Should i be pleased with my score?

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Joyous70

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So I took madam fancy pants off to an indoor dressage evening last night, she's only 5 and been out twice to an outdoor arena, and just once last October to an indoor, where there was only two other competitors in my class.

Last night she had 3 other horses to warm up with, including lots of comings and goings, strange noises bangs, crashes, people appearing to walk in air??? (here was a gallery above the warm up arena, which she simply couldn't get her head around) :D

Anyhow we warmed up for 45 minutes, lots of trotting work and circles, trying desperately to get her settled and focused, not easy, she is a very forward horse and if you hold her back she curls back on you and throws her head around, so riding forwards is the best way to deal with her.

She was quite tense/nervous in the big indoor arena where we rode the test, despite having time to trot around the outside twice before being beeped to go in.

We did both intro A & B tests, and came away with comments such as tense, above bit, but also some nice comments about a forward thinking horse and pleasing rhythm etc., we were awarded 57.8% and 58.04%

How would you feel, if these were scores you achieved on your horse early on in their career?
 
Honestly, I wouldn't be happy with scores in the 50's. I'd make a mental note to do more homework.
BUT that is part and parcel of competing horses (older ones as well as young ones) so whilst I might be disappointed Id also be realistic.
Focus on the positives!
 
I always have 60% as a bench mark, however it would depend on the judge and what other scores were awarded. Some are generous and others less so. So 58% from that judge might be good.

I would take away the positive comments and the fact you went, you did and you got home again in one piece and go around grinning like an idiot for a couple of days, before booking my next tests and a couple of lessons, to work on the judges suggestions.

Well done, five is young, plenty of time to improve.
 
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Well, if she hadn't been to an indoor in a while, and she wasn't settled and focussed in the warm up, and was tense in the test, I'd put it down to one of those things. All good experience. If I went out again a week later and saw no improvement, I'd be back there for schooling sessions and asking my instructor to join me. If it happened again, I'd drop the wretched thing and work on prelims instead.

I find intro tests far more subjective than any other tests. I think you really, really have to show accuracy, even tempo and bend to get decent marks. I think the highest I got was a 68% but the judges comments were quite harsh. I queried this - she said that it was the most accurate and rhythmical test she'd seen that day out of about 20 horses so she felt compelled to give us better marks. The prelim I did an hour later scored 76.4% and no way was the prelim that calibre, it was just accurate. Next time, I didn't bother with the intro at all - focused on 2 prelims instead (didn't quite hit those heady 75%+ scores again) and the scores were far more reflective of what I felt. That was on my own mare. I used to ride a 6 yo IDx for someone and they insisted he did intro followed by prelim when we should have left the intros behind a long time ago. I hated them, I never ever managed to get better than 57% in the Intro with him but would get around 61-62% in the Prelim. Sadly I didn't ride him enough to do better, although in truth, I never ever clicked with him.

But back to subjectiveness. Last year we sent out a load of novice riders to do intro tests - all their first tests. They put in hours of practice and not one of them scored above 59%. I was quite shocked at some of the comments - 2 for a 20m semi circle (is that A, the awkward one?) because it they chopped it a bit short when the horse coughed in the dust. The winner of the class who was riding a baby but competed regularly at Medium scored a whopping 63%.
 
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ihatework said:
Honestly, I wouldn't be happy with scores in the 50's. I'd make a mental note to do more homework.
BUT that is part and parcel of competing horses (older ones as well as young ones) so whilst I might be disappointed Id also be realistic.
Focus on the positives!
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yes im disappointed, but also very pleased that I got her there, we have had issues with loading/travelling etc., shame really as her schooling/flatwork at home is very good and she keeps a lovely soft round frame and always has a lovely rhythm.
 
Sukistokes2 said:
I always have 60% as a bench mark, however it would depend on the judge and what other scores were awarded. Some are generous and others less so. So 58% from that judge might be good.

I would take away the positive comments and the fact you went, you did and you got home again in one piece and go around grinning like an idiot for a couple of days, before booking my next tests and a couple of lessons, to work on the judges suggestions.

