Arabian
Sport Horse Judges
Q & A on Dressage
The first Sport Horse Nationals boasts an impressive panel of dressage judges. In advance of the September show, we picked their brains to give exhibitors a leg up on just what those judges want to see as riders come down centerline at the various levels.
TRAINING LEVEL
What impresses you most at this level?
ATKINS: I look for the correct basics: rhythm, relaxation and suppleness. I want to see suppleness over the topline and in bending, and I want to see a connection where the horse halfway accepts the contact.
BARNETT: I’m impressed by the horse that is supple, moving forward in a clear and steady rhythm, and is reaching for the bit. I get really excited if all the basics are there and the figures are correct, and I get ecstatic when the training level horse is balanced on his hindquarters.
GAHWYLER: Today we have two elements of competitive dressage: one is the training of the horse and one is the gaits. When I am judging, I am more interested in the correct training and handling of the horse than in gaits. In my view a well-trained Arabian should always beat a poorly trained Hanoverian. And at training level I ask, Is the horse moving freely and in balance? Does he respond to the rider’s aids? Is he light? Is he in self-carriage or is he put into an artificial frame? And if I see a rider successfully turn the horse with his body position and weight, I am impressed.
PROPFE-CREDO: This level is really pre-dressage. So we want to see the natural movement of the horse because he hasn’t had much training. We want to see the horse on the aids, but we also want to see that the rider allows freedom, regularity and a natural balance. We want to see that the muscles are loose and supple, that he goes forward and steady and that he’s going to the bit a little.
What are the biggest problems you see at this level?
ATKINS: I see a difference in horses’ suppleness at Training Level. You have the horse that by nature is elastic and balanced and can move better in a supple way and bend and be connected easier. But judges understand that suppleness is a long term process and the horse is going to develop more suppleness over the topline so he can handle the connection and transitions better, which are needed for him to step underneath himself for better balance. When both types of horses are trained up, the differences start to meld. Training counts more as you go up.
BARNETT: Riders that don’t ride their horses at the best tempo. Either they go too fast, which causes them to tighten their backs, or they go too slow and then they have problems developing thrust at first level.
GAHWYLER: Too much hand, the horse pulled together into an artificial frame. Horses that are ridden like that go down hill, even at Grand Prix, and don’t get engagement from behind. In the classical frame, the horse comes up in the withers. In training level I make the comment, "Allow the horse to move freely in balance."
PROPFE-CREDO: Usually horses are not going well enough into the bit to be balanced in the corners and on circles and to take the leads. We see riders that aren’t riding them forward enough into the bit, not for speed, but to produce balance.
What movement do you find most difficult to execute correctly at training level and how can a rider improve the score?
ATKINS: The stretchy circle. It depends on the horse’s ability to maintain balance, and some horses don’t step under themselves enough to maintain a lot of stretching down the head and neck and hold up the forehand. It’s a good exercise to be doing, and it’s in the test because we want to see that riders are riding with the horse reaching for the bit and not being manhandled. You should be able to maintain the tempo and bend without using the reins. Sometimes that doesn’t happen. Sometimes the best moving horses are in effect maintaining the connection because the rider is holding them up and it shows that this method is not working when they perform that movement.
BARNETT: It’s the single loop serpentine at the trot that you find in training level test four. Many people make the lines straight rather than riding a loop.
GAHWYLER: I like to see on the stretchy circle that the horse truly chews the reins out of the hand and lowers the neck. That shows the training has been correct. I want to see that the horse has been schooled a little bit to go down and come back up, that he hasn’t been pushed in an artificial frame in front and has learned a little self-carriage. Only softer hands can improve that.
PROPFE-CREDO: Most riders manage round circles, but they don’t attempt to give the horse a little bend and as a result the gait isn’t as balanced. The more training they show, the better the natural gaits will show.
FIRST LEVEL
What impresses you most at this level and why?
ATKINS: I’m impressed with really good transitions. I like to see a horse that maintains his elasticity when doing a lengthening. That’s rare because horses often stiffen up when you ask them to go more. The horse needs pushing power and more ground covering ability from behind. I like to see riders try for the lengthening.
BARNETT: I want to see a horse that has thrust, that is better balanced than at training level and is more on the aids.
