ok.
 
Im reading all this very good sound advise, that was ASKED for.

And all I feel it 'No your all wrong, there's nothing wrong and I wont be getting a vet out to him'

There are so many if buts and maybes when it comes to a horse being lame, and us as owners should be doing the up most to ensure we keep them comfortable, and if that means having the vet out because a judge (presumably with a trained eye) and many more others from a video have said the same, and the horse is not right, then get the vet, then if it comes back clear, then you can say, he might have stood on a stone on the way to the test, etc. etc.

You wont be wasting money, time, you will be ensuring your horse is healthy, at 15, he may be getting a touch of arthritis, the early you find it, the better you can help him.

Not meant to offend, but that's generally what I see.
 
Zero00000 said:
Im reading all this very good sound advise, that was ASKED for.

And all I feel it 'No your all wrong, there's nothing wrong and I wont be getting a vet out to him'

There are so many if buts and maybes when it comes to a horse being lame, and us as owners should be doing the up most to ensure we keep them comfortable, and if that means having the vet out because a judge (presumably with a trained eye) and many more others from a video have said the same, and the horse is not right, then get the vet, then if it comes back clear, then you can say, he might have stood on a stone on the way to the test, etc. etc.

You wont be wasting money, time, you will be ensuring your horse is healthy, at 15, he may be getting a touch of arthritis, the early you find it, the better you can help him.

Not meant to offend, but that's generally what I see.
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Erm the OP has already said on a number of occasions she is getting vet out to look at him? Try not to post harsh responses when you havent read the post properly, that really is not helpful to the OP who was having a bit of a bad day and needed a few friendly folk to encourage her and get her back on track.

OP good luck with the vet and we look forward to hearing the results, and fingers crossed seeing a competition report when you are back out doing dressage and enjoying it again.
 
kc100 said:
Erm the OP has already said on a number of occasions she is getting vet out to look at him? Try not to post harsh responses when you havent read the post properly, that really is not helpful to the OP who was having a bit of a bad day and needed a few friendly folk to encourage her and get her back on track.

OP good luck with the vet and we look forward to hearing the results, and fingers crossed seeing a competition report when you are back out doing dressage and enjoying it again.
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I read the post from start to finish thank you,
And yes she has said she will get the vet, but reading between the lines as it were....
 
I only want to say he may have stood on a stone or he may be bilaterally lame with the NS leg being worse you can only find out by investigating .
If a vet comes out flex tests him and finds nothing move on and look for another reason .
Many of the conditions that affect horses as they age can be managed very well now a days but the sooner they are identified and the right things are put in place to manage them the better and longer you and the horse have to enjoy yourselves .
As they go into their teens it's normal for horses in sport work or hunting to start to need imput from the vet it's something you embrace when you choose to work older horses .
My horses in their teens get flexed and trotted in circles on the hard eyes done etc at least once a year my two in the teens hunters are both fit and feeling well and working hard they are about to work very hard over Christmas and New Year they will get a physio visit on Sunday and another in the new year , everything is in place to help them do their job .
I think people are taking from your tone in your posts an unwillingness to embrace the fact that there may be something going on with your horse but honestly if there is the sooner you get on to it the longer you will have him to enjoy .
 
The wife said:
I feel your pain on this one. Took the Ginger one to his first BD in months last week and although he won both his sections the scores were dire and comments somewhat demeaning and extremely disappointing. He even had 'good luck in your training', which we took to be sarcasm after absolutely pulling him to pieces. I just don't know what judges are looking for these days. We've always shown until I dropped upon this horse who excels at stressage and it really makes us want to bang our heads against a brick wall at times. Happy vibes sent. Don't let it get you down.
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The horse won both classes want more do you want .
Comments that say horse is marvellous everything great gives you apsolutly nothing to useful to take forward .
The good luck with your training comment is a nice one intended to encourage judges are not rude and don't use sarcasm on the sheets at affiliated they have spent a lot of time training to be on the list .
And yes a 6 from some judges is worth as much as a 7 from others but that does not matter a jot within a class.
Sometimes you may get a sheet you don't understand you take it to your trainer and discuss and see what you can take forward from it .
 
Zero00000 said:
I read the post from start to finish thank you,
And yes she has said she will get the vet, but reading between the lines as it were....
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Well then you dont really have a point do you - she is getting the vet out, therefore anything further is just pointless speculation. Wait for the vet's results before you start criticizing people. She listened to the advice to get the vet out, what more can you ask for really. She shouldnt have to fall in to hopeless despair that her horse is critically ill just to please you.

OP this is why I rarely bother with the tack room, come and find us in C&T if you want a friendlier bunch who are not so quick to claim to have found some funny tone of voice or hidden message in a text post on the internet.
 
JadeyB said:
Has anyone else ever had this... you and your horse start doing enjoying dressage then all of a sudden, you get ripped to pieces by a judge!

! All of the test comments were very negative and in the summary it was said my horse was irregular behind and should be scoring 8's and 9's!

. :(
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sorry, OP but this sentence didn't make it clear you were talking about 2 different occasions. But I still think most judges try to be fair, and mark what they see.
 