Well done, five is young, plenty of time to improve.
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Thank you, yes im am pleased that we went and did our bit, at least we managed to perform the tests :D she didn't spook or shy out of the arena.

My instructor was there with me last night, she was thrilled as she obviously knows how difficult my mare can be.
 
I think if it was one of her first outings it's more about her behaving herself on company etc. than your actually score. If she didn't settle then she's not going to get her best marks.

When you think you've done a really good test and still get 58% I think that's when you need to worry!
 
HeresHoping said:
Well, if she hadn't been to an indoor in a while, and she wasn't settled and focussed in the warm up, and was tense in the test, I'd put it down to one of those things. All good experience. If I went out again a week later and saw no improvement, I'd be back there for schooling sessions and asking my instructor to join me. If it happened again, I'd drop the wretched thing and work on prelims instead.

I find intro tests far more subjective than any other tests. I think you really, really have to show accuracy, even tempo and bend to get decent marks. I think the highest I got was a 68% but the judges comments were quite harsh. I queried this - she said that it was the most accurate and rhythmical test she'd seen that day out of about 20 horses so she felt compelled to give us better marks. The prelim I did an hour later scored 76.4% and no way was the prelim that calibre, it was just accurate. Next time, I didn't bother with the intro at all - focused on 2 prelims instead (didn't quite hit those heady 75%+ scores again) and the scores were far more reflective of what I felt. That was on my own mare. I used to ride a 6 yo IDx for someone and they insisted he did intro followed by prelim when we should have left the intros behind a long time ago. I hated them, I never ever managed to get better than 57% in the Intro with him but would get around 61-62% in the Prelim. Sadly I didn't ride him enough to do better, although in truth, I never ever clicked with him.

But back to subjectiveness. Last year we sent out a load of novice riders to do intro tests - all their first tests. They put in hours of practice and not one of them scored above 59%. I was quite shocked at some of the comments - 2 for a 20m semi circle (is that A, the awkward one?) because it they chopped it a bit short when the horse coughed in the dust. The winner of the class who was riding a baby but competed regularly at Medium scored a whopping 63%.
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Shes only been to an indoor arena once, that was last October, and that was the last time we did a dressage competition. I thought the idea of intro, was an introduction to dressage, and therefore outline wasn't as important as tempo and rhythm etc., however, nearly every comment box it stated above the bit etc. etc., im not sure doing prelims at the moment is a great idea, as her canter work at home is only just starting to come together. I think I need to suck it up, accept that I need to spend some pennies on hiring the arena there and working with my instructor at getting her to relax, and finding the way in which to enable her to relax :)

I think I should stick to show jumping, at least if they stay up no faults :D
 
Joyous70 said:
yes im disappointed, but also very pleased that I got her there, we have had issues with loading/travelling etc., .
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But this is all you should be wanting of a first trip out. She went, she did what you asked of her and she came home again.
What were the other scores? Was the winner way way above your score or was it a low marking judge?

Personally I think people put far too much emphasis on what they score, and should maybe be looking at it as a fun experience for you and the horse, and be please you completed the test, in a manner that was pleasing.
 
Surely it depends on what you set out to achieve by attending this competition and how you think her work compares to what you do in your schooling at home?
I've had scores lower than yours and, although frustrating, it should just be a reflection of the ride. Yes some judges mark harshly but there isn't a lot to compare in the Intros.
How do the individual movement scores compare to how they felt to ride? If you got 5s for bits that felt 'not great' but 6.5s for the bits that felt the best then you can start to build a picture of what the judge was thinking.
If your aim was merely to get a youngster out in a different environment and identify things to work on for next time then it is a perfectly good score in my book! Both my horse and I find the intro and prelim tests dull as ditchwater so we didn't stay at them for as long as most do, we certainly weren't scoring in the 70s which most people in my area seem to think is when it is time to move up!
 
Starbucks said:
I think if it was one of her first outings it's more about her behaving herself on company etc. than your actually score. If she didn't settle then she's not going to get her best marks.

