Now I remember why I hate unaffiliated dressage

M

Marquire

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I affiliated my boy last spring and he has been fairly successful initially at Prelim and more recent at Novice level and the boy has been scoring around 65% or above the last 3 times out.

There are no more affiliated competitions in the frozen north until March so I have been dabbling in unaffiliated dressage again.However, after yesterday's experience I felt like giving up dressage altogether.

Admittedly Grumpy Boy was not on top form as he had travelled with a chum and become joined to him at the hip. However in the first test, N27, judged by someone who regularly judges at BD competitions we scored 64% and GB got an 8 for his paces despite him not being as relaxed as normal.

The second test was judged by someone I've never seen or heard of before and although I felt this test was a million times better than the first one, we scored 55% and GB got a 6 for his paces. Bear in mind there was about 30 minutes between tests yet his paces had obviously deteriorated markedly betwen the two tests. Every comment was negative on the sheet and I came away thinking 'why bother'.

I was really down last night and it has put some big doubts into my mind considering I'm off to the Regionals in March. Why did I do it to myself????????
confused.gif
 
I am sorry to hear that. I think different venues and that vary. First Prelim 4 I did the judge said it was a lovely test to watch we got a 9 for our canter and won with 74%, next 2 x Prelim 4's I did (different venue) and we got 56% and 58% - now I think my horse was not so on form but this is a huge difference. Previously 9 for paces to a 6! How can paces change? A horse can only goes as a horse naturally goes surely
 
Had exactly the same happen to me a couple of weeks ago. Did a very tense test followed by a much better test, and the better one got the worse mark.
Was v discouraged and frustrated, and had posted lots on here to try and make sense of it, but didn't really.

At least the test you did with the aff judge got a fair mark. I would love to get an 8 for paces.

Fiona
 
Had a similar experience last weekend too! Never done affiliated but my lad regularly score mid-60s. Went to a local centre with 3 friends, so 4 riders, 2 tests each, 8 score sheets in total from the same judge (thats how they do it there, one judge does 2 classes in each arena, am and pm, so 8 classes a day but only 2 tests available)
Now my boy came 5th in one and 4th in the other, with 65.something and 64.something, so aroound his normal marks, and the others ranged from 58% to 62%. But on all 8 test sheets, not ONE positive comment! Usually they'll put at least 'well tried' or something?! She obviously didn't think my lad was too rubbish as she gave him lots of 7s, but never wrote anything next to a 7, only negative comments next to the 6. I mean, did she just get out of bed the wrong side that morning or is this normal? Never experienced quite such negativity before!
Anyway, sorry, rant over! DOn't worry about your test being lower than expected...went to one in the autumn as a driver/groom for a friend, her pony was totally out of control (nearly knocked me over as reader!), and yet she scored 65% and the really nice test after her scored just 58%. Think some judges need new glasses!!
 
i hate it when you get a negative judge, they give you a 7 but dont tell you WHY it was so good!
i took a mates ex-racer out a couple of weeks back and although we got 60.2 there wasnt a 'nice' comment on the sheet!

they only annotate the cr@p when you get 5's!!

GRUURRR
 
just remembered why I hate showing and dressage!! (says she who is doing some basic stuff with the new boy next month for the first time ever)....its all subjective and someone elses opinion.

I have always wanted a go at it but I know however well or badly fred goes, it will be someone's opinion, rather than us jumping a clear or jumping a jump off getting a decent time...which no-one can have an opinion on!!
 
I too have been in that situation and it is really disheartening. I dont have my own transport so rely heavily on the few local unaffiliated shows that I can hack to, but sometimes they are good and other times I feel like not bothering. One test I did I got a 6 for some trot work, which was reasonable as Joe wasn't on best form, however, the very next box down was a mark of 5 and the simple comment "better"...well better than what, what was better??? If it was better than the above surely I should have got a 7?? Oh well...its all experience in my view, I know when my horse has performed a good test
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Thats the problem with unaffiliated dressage,its a subjective sport anyway by going unaffiliated you are subjecting your selves to anyones opinion. B.D judges are trained to try and recognise the 'way of going' and training issues and then mark to a standard. As for negative comments next to a seven or a six the judge is not telling you the negative to be negative but to give you the reason why it was'nt the higher mark that if you had'nt done that little thing the horse and you were cabable of actually getting the higher mark. It is infact possitive. Doing a dressage test is not about 'blowing sunshine up your arse' its about identifying training to improve ,if you dont want subject your self to their opinion then dont go in the arena.Maybe you should try sitting in with a judge and see what it looks like from that angle and see the same errors being made for 2-3 hours, you'll see that most judges do their best but they are human and are open to human error. I sat in and wrote for a FEI judge recently and at the end of an advanced class she said she wished she had given an 8 for the rider for one of the earlier combinations but once she had set the standard for that class that was the standard and she was consistent through out the class. in those situations you have to compare your performance with the rest of the class not beween judges. the other thing to consider is the test itself and the way the marks are disributed within the test. the paces mark is also an area where the judge has to decide whether the lack of regularity even if momentary existed because that was the horse or as the result of say, tension and then submission.
So yes doing unaffiliated is a risk in terms of marking but you always learn every time you set foot in the arena. I once knew of someone the same thing happened., she was getting 70% + tests at affiliated prelim and novice ,went off to an unaffiliated and got hammered by a non listed judge. The thing was she was actually the one who was spot on and had actually spotted a training fault so when this person came to me all outraged i had to actually say the tough judge was the one who was right we worked onthe identified area and that person went on to be placed in the top 3 in the national winter final.
What i dont understand is why you all find it difficult to accept critism in a critical sport? By doing unaffiliated you are opening yourself up to another set of variables but it is just an opinion on that day and yep it can change between tests because of the way the test distribute the marks that will have a bearing on the collectives at the end of the test. It may well feel better to you but what you feel and what the judge sees is nt always the same thing.The very level at which you are riding indicates you may not be that vastly experinced at this anyway .So stay open minded and dont think that just because the judge is'nt telling you how wonderful you are that you and your horse are'nt good and capable of more or that the judge hates you!,also remember that judge only sees what is infront if her and does'tn have any idea of the improvement you have made or the difficulties you have overcome she sees what is there in relation to that test at that moment of that day. Tomorrow is always another day and thats dressage for you!!!!!!
 
Excellent response partoow. I would recommend any dressage rider sit and write for a few tests, it is a real eye opener and will make understanding your own test sheet a lot easier. Remember also that judges and writers don't have time for essays when watching your test so remarks may come across a blunt, but it iscsimply the judge trying not to cramp the poor writer!
 
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