GAHWYLER: I’m looking for a horse that is equally supple on both sides, that does transitions without being pulled in the mouth and has no problems following the rider’s weight. We have more transitions at this level. The key to whether the horse is ready for First Level is in the first three movements of test one. After that I don’t have to look at the test because I know what will come. If you can’t ride it, you don’t belong in First Level.
PROPFE-CREDO: We want to see a horse that goes more into the bit. If he does, he will be able to shorten and lengthen the stride as is asked at this level in both trot and canter.
What are the biggest problems you see at this level?
ATKINS: Test writers acknowledge the importance of the transitions into the canter and trot lengthenings and coming back to the working gait by separating the scores for transitions from the scores for the movement.
BARNETT: Riders don’t prepare their horses for the movements and figures. The horses don’t have time to execute the movements correctly.
GAHWYLER: The canter work is simple, but now the depart is not between the letters, but at the letter. If the rider allows the depart by releasing the inside rein and shifting his weight a little, the horse comes through from behind and I say, "Gee, my, my how nice." But if the horse throws up his head and looks to the outside and takes the reins out of the rider’s hands to maintain his balance, we see the same problem--too much hand.
PROPFE-CREDO: I see horses that can’t lengthen because they aren’t ridden well enough into the bit. In the smaller circles, a rider doesn't bend the horse so he slows down and loses impulsion or his balance. Riding a horse forward into the bit becomes more important as you go up the levels.
What movement do you find most difficult to execute correctly at this level and how can a rider improve the score?
ATKINS: I go back to the lengthenings. If the horse loses his balance in the lengthening, the transition back is a disaster, but you still have to go for it. It’s so easy: all you have to do is count the strides. If your horse normally canters down the long side in 13 strides, then, if when you lengthen you get nine strides, you’ve lengthened. You’ve gone the same distance in fewer strides.
BARNETT: Lengthenings. Use half-halts to improve the horse’s balance.
GAHWYLER: Lengthenings. It’s smart to shorten the gait before going on the diagonal and then just allow him to go forward. Don’t use spurs or over use aids. People ask too much.
PROPFE-CREDO: Stretchy circle. If the horse doesn’t have enough impulsion, he hollows his back, doesn’t go to the bit and he won’t stretch.
SECOND LEVEL
What impresses you most at this level?
BARNETT: A horse that is correctly collected, carrying more weight on the hindquarters, supple, straight, and through with a degree of self-carriage is always impressive.
GAHWYLER: Here we introduce the shoulder-in. The one we ride today goes back to the modern cavalry and is on three tracks. In classical dressage it was always on four tracks. Shoulder-in is a means to get collection so you don’t have to pull on the mouth. Instead you get the hind legs under the flexion of the three hindquarter joints or engagement and freedom of the shoulder. This is what I want to see.
PROPFE-CREDO: We want to see some collection so they can do more difficult movements like travers.
What are the biggest problems you see at this level?
ATKINS: Not enough active collection and engagement. The horse needs the support of the hind legs to do these tests. A lot of time the riders have carried them through. You’ll see a decent shoulder-in and then the horse drops on the forehand in the circle.
BARNETT: The lack of collection makes the movements at this level difficult to do correctly.
GAHWYLER: I think horses move up too fast. It’s a big move to Second Level. Horses that have won at first level because of gaits might not be ready if the training isn’t correct. Second is a beautiful, flowing level. If you are solid in Second Level, then you have no problems up to Intermediare I. But if you aren't solid, you get stuck at Third Level and the horse may break down because of too much hand. We should take a long time to make a solid Second Level horse. Prix St. George is simply an extension of a correct second level test.
PROPFE-CREDO: On the average test, the worst marks will be the travers and medium trot because the horse has not got the engagement and the elevation.
What movement do you find most difficult to execute correctly at second level and how can a rider improve the score?
ATKINS: My biggest problems at this level are the simple changes, and there are lots of them in the new tests. If you can’t do them, you’re in a world of hurt in flying changes. The trouble is engaging the horse in the down transition. He’s pulled back to get the walk, so he drops his back and trots instead of walks. I also see too many steps of walk before the transition to canter and then I think that the rider is having trouble getting the canter.
BARNETT: The travers is seldom performed correctly with the inside hind leg carrying more weight by coming up under the horse’s midline. Very often I see the rider just pushing the hindquarters in without thought to the bend and collection. Collection can be improved by schooling correct transitions. In the tests, the rider should use the corners and circle to prepare the horse for the next movement.