When you think you've done a really good test and still get 58% I think that's when you need to worry!
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Thank you :) She was very well behaved even if it did take nearly an hour to load her again to come home, everything else was FAR more interesting than leaving the party. :(
 
Dressage scores are always so subjective and you can only compare with the rest of the field on that day; You could score 58% come second/20 with the winner on 58.1% that would be a good score for that day and just put it down to a harsh judge but check the comments and see if there is anything you could work on or you could get 58% with the winner on 75% and know you've got a lot of homework to do!

But with youngsters it's all irrelevant anyway, its all about progressing and showing them the world so dont worry about the scores at this point! You should be pleased that you took you youngster out for the first time in a while, she behaved and didn't disgrace you and you got through the test, all little milestones add up eventually and they are different for every horse!
 
Britestar said:
But this is all you should be wanting of a first trip out. She went, she did what you asked of her and she came home again.
What were the other scores? Was the winner way way above your score or was it a low marking judge?

Personally I think people put far too much emphasis on what they score, and should maybe be looking at it as a fun experience for you and the horse, and be please you completed the test, in a manner that was pleasing.
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There was four of us in the first class, the winner got 66%, 2nd with 64% 3rd 59% then me with 58%.

Second class 1st 67% 2nd 66% 3rd 63% 4th 58% and me 57%

But yes, I suppose I should be grateful that we got there and competed at least :D
 
I also would be a bit disappointed with the score, but I think you have loads of good stuff to take away from it. Those early outings are,for me, always more about the overall experience and behaviour than the actual results. Try to think of it as money in the bank for the future - the next time you ride indoors she will be that much more experienced :)

Joyous70 said:
Shes only been to an indoor arena once, that was last October, and that was the last time we did a dressage competition. I thought the idea of intro, was an introduction to dressage, and therefore outline wasn't as important as tempo and rhythm etc., however, nearly every comment box it stated above the bit etc. etc., im not sure doing prelims at the moment is a great idea, as her canter work at home is only just starting to come together. I think I need to suck it up, accept that I need to spend some pennies on hiring the arena there and working with my instructor at getting her to relax, and finding the way in which to enable her to relax :)
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I haven't ridden any of the intro tests but I think they have the same collectives as the other levels? Therefore contact, suppleness, acceptance of the bridle etc (and therefore "outline") will still be required to be correct even though the test appears to have less complex movements than others.
You might be surprised by some of the prelims - have a read through some. There is very little canter in some and the trot work is often more flowing than in the intros. I'd be inclined to plug away at home until your canter is good, try some arena hire and then have a go at prelim :)
 
abbijay said:
Surely it depends on what you set out to achieve by attending this competition and how you think her work compares to what you do in your schooling at home?
I've had scores lower than yours and, although frustrating, it should just be a reflection of the ride. Yes some judges mark harshly but there isn't a lot to compare in the Intros.
How do the individual movement scores compare to how they felt to ride? If you got 5s for bits that felt 'not great' but 6.5s for the bits that felt the best then you can start to build a picture of what the judge was thinking.
If your aim was merely to get a youngster out in a different environment and identify things to work on for next time then it is a perfectly good score in my book! Both my horse and I find the intro and prelim tests dull as ditchwater so we didn't stay at them for as long as most do, we certainly weren't scoring in the 70s which most people in my area seem to think is when it is time to move up!
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To be fair our schooling at home is much much better, however, it was a completely different environment and our main aim was to get her out and start getting some "miles on the clock" she is a very forward mare with a tendency to run away from anything remotely worrying, sometimes its like sitting on a bottle of fizzy pop that's been shaken!!!! :D
 
LeannePip said:
Dressage scores are always so subjective and you can only compare with the rest of the field on that day; You could score 58% come second/20 with the winner on 58.1% that would be a good score for that day and just put it down to a harsh judge but check the comments and see if there is anything you could work on or you could get 58% with the winner on 75% and know you've got a lot of homework to do!

