Worldwide competitor and coach Pammy Hutton FBHS shares her ideas on judging, rollkur and the draw back of social media
Who else noticed variations within the judging on the Nationwide Championships? Even accounting for judges seeing assessments from totally different positions, have been the inconsistencies too massive and too frequent?
In some circumstances, in fact, these discrepancies may have been reviewed. However on the nationals, one would possibly anticipate higher spreads than second to twenty third, second to twentieth (twice), first to seventeenth, first to twentieth, first to fifteenth and fifth to twenty ninth.
In my e book, to attain the highest or second-best mark from one choose after which be positioned twentieth is a big differential. One’s practically a winner, the opposite out with the washing.
Maybe one answer is for judges to have extra periods with skilled trainers who’ve produced horses by means of from younger horses to grand prix degree? Continuously including to at least one’s information portfolio is vital to figuring out the basics of appropriate dressage.
However, on the finish of the day, judges are solely human. Does fear abound over the ever-present menace of bullying on social media – particularly if a choose’s alleged “darling” partnership wins? Does style come into it? Or an inherent want for recognition?
I even heard from a very good supply that if one marked between a 6.5 and seven.5, one acquired into little hassle. Solely bloopers get marked down and brilliance up; in any other case, play it protected.
I used to be shocked at this gem but it surely might clarify what’s occurring. To be a choose at the moment is a satan of a job. It’s additionally one of the essential tasks in our sport – the one wherein dressage’s future lies.
Overbent and over-deep
What will be carried out in regards to the thorny topic of rollkur – using horses overbent and over-deep?
I attempted to discover a definition of rollkur from the governing our bodies. It’s unimaginable! So how will we assess all these phrases that quantity to hyperflexion? Why is there no point out of the specifics within the FEI rule e book?
Properly, blow me down, many years in the past I attended a conference the place a widely known worldwide dressage rider taught us all how and why to do it.
I wrote down their phrases on the time: “You pull and don’t give till they offer.” The image of their horse kissing its chest is etchedon my reminiscence as we had it defined that this was the entire reply to dressage coaching.
I by no means tried it out. I made a decision as a substitute to stay with what I’d at all times been taught; that the artwork is within the give, not within the take.
In the present day, there’s new hope. Tight necks are being marked down. And at the very least nosebands may have uniformity with the newly launched taper measure. It’s a begin…
The “how younger is just too younger to start out horses” debate additionally continues to rumble on, and rightly so.
It’s all too simple to swoon over beautiful three-, four- and five-year-olds who appear like potential grand prix gold medallists. However logic tells us that for longevity we can not anticipate horses whose joints and ligaments haven’t but matured to be ridden jacked up and able to win.
Effort wants to enter normalising an acceptable manner of going – just like the judging of younger horse courses being much less on flash motion and extra on conformation and rideability.
Harassment on-line
If I might clone myself, I’d go into full-time examine of the right way to educate the social media platforms a lesson through the regulation courts.
It can’t be proper that somebody can lie, harass, slander and destroy folks on-line with out sanction.
I wish to see the individuals who do that banned from social media. It’s time the platforms who management the medium turned accountable.
There are a whole bunch of untruths freely posted. Some trigger deep upset and are simply lies. I’ve coped however, sadly, so many don’t.
In fact, I’m removed from the one individual attacked. I exploit my instance as I’m incredulous that social media seemingly has no guidelines, and that persons are allowed to be so merciless.
● What adjustments would you wish to see in how courses are judged? Tell us at hhletters@futurenet.com, together with your identify, nearest city and nation, for the possibility to your letter to look in a forthcoming challenge of the journal
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