28 March/April 2020 | USDF CONNECTION

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The Judge’s Box

Stay on the Right Side of the RulesDon’t sacrifice needless points in your dressage test. A judge offers expert advice.

By Sue Curry

In this article, you’ll learn some key ways to increase (or reduce, if you’re not careful!) your dres-

sage score, based on my 32 years as a dressage judge. Overall, my goals are to ensure that you know the new rules that went into effect for 2020, and that you know how to avoid the pet peeves all judges have.

Rule Changes You Need to KnowDon’t lose points because you are not aware of the current rules. Thank you to Janine Malone for her expertise concerning rules, especially the new rules discussed at the 2019 Ad-equan®/USDF Annual Convention in Savannah in December.

All of the following rules are now in effect. For the complete US Eques-trian (USEF) rule book and accompa-nying diagrams and illustrations, see the USEF Rule Book at usef.org.

Prix St. Georges and Develop-ing PSG are equivalent tests. Interme-diate II and Developing Grand Prix are equivalent. The I-II, Developing GP, and GP can be ridden at the same show. (USEF Dressage Rule 119.2) The Medium Tour Freestyle is

permitted only for horses competing at Intermediate A, Intermediate B, or Intermediate II levels. (DR 119.2) Curb-chain hooks are re-

quired on the curb bit of a double bridle. (DR 121) A throatlatch is required on

the bridle except when the combined noseband or Micklem bridle are used. The back strap, or chin strap, or noseband cannot be considered a jowl strap. A new illustration in DR 121.2 (shown at right) shows the limits of where a jowl strap must be fitted. A hanging-cheek (Baucher)

bit (see illustration below) no longer may be used as a bridoon in a double

bridle, but it is still permitted as a snaffle. (DR 121, Fig. 1B) Cooling caps (hoods) are not

permitted in warm-up or competi-tion. (DR 121.7) Judges may not mark or

deduct points for an error for any reason other than as described in DR 122.5 (e.g., violations of the dress code in DR 120 cannot be penalized by er-rors). (DR 122.5) If you leave the arena at the

end of your dressage test at any place other than A, you will be eliminated except in cases in which arena condi-tions don’t allow for exit at A or in which the rider loses control while on a loose rein. (DR 122.5)

KNOW WHEN TO SAY WHEN: Coaching is welcome in the warm-up, but unauthorized assistance during your dressage test will get you eliminated

JOWL-STRAP PLACEMENT: Illustration from the USEF Rule Book shows where a jowl strap must be fitted

SNAFFLE-LEGAL ONLY: The hanging-cheek snaffle (Baucher) bit is dressage-legal only as a snaffle. It’s no longer permitted as a bridoon in a double bridle.

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Horses may enter no more than two consecutive levels, free-style levels included (DR 119.2-3). If through management or other error a horse competes in more than two levels at a competition, the level(s) competed in first that are in compliance with DR 119 will count for purposes of scores and awards. Levels competed subsequently that are outside the two-consecutive-level requirement will result in elimina-tion, and awards for those classes must be returned. (DR 124.4) Except for USEF/USDF

championship classes and for FEI Pony riders, FEI Juniors, FEI Young Riders, and FEI para-equestrian freestyles, in order to enter a free-style class at any level, a horse/rider combination must have received a minimum score of 63% (Train-ing through Fourth Levels) or 60% (FEI levels) at the highest test of the declared freestyle level or any test of a higher level at a USEF/USDF-licensed dressage competi-

tion or FEI-recognized competition or “open” dressage class at a Federa-tion-licensed competition.

(Note: The score required for all levels was 63% in 2019; but effec-tive December 1, 2019, the required score for FEI levels dropped to 60%.) (DR129.9)

Know the Judges’ Pet PeevesTo ensure that you and your horse achieve the highest score possible:

Be prepared. Study the directive ideas, which are printed at the top of all national-level test sheets. The direc-tives begin with the purpose of the test. For instance, in Training Level, the purpose of the tests is to “confirm that the horse demonstrates correct basics, is supple, and moves freely forward in a clear rhythm with a steady tempo, accepting the contact with the bit.”

Dressage judges assume that you are well prepared in terms of the basic requirements for the level before you come down the center line. For instance, at the canter, you must be

able to show both leads easily and in balance. FEI 5* dressage judge and USDF L program faculty member Janet Foy tells a now-infamous and hilarious story concerning basic re-quirements. In the 1990s she was on a panel judging a young girl at Training Level. The test was going fairly well until the rider asked for the left-lead canter without success. When the rider failed to correct the error, Janet rang the bell. The girl stopped, turned to Janet, and said, “Oh, my horse has not taken the left lead in ten years!”

Be secure with the criteria for the test you plan to ride. It is baffling to many judges that a rider will enter a show before the required elements are fairly well confirmed. If your horse cannot perform a single flying change that is straight, “through,” and clearly balanced at home in schooling, please don’t “practice” them in the show arena. I have seen riders walk through the entire piaffe-passage tour of the Grand Prix test. Scores will reflect this lack of preparation. [

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30 March/April 2020 | USDF CONNECTION

Remember: No coaching—ever! Coaching is coaching, regardless of whether you are the rider’s parent, trainer, or friend. Many years ago, while I was judging a First Level test, a woman came up behind the judge’s box and shouted, “Good job, Kimberly! Oh, that’s so good! Keep the bend! Sit up! Fantastic circle. You’re going to win!” I had no choice but to ring the bell and explain to the spectator that coaching was not allowed. She walked directly into the judge’s box and screamed, “I’m not her coach; I’m her mother!”

Learn to ride with an indepen-dent seat and hands to fulfill dres-sage’s potential as a beautiful, artistic, and mesmerizing sport. Without this independence, there can be no harmonious connection between rider and horse, and the beauty of our sport is lost. Without this connection, a dressage test becomes a five-minute conflict between horse and rider. If the rider is going against the mechan-ics of the gaits and is kicking and

pulling (usually at the same time), we judges tend to feel sorry for the horse, and this conflict can occasionally be so severe as to border on abuse. Obvious-ly, this failure of connection is a very easy way to lose points throughout the test and in the collective marks.

Nail the HaltYour initial entrance down cen-ter line can be impactful in a very positive way. The halt can be a high-scoring movement when it is ridden correctly and in balance, and it does not require fancy gaits to score well.

I have seen varying degrees of crooked, frantic entries, followed by abrupt halts that never are straight, immobile, or stabilized—all difficul-ties that will be reflected in lower scores. The rider must be sure that the horse stays straight on the center line. The horse should be attentive, motionless, and on the aids.

In our USDF L program faculty discussions, we all agree that a halt that is not perfectly square can still earn

a “fairly good” or higher score. If the rider guides the horse in a soft, round connection that remains immobile for three seconds, you can start and finish your test with quite good scores.

Partnership Pays OffYou can increase your dressage score if you put in the time required to know the rules, know your horse, and understand the key attributes of har-mony and connection that judges val-ue. Most important, remember that horses are intelligent and emotional creatures, and they go in response to how we ride them. Ride with respect, dedication, and affection, and you and your horse will reap the rewards.

USEF “S” dressage judge Sue Curry is a faculty member of the USDF L Education Program. She teaches and trains out of her Fairwind Farm in Santa Rosa, California, where she also breeds Oldenburgs.

The Judge’s Box