But with youngsters it's all irrelevant anyway, its all about progressing and showing them the world so dont worry about the scores at this point! You should be pleased that you took you youngster out for the first time in a while, she behaved and didn't disgrace you and you got through the test, all little milestones add up eventually and they are different for every horse!
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Thank you :D I am pleased about getting her out, as this in itself has been traumatic
 
The whole inattention and not wanting to load thing will be down to anxiety.
Personally I'd be taking 'competing' out of the equation for now and getting her out to regular outings away from home.
Do you have a riding club you could join and do their clinics at different venues?

Our coming 5yo spent most of his 4yo year on the lorry!!! He'd go to BE events just for the ride. He'd go to lessons away from home. He'd go to course hires. He'd just go somewhere new hacking. Until it became so normal for him to go on the lorry and end up doing random things at random places that he doesn't give two hoots now. His first dressage test (this spring) was outdoors at a big show centre in a hurricane and he didn't bat an eyelid and won on 74%.

Now I appreciate that many people don't have the luxury of taking a horse out for the sake of it week in and week out just for the sake of it, so please don't see that as a brag, more putting things into perspective.

Like I say I've always found RC activities to be a really good exposure for bringing on young horses.
 
ihatework said:
The whole inattention and not wanting to load thing will be down to anxiety.
Personally I'd be taking 'competing' out of the equation for now and getting her out to regular outings away from home.
Do you have a riding club you could join and do their clinics at different venues?

Our coming 5yo spent most of his 4yo year on the lorry!!! He'd go to BE events just for the ride. He'd go to lessons away from home. He'd go to course hires. He'd just go somewhere new hacking. Until it became so normal for him to go on the lorry and end up doing random things at random places that he doesn't give two hoots now. His first dressage test (this spring) was outdoors at a big show centre in a hurricane and he didn't bat an eyelid and won on 74%.

Now I appreciate that many people don't have the luxury of taking a horse out for the sake of it week in and week out just for the sake of it, so please don't see that as a brag, more putting things into perspective.

Like I say I've always found RC activities to be a really good exposure for bringing on young horses.
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Our local riding club doesn't seem to do clinics etc., I used to be a member before when I had my other horse.

The main issue I have is worrying about if I take her out somewhere will she load back up again, and as you probably know its difficult to go places with a young horse alone, normal things such as tying her to the trailer and tacking her up etc can become a major drama if im on my own :(

Think I need to grow a pair, how do I find local riding clubs that do hold clinics etc?

Wh
 
I took my 6 year old (who mileage-wise is more like a 4/5 year old - he's had a lot of time off growing and not fitting saddles and things) for an intro outing yesterday. Technically I did a prelim on his as a 4 y/old (we left the arena twice, did lovely medium trot instead of most of the canter and scored about 58%), but since then he's only been XC schooling once (last summer) and to a lesson with my dressage trainer once (two weeks ago). So his fourth outing, but second this year and second competition/warm up.

He was ridiculously tense in the warm up - it took me a good 10 minutes to be able to get my leg anywhere near him, or to be able to halt without loss of immobility in an upwards direction. Test was better, but still very distracted by the neighbouring warm up - ended up just shy of 62% - which isn't great, but equally is very fair for his level of sanity in the arena. I'm far more concerned with the fact that he loads, travels, managed not to kill anybody in the warm up, performed the test in a largely recognisable fashion and returned home without any major drama. Scores will come later :)
 
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I'd be happy with that if the rest of the trip went well and you got out of it what you set out to do - for me a first trip is less about scores but seeing reactions and gaining feedback, we all have to start somewhere! At least you know what to expect next time and what you need to do to get better scores :D
 
Happy with the scores you get should really depend on what the aim of the outing was.
If you were working upper prelim/lower novice at home, had taken horse to loads of clinics and general outing to get them used to situations and venues etc then basically the day would be about competing and then no, i wouldn't be happy with the scores.

If the day out was pretty much a first for the horse then I wouldn't class it as competing and therefore the scores mean nothing. How much the horse benefited from the outing is what would count in this scenario for me.
 
