Lost the will to even try any more

B

Bossanova

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 November 2004
Messages
10,284
Visit site
Moon was such a good girl in her dressage test at Hambledon this afternoon. After getting 43 on Tuesday for her being basically a bit dribbly and me a bit wishy washy I shortened my reins and presented her in a more up together outline.

She did everything sweetly, ok so not much lengthening and the first canter transition was a bit dodgy but I was really pleased she wasnt at all tense and she tried really hard. She's very well balanced to ride and very quick off the aids.

Unfortunately, she's built very wrong- she's short in the neck and its set on too low which always makes her look downhill when she isnt. She also has a stupidly big head and finds it hard to be on the vertical without ducking low at the poll. But thats just her, I cant help how she's put together.

Anyway, walked the xc and went back to look at the scores and was devastated to see 53. What the hell did we do wrong? Poor Moon doesnt deserve that kind of score because she does everything asked without a fuss, she just isnt as polished as the others.

The horse before me got 33 and was VERY overbent so I'll put a bit of it down to judge's taste but beyond that, I'm struggling to know where I'm going wrong.

I have good trainers, I'm pretty sure my riding isnt too appalling and everyone says I cant change her right now as she just is what she is and she's still got a lot of maturing to do.

Dont really know what to do
confused.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
I have good trainers, I'm pretty sure my riding isnt too appalling and everyone says I cant change her right now as she just is what she is and she's still got a lot of maturing to do.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly! You know what you are doing. She moves very nicely, you ride her well. But if you come up against a judge who gives such good marks to a horse that is overbent, Moon (who is correctly produced) will never be marked well. It is a major frustration, but hopefully not all judges are so blind.

She does need muscling up, but I bet by the end of the season her dressage scores are much higher.
 
Oh how disappointing... still... perhaps the sheet will give more clues when you get it... as to what she was being particularly discriminatory against.

Hope you have a good day tomorrow.. regardless!
 
I know how you feel, but really it is JUST that particular judge on that particular day.
frown.gif
I have no doubt, reading your posts, that you do everying right and everything within your power on the day to the best of your ability. Ignore the judge she/he clealy has warped ideas and is a bit confuddled!!
crazy.gif
At your next event the dressage judge will love you
grin.gif
 
Bum - some dressage judges are the pits but the next one may not be so blind so get stuck in gal and don't give up whatever you do
 
Oh dear. I have had a 52 once and the horse was totally awful. I could get no commonsense out of him.

I do not understand where it has gone wrong for you at Novice because at PN you were getting 38 consistently - all N has is the medium work. Surely they should not be marking any differently in what they see?

I know its not what you want to hear but I think you need to go out and do more dressage and keep experimenting.
 
The last dressage test I did with Madam I felt went really well, for a change. Its rare that I come out thinking that, but she was forward into the bridle, swinging, rhythmical and just, well, lovely! The last time I felt that was over 2 years ago and it was confirmed as we were lying 1st after dressage (I then managed to take the wrong course XC after a clear SJ so we'll say no more about that one!)

So I was quite hopeful when I went to look at my score and it was 39. Ok, not a terrible score but I really was expecting very low 30s or even high 20s.
I absolutely don't know why we got that score. The comments didn't help me at all, for example one was '1/2 circle a bit large. 5.' Five?! Even if I didn't ride the shape perfectly (and bear in mind I often get comments like 'accurately ridden test') it wasn't that far out, and the trot was so lovely I was thinking possibly even an 8!

In our next lesson I managed to reproduce the way she was going, in fact if anything it wasn't quite as good. My instructor confirmed that she looked lovely and there wasn't much to fault. She has been around eventing for years and confirmed what I thought and I'm sure you know, ie sometimes that just happens. Judges are human and they don't always get it right. I should know, I've done some judging in my time!

Basically what I'm trying to say is that the main thing is that you felt she was going nicely and that is almost certainly what was the case. Keep that bit in mind and be pleased with her and yourself for that test. Another judge may well have given you a much better score.
 