GAHWYLER: The transitions are most difficult, but the shoulder-in and the travers are the key elements because these exercises develop the horse's ability to bring his inside hind leg underneath him and carry more weight. So if you can do a shoulder-in at the canter, it’s not a problem to do the simple changes. If not, you have a horse on the forehand and you don’t get the simple change. Shoulder-in was a revolution in dressage. Before the use of the shoulder-in, the horse learned to collect in the pillars. Many poor shoulder-ins are almost leg yields. It takes years to do it well.
PROPFE-CREDO: Learn that collection is not going more slowly. It is changing the balance of the horse with more engagement behind. You are collecting impulsion and at anytime you can let it out to extend.
THIRD LEVEL
What impresses you most at this level?
ATKINS: At this level you see a full range of flying changes, from the horse that is just learning and to the schoolmaster that is teaching them.
BARNETT: Horses that really have collected, medium, and extended paces. That shows correct training. All the element of the training scale should be there: rhythm, suppleness, acceptance of the bit, impulsion, straightness, collection and throughness.
GAHWYLER: I want to see more lightness, self-carriage, more power from behind and good transitions, neat absolutely straight flying changes.
PROPFE-CREDO: There is a lot to do at Third Level--half passes at canter and trot, flying changes, maximum extension. So you must have collection, engagement and impulsion. You can do a flying change without collection, but you must show it with collection at this level.
What are the biggest problems you see at this level?
ATKINS: I see a lot of mistakes at this level, like the half pass started too soon instead of letting the horse come around the corner. If they start wrong, I have to come down on the score.
BARNETT: Correct collection is a problem.
DR. GAHWYLER: I still see hand riding. For that reason I’m concerned that riders will have the option to ride in the double bride. It’s often collection in front, not from behind. Ninety percent of the people have more gaits than they can handle and never get the energy from behind. A characteristic of the European warmblood is that you can put his nose to his check and he still goes forward. You can ride those horses way behind the vertical and they still extend. Try that on an Arabian! He goes backward. When I learned to ride, the horse’s nose was always to point ahead to where the front leg would touch the ground. You don’t see that much anymore.
What movement do you find most difficult to execute correctly at training level, and how can a rider improve the score?
ATKINS: Half passes are not that difficult, but often riders use too much outside leg or the neck is bent. Half passes are all about the rider.
BARNETT: Half passes and flying changes can be improved by more throughness, collection and self-carriage.
GAHWYLER: At this level we want to see an improvement of the quality and build up of the strength of the horse to do the same movements but with much more elegance and lightness. The movements will become lighter and easier because he has to use his hind legs more.
FOURTH LEVEL
What impresses you most at this level?
BARNETT: I want to see horses that are correct and happy in their work. That shows that the riders understand how to develop their horses with an understanding of their physiology and psychology.
GAHWYLER: This level is building to Prix St. George with pirouette, more demanding half passes, flying changes every fourth and third stride. We have three walks: collected, medium, and extended. The key element is the collected work. It is a dead giveaway of training in the past. We don’t ask for it earlier because it’s very difficult. You ask too early and you get hand riding and the horse paces. It has to come from behind. The free walk you paid for; the collected walk you created. I’m interested in the one you created.
PROPFE-CREDO: Fourth is quite a high level and is a big step up. Anyone who rides Fourth Level should be able to ride Prix St. George. Many horses can go to the FEI levels if the riders can do it. But you have to ride well enough so the horse doesn’t make mistakes. I like to see you do the best you can with the horse you have. You don’t have to go to Europe for a horse. Most likely you can’t ride it anyway. Dressage is about training the horse you have. I did it myself with a 12-year-old Thoroughbred mare off the track that I bought for $200. When she was 18, I rode her in the Tokyo Olympics. You should have seen her one tempis.
What are the biggest problems you see at this level? What movement do you find most difficult to execute correctly at training level and how can a rider improve the score?
ATKINS: Pirouettes. I can’t tell you how that movement has decided the class. Riders can improve their scores by preparing the horses better before the movement. I see horses going on the diagonal line where they are supposed to do the pirouette and I almost want to ring the bell for an error of course. You can see that the horse doesn’t know if he’s going to do a medium canter or a pirouette.
BARNETT: Horses that have been held together with the hands won’t have enough engagement of the hindquarters. As for movements, riders that know how to use corners to set up movements are at a distinct advantage at this level. For the pirouettes, the rider can improve the score by developing the mobility of the forehand. That’s why the new test has a separate score for a very collected canter.