You need a thicker skin to post in the tack room and come out alive than you need to do dressage ;) I'd rather have a judge blast me any day than these lot on here! At least the judge is qualified ;)

Scuttling away back to C&T as we speak.....
 
kc100 said:
She shouldnt have to fall in to hopeless despair that her horse is critically ill just to please you.
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Overreaction much KC100. I don't think Zero00000 was implying that she should.

OP this is why I rarely bother with the tack room, come and find us in C&T if you want a friendlier bunch who are not so quick to claim to have found some funny tone of voice or hidden message in a text post on the internet.
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No one has been unfriendly on this thread apart from....................... You!:rolleyes:
 
kc100 said:
You need a thicker skin to post in the tack room and come out alive than you need to do dressage ;) I'd rather have a judge blast me any day than these lot on here! At least the judge is qualified ;)

Scuttling away back to C&T as we speak.....
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No one has blasted OP .
It much easier to type oh he looks marvellous the judges are stupid of course you should have good straight 8's.
 
kc100 said:
Well then you dont really have a point do you - she is getting the vet out, therefore anything further is just pointless speculation. Wait for the vet's results before you start criticizing people. She listened to the advice to get the vet out, what more can you ask for really. She shouldnt have to fall in to hopeless despair that her horse is critically ill just to please you.

OP this is why I rarely bother with the tack room, come and find us in C&T if you want a friendlier bunch who are not so quick to claim to have found some funny tone of voice or hidden message in a text post on the internet.
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I don't think anyone is being harsh or unfair.

Yes, the OP has said she will get the vet to look when he is up next week. I don't know about your vets but I have to book in a lameness work up. They won't just do it because they happen to be up for other routine things such as jabs or teeth etc. A lameness work up takes time and most vets will need to schedule it in.

The OP has also said that several other people have looked at the video and at her horse and there is nothing wrong. Then she said he may have stepped on a stone. So I really don't think the OP truly feels there is anything the matter with her horse. People who have taken the time to watch the video and give their comments may feel a little frustrated. But at the end of the day, it is the OPs horse so totally up to her.

I thought she rode an excellent test in terms of her riding style and the horse's obedience. But at the end of the day, the horse was lame.
 
amymay said:
Overreaction much KC100. I don't think Zero00000 was implying that she should.



No one has been unfriendly on this thread apart from....................... You!:rolleyes:
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Of course it was an overreaction, you of all people should understand sarcasm based on your previous post regarding judges wanting to see a sound horse. If that doesnt insult the OP I dont know what will so you would had to have taken that with a pinch of salt in order not to be hurt by it.

To me Zero00000 was implying that she wants to see more concern/remorse/worry about her horse as she/he has decided the OP isnt listening to the advice given, therefore with a bit of sarcasm I said what I said because the OP doesnt have to react in any way other than get the vet out (which she is doing).

There is no point in reading between the lines, finding hidden messages, not liking the OP's tone...whatever. Ultimately we have all agreed the horse needs to see the vet. The OP is getting the vet out. Therefore the OP is doing the right thing by her horse and no further comment is needed until the vet has given their results. The OP can be in as much denial as they like, only the vet will clarify not a bunch of naysayers on an internet forum.
 
Only read the first two pages and watched the video- he looks like he's stiff/sore in his hocks ? Definitely in the canter I'd expect to see him stepping under a bit more with his back legs. He's nice though :)
 
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I didn't read any undertones that OP wasn't taking advice or not getting the vet out. To me OP was just replying to other people's ideas as to why the horse could have looked unsound, I didn't read that as her having cancelled the vet.
 
OP, I'm certainly not qualified to judge dressage and I'm the worst person I know at spotting lameness, but I noticed him dragging the near hind in trot. If *I* noticed it, then there must be something amiss, whether stiffness or otherwise. Honestly, I'm normally crap at things like that! I wouldn't have thought stepping on a stone would cause lack of flexion, more lack of weight bearing and he seems to be fine with the latter. I've missed his age (if you posted it), but perhaps arthritis is starting in the hocks. I'd ask the vet for X-rays and a lameness work up. Hope he's ok, he's a lovely looking beastie! Good luck and keep us posted.
 
Honey08 said:
I didn't read any undertones that OP wasn't taking advice or not getting the vet out. To me OP was just replying to other people's ideas as to why the horse could have looked unsound, I didn't read that as her having cancelled the vet.
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What I think has got people concerned is that the OP hasn't come back and said 'Aah, now that you mention it, he does look unlevel, I can see what you are all on about.' She has said that she is getting the vet to him, though, so hopefully will get good advice that way.

It was very helpful that the test was videoed, as otherwise the harsh marking could have been put down to a judge who didn't like that particular horse (though as he is so lovely, that would be hard to understand!).
 
kc100 said:
Of course it was an overreaction, you of all people should understand sarcasm based on your previous post regarding judges wanting to see a sound horse. If that doesnt insult the OP I dont know what will so you would had to have taken that with a pinch of salt in order not to be hurt by it.
.
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Sarcasm? I think that was a simple fact....
 
kc100 said:
You need a thicker skin to post in the tack room and come out alive than you need to do dressage ;) I'd rather have a judge blast me any day than these lot on here! At least the judge is qualified ;)

Scuttling away back to C&T as we speak.....
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Hee Hee! will be checking out C&T!
 
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