FIFTY THREE
blush.gif
blush.gif
blush.gif


Are you sure that the scorers hadn't misinterpreted a 3 for a 5???? I would be demanding my sheet at the soonest poss moment
mad.gif


You ride beautifully - you are so quiet but very effective and correct, most people would give their back teeth to ride like you do, so please do not beat yourself up about some stupid muppet who cannot see past the stupid "oh the neck is bent, doesn't it look pretty, must be correct" horses that seem to parade up and down this country now
mad.gif
 
Hate this. My boy built all wrong too, but is again like yours, has been trained correctly and is obident and does everything very well, but it doesn't have the 'pretty' factor that u see some horses gettin stupidly low marks for but yet they can't even trot 10m circles on them!!!!
 
That is incredibly unfair. I do honestly think that you both deserve far better marks.
I think that you should have some lessons with someone like Angela Tucker, or Annabel Scrimgeour who are both top level dressage judges for BE. Just ask them straight out what is going wrong. Personally I think that is the only way for you to go now- go to the 'source' that is marking Moon low and see exactly what they are wanting for her to get the higher marks.
 
I have so been there, done that, and as the owner of another 'downhill' horse I can totally understand your frustration.

Let us know tomorrow what the actual test sheet says, and good luck for the fun bits!!

Fiona
 
cripes, that is a very unfair score for what sounds like a very reasonable test at the very least.
the judging at N can be appalling, you just have to have faith in yourself and your system, and chuck scores like that away.
 
fwiw my little mare who i got to Intermediate was exactly the same, and she had her days when the judges appreciated her and all the flashy ones blew up! if you keep it balanced, accurate, soft, rhythmical and as light-looking in front as possible, you should be able to make it impossible for them to avoid giving you at the very least decent marks, and hopefully good ones.
second the idea of going to a dressage judge for pointers. find out exactly how they would want to see a horse like her presented.
 
I know how u must feel.I am SOOOO up for letting BE know their judges need some serious training on how some horses CANT go long&low like others(or watever the judges want to see).
Every event i do i get so p*ssed off after seeing my test results,they are norm the worst of the day,even when i do a perfectly ok test,no bucking,rearing,we stay in the arena,do our test correct(kinda)yet its always a [****] unfare score 4 the horse.IT just doesnt make sense to me other than,they just dont like the way my horse goes! I get TENSE comments every bl&&dy time,even when she is so not tense(just looking 4ward to the jumping bit)!!
BE has become more of a dressage event! F**ks me right off!
 
I wonder if you had the same judge we had at hamb last year, W did a sweet accurate obedient test and was 2nd last after dressage, his initials RT. He just doesn't get slightly downhill horses and likes ponies even less. W once got a 0 for a movement with the comment trot slightly unbalanced!. I checked and it was a 0 NOT a 6.

I find some judges only like head teid in looking like they always wear draw reins horses. They need to get real and remember this is eventing and horses that are built downhill can do a job, they are far better gallopping and jumping than the uphill built ones because they can really use that hind leg. However some dressage judges prefer them so uphill it looks as they are climbing with their heads tucked in.
 
Rosie got 50 something at the JRN finals last year even though everyone (including their area co-ordinator) thought he'd done a great test and would be in the top 10. There's no pleasing some judges
mad.gif
 
I dont always think thats the case, Dexter works very advanced and uphill and he doesnt get a great mark! As he is very uphill and tense (as he wants tp p*ss off at any opp!!)
tongue.gif


Just the judges preference really - ive ridden all different horses and always managed to consistently get good marks, yet Dexter always gets poop marks, even though he is sooo well schooled just tense- I dont like it!!!
 
Thats so dis heartening for you, especially when you felt she went so well, keep your chin up and put it down to a one off, your day will come! I also 3rd whar others have mentioned and get another dressage eye to work with you, Steve Hadley made an interesting comment the other day in my lesson and said he thinks its a good idea to use a few different trainers because 'he didnt learn all he did from one person'.
 