PROPFE-CREDO: The rider has to create balance and power in the collection and then cope with that impulsion. I often see the rider getting it together for a good extended trot and then he can’t sit it, or the horse breaks because the rider isn’t balanced.
PRIX ST. GEORGE/INTERMEDIARE I
What are your thoughts about these levels?
ATKINS: An able bodied horse with a good trainer can do these tests. The trick is to keep the harmony, relaxation, elasticity and energy going through the harder exercises. The basics are the same. What makes it more difficult is what we’re asking you to do. The exercises come one after another without much breathing room. The short sides are the chance to prepare and a lot depends on how good the riders are at riding the short sides.
BARNETT: I love to see expressive and correct tempi changes and extensions in self-carriage.
GAHWHYLER: Prix St. George is a lovely test. Actually the movements are the same, but they should be done with more power and precision. It’s about lightness, invisible aids. It’s nice if I see a truly collected walk and straight flying changes, five every three strides. I want the same number of strides before you start the line of changes and after you finish. I want to see downward transitions that indicate that the horse is slowly prepared for piaffe and passage in Intermediare II. If a horse cannot make a clean half from the canter, if he walks and finishes on the forehand, he isn’t ready to do piaffe.
PROPFE-CREDO: You often don’t see a difference in the paces. People try to open the reins a little to get an extended gait, but the difference is not all that great. But many horses that aren’t great movers can do it. It’s in the grasp of the average horse.
INTERMEDIARE II/GRAND PRIX
What are your thoughts on these levels?
ATKINS: Not every horse is capable of piaffe and passage as required at this level. I wish riders would take pride in producing a really good Second or Third Level test instead of thinking that riding an FEI test badly is a better goal. Take the time to learn to ride and don’t be upset that you’re not doing that stuff. Generally at FEI, if it’s bad, it is because of the rider. Judges would rather see an elegant, harmonious smooth balanced test where the rider is comfortable.
GAHWYLER: I like to see a piaffe where the horse’s hind legs are practically under the seat of the rider and that is on the spot. The FEI has said the piaffe doesn’t have to be on the spot, because most horses don’t do it. But that is not correct. It’s a horse in self-carriage, coming under. It’s lightness.
What do you expect to see in a horse and rider's turnout?
ATKINS: Try to find harmony with your horse. The greatest pleasure for me is to see a horse and rider working together, when the horse isn’t restricted, when the rider isn’t supporting the horse too much with the reins and the horse is engaged.
BARNETT: Turn out is not judged. A neat turnout is an indication that the rider pays attention to details and that she takes pride in herself and her horse.
GAHWYLER: To be neat and clean. I don’t like a kid coming down centerline with an unbuttoned jacket and dirty boots. I also realize we have competitors that aren’t rich. So a horse doesn’t have to have a $300 bridle if the rider can only afford a $50 bridle. I’d rather see people spend their money on caring correctly for their horses.
PROPFE-CREDO: We have a traditional uniform for dressage that everyone uses. I like to see a horse turned out neatly and nice but not necessarily in expensive tack. I appreciate it because I know how hard it is to keep white breeches white. A nice turnout is like a wrapped gift and a courtesy to the judge.
JUDGES BIOS
Trenna Atkins, an "S" USAE and Senior Canadian judge, has taught and trained dressage for more than 25 years and competed through FEI levels. She holds her USDF bronze and silver medals and has won regional and national awards, including two National Horse of the Year Awards in musical freestyle.
Maryal Barnett, an "S" USAE, "C" FEI and Senior Canadian judge, is an USDF instructor certification examiner and a member of the USDF "L" Dressage Judge Education Program faculty. She also a full time dressage instructor, has competed through Grand Prix and earned her USDF bronze and silver medals.
Dr. Max Gahwyler, an "S" USAE and "I" FEI judge, is a retired physician who came to the U.S. from Switzerland in 1952. He has served as president of the American Dressage Institute, the forerunner of USDF and is the author of three books on dressage, The Competitive Edge I, II and III.
Inez Propfe-Credo is an "S" USAE, and "I" FEI judge who competed for Canada in the 1964 Tokyo and 1968 Mexico City Olympics, in three Pan American Games and two World Championships. She won the U.S. Grand Prix Championship in 1969. Born in Germany and raised in Canada, she judges regularly in the U.S., Germany, Holland, South America and Canada.
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