BTB: The dressage tests for 2011: Collective Marks

BTB: The dressage tests for 2011: Collective Marks

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The dressage tests for 2011: Collective Marks

Posted: 15 Dec 2010 12:14 PM PST

The collective remarks (as I'm sure most of us know) give an overall assessment of key traits in the horse's and rider's performance. There are some changes in the 2011 tests...
  • Gaits now have a coefficient of 1 rather than 2, which will level the playing field a bit for non-warmbloods horses who lack the big natural gaits; this serves to emphasize proper training of the horse/rider over the "fancy mover."
  • There are now three scores for rider: position, effectiveness, and harmony. Harmony is one of those things we all recognize but it is hard to define. Of course someone asked the panelists to define it, and they  used words like "effortlessness" and "artistry" to characterize the traits of harmony. One judge said there is also an element of accuracy, since that helps to maintain the horse's balance. 
As an interesting side note, the panelists noted that experienced judges found it challenging to assign the additional rider scores in the time frame typically allotted for judging. Imagine how it will feel to be an inexperienced judge!

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