At least you know it isnt your riding. I KNOW its mine which is why we keep getting crap dressage scores. I freeze up and get extremely tense - I cant stop myself. I hate that phase so much! I literally only see it as whats in the way before the fun bits... which is a pretty bad attitude! But TBH my boy also isnt the convential type, hes a luso x so has a big action in front - not at all floaty which doesn't help.
 
How frustrating!!!
frown.gif


I think sometimes though you have to look at the long term picture. You could carry on getting mediocre marks with a mediocre test and accept what your horse is doing. My feeling is that you are looking further ahead and perhaps asking more than she is able to give at the moment. This possibly made it look as if you were having to try too hard! Hence the drop in marks. Dunno! Sometimes it just gives the wrong picture to some judges.
smile.gif


I have seen the most appalling dressage judging so I wouldnt let this upset your long term aim as I feel that eventually it will pay off and you will crack that 40 barrier and maybe even the 30 one!!!
smile.gif


It is just soooo frustrating when you know your horse has tried its best.
 
That really does suck
frown.gif

My friend did a lovely little test the other week only to be marked as badly as the person who left the arena twice and horse bolted in the canter
confused.gif

Its so frustrating.
Moon moves well and you ride quitely and affectively. I can only think its her shape that puts the judge off? in that i mean she looks like she needs more muscle, like Halfstep mentioned.
I do believe once shes a little stronger the marks will come, but I do feel for you cos going into the jumping phases so low down the leaderboard is soul distroying when you know she has all the jump in the world.

Hugs to you.
 
Thankyou everyone for your replies.

Moon is a long-term project and as such, I'm expecting next year to be when she comes into her own, I just need to get it as good as I can for now and I really thought yesterday I acheived that.

Got my sheet back, started well with a couple of 6s, comments of not really connected then suddenly plummeted to 5s and then a row of 4s with no comments. Nothing. How helpful is that?!

Given as 4 is insufficient and she did all the movements in the right place and calmly, I really dont understand this. 5s maybe but 4s I tend to think are for when something has gone wrong.

In my collectives she got a 5 for her paces which is unheard of for Moon- she always gets 7s then 44 and a 5 for my riding. Judge's comment was 'nice horse but not really between hand and leg'

I'm going to book a lesson in with a dressage judge, I was thinking maybe Angela Tucker or Gill Watson and go from there as something needs to be done urgently before we do an intermediate test (though at least the judging at intermediate is much better)

Thankyou again, you've made me see the positive side!
 
It's awful that they have not commented - comments should be made for anything below a 6 so that the mark can be justified. How crummy for you - nothing constructive there at all and no reasoning behind such an undeserved mark
confused.gif
 
Agree. To get 4s with no comment is not much help at all! In fact I have never had that! Maybe a 7 with no comment but 4's ...never.
 
53 sounds wrong to me... however much the judge just didn't like Moon's type...
Ernie at Pontispool last year did his worse test ever, in all trot work he went sideways, it took about 3 or 4 tries to get the right leg in every canter trans. as he was pratting about so much, and he never walked once, just cantered sideways... he got a 51 for that test!!!
Maybe someone has added something up wrong???
 
[ QUOTE ]
53 sounds wrong to me... however much the judge just didn't like Moon's type...
Ernie at Pontispool last year did his worse test ever, in all trot work he went sideways, it took about 3 or 4 tries to get the right leg in every canter trans. as he was pratting about so much, and he never walked once, just cantered sideways... he got a 51 for that test!!!
Maybe someone has added something up wrong???

[/ QUOTE ]

I double checked
frown.gif


Even on Bossy's worst, most tense, most horrid days he rarely got into the 50s. Thats why I find it so unfair that she gets that score when she just didnt do anything wrong. The judge just got on a negative and hated what she saw
 
I think what you need to do is send Moon to my magic fat field for the winter!!! Ernie, whos hard to get weight on came back looking like a show cob, and his dressage has improved 100% because of it!! so far he's won at Elem level, and on his worst day at aldon still got a 44.. a good day at Powderham got him a 33... I don't have dressage lessons with anyone, never have, and Ernie is well known to be hard in the dressage, not just cos of his shape!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top