58% means you averaged a 6 for each movement (give or take).

6 is officially 'satisfactory'.

So it depends on whether you want to be 'satisfactory' or aim to be closer to averaging a 7 or 'fairly good'.
 
I experienced something similar on our first dressage outing. Got 59% in the intro with some nice commend but picked up on being overbent btv which he has a tendency to do if he's struggling with a movement or unbalanced. I was disappointed although I have an incredibly short margin as if it had been in the 60s I'd have been ok! Go figure.

But I've tried not to focus on the score and first take the positives, which was that he was super the whole time and behaved brilliantly. And it was a great learning experience for me as it shocked me into realising how bad my 'feel' was, how tense I was riding him, and what we needed to work on at home in gettin him forward into a contact. Still not cracked it but at least I'm now consciously incompetent and trying to address it!

Saying that, we haven't been out doing dressage since then (Oct) as I was disappointed and don't feel like we're ready to try again just yet.
 
Tbh I try to think was I pleased with the day, did I enjoy my horses first day out .
I would have a look to see how much of a percentage improvement I needed to make to get in the top three.
I would look at the comments and think about what the judge was seeing rather than what you hoped she would see ( because clearly you expected a better mark).
However letting the score in a test spoil your day is the route to dressage diva madness .
Enjoy the next day when it comes .
 
I honestly wouldn't worry about your scores, and just enjoy planning your next outing...

My TB mare did horrendous airs above the ground in warmup as a 4 and 5yo... She was mad, but settled to relatively sane by the following year...

Fiona
 
For me to have good behaviour at a first show and a confidence building outing is all I care about. If the horse has tried her best that is all that matters for a first go. My late mare got 52% at her first prelim unaffiliated dressage and I was thrilled as when I first got her she couldn't trot a circle without exploding and she coped with the whole thing really well, she was just very looky! She went on to be a fabulous mare scoring well over 70% in her dressage tests, jumping BS ect.
My current boy scored 62% at his first show a BD prelim and came 6th as a 5yr old but he was a different type of horse and more laid back.
Tbh for all the first shows with horses I have only done 1 class and with no more than a 30 min warm up. IMO that's enough as its a big thing for them and you want them to finish feeling happy not exhausted and tense.
 
It's horrid taking an unpredictable horse anywhere on your own. It just adds to the stress and I know it would affect my riding. TBH I'd be focusing on getting her to load reliably, tie up etc. I feel it's a really important part of their early education. why not just take her to venues, unload, tack her up, walk her round a bit then take her home. You don't even have to go to a venue as such you could go down the road to a friend's yard or round the block and do it at home. My first horse was an absolute pig to load when I first got her but after schooling her with a pressure halter she loaded every time, first time.
Joyous70 said:
Our local riding club doesn't seem to do clinics etc., I used to be a member before when I had my other horse.

The main issue I have is worrying about if I take her out somewhere will she load back up again, and as you probably know its difficult to go places with a young horse alone, normal things such as tying her to the trailer and tacking her up etc can become a major drama if im on my own :(

Think I need to grow a pair, how do I find local riding clubs that do hold clinics etc?

Wh
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Do ten competitions, if your scores don't improve, then you can worry :p I'm stressy and my horse is very dramatic, so sometimes you have to write days off as 'experience'. I've done ten BDs (novice) since last September, and our scores in that time have gradually gone from 50- something to 70-something the last two times out. We haven't improved THAT dramatically, but what has changed is we're both now mostly relaxed at shows, and my test riding is better. I think it takes ten comps to get over rider nerves. Those first ten are 'learning' and the goal should be a relaxed horse rather than caring about scores :)
 
Just be pleased with your horse. A friend took her new ,young horse to his first walk and trot test (his first test of any kind) She is a very good rider and had put in a lot of schooling time. She was absolutely mortified when she won and the judge commented that "perhaps it was time to move up a level!" The implication being that she was pot hunting. Dressage would be great except for the dressage judges,(insert smiley of your choice)
 
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