90.7% What do you think?

I can say that this is an amazing ride. I can also say that I enjoyed watching it, and I put it in my favorites on my account at Youtube. :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_FDK04vXaI

I wonder, now that we have broken through the "glass ceiling" of 90% (it wasn't that long ago that 80% was unimaginable), if we are going the way of other olympic judged events (I am thinking of ice-skating, gymnastics and diving, for instance) that we will soon have to re-think our scoring system....because after 100%, where do we go?

Now, before you start thinking, "well that won't happen, because how often do you see a perfect ride?", remember--a score of ten does not mean it is "perfect"; a score of ten means it is "excellent"...and we don't even have the luxury of tenths of points (yes, I know--halfpoints for freestyle) It is not just semantics. There are real consequences to approaching 100% scores, and there are widespread ramifications. I wonder if anyone at the FEI organizational level is thinking about this--I wonder if our FEI judges are thinking about this?

But then, watch the video, and ask yourself--"where would I have taken away points?" I understand the score, and agree with it when it is judged against our current standard and methodology, but this is what begs my question in the first place.

My Arabian Dressage Horse

This was my first serious dressage competition horse. She was a purebred Arabian mare, and for you Arab owners and lovers, she was an Ivanhoe Tsultan daughter out of a pure Crabbet mare. For those of you who are not familiar with Arab bloodlines, she had really good breeding for dressage.

She was lovely, and I had her for 14 years. I actually saw her for the first time two years before I bought her, and her initial trainer had her earmarked to be a western pleasure horse, and even had shown her a couple times in "maiden" western pleasure classes, with a bit of success, but he also was a good enough trainer that he followed the training scale principles, even though he had probably never heard of it.

But when I tried her, I knew she had the qualities I was looking for....she was forward, and calm, and naturally pretty balanced for an Arab. I was actually looking more for the breeding than what kind of training the horse had. She also had an awesome disposition. She was an amazing horse. She would go anywhere, preferred the company of humans over horses, was bonded to me wholeheartedly, she was great at shows, didn't mind being by herself, calm, trusting, willing, and had so much "try" in her, that I swear she would do anything.

This is the horse that I could let loose to graze and would stay around the house before we had fencing, looking through the windows every now and then to make sure we were still around; would lower her head for a small child to put the bridle on; knew when a person had a learning or physical disability and would adjust herself to accomodate that person in whatever way they needed; would puff up in the show arena and bang out a relaxed and flawless test after just almost getting run over by the 17hh fire-breathing-dragon in the warm-up ring (and best that ruddy-warmblooded-horse, just for good measure LOL); who would give true collection and self-carriage to a student, if she sensed that is what they were trying for, even if the aids were not quite there, but would absolutely not transition from walk to trot if she felt that the rider could not balance, even if they were giving the aids for that transition....I could go on and on. She was self-assured, but incredibly generous to her humans. And that is an inherent trait in Arabs. I love them for that. A well-trained Arab is the consummate amateur's mount. They are intelligent, and sensitive, and generous of nature. They can do anything pretty well, and some things they can do better than anyone. :-)

I still miss her. She was put down in 2004, just after the hurricanes (which she weathered with the grace and courage that made her who she was) due to complications from Cushings Disease, and she is buried in her front pasture.

"Other" breeds in Dressage

I have ridden, trained, and/or owned many different breeds and types of horses. I have also ridden and/or competed in many different disciplines. I won't list them all, but suffice it to say that in everything, the underlying principles of riding have been the same.

I believe (and practice) the same principles of riding and training the horse, no matter what breed or type it is, for the foundation of the horse's training. No matter what the horse will specialize in, the foundation is built according to the Training Scale guidelines (or pyramid, as some call it) of the USDF and the German FN, up through about third level (single flying changes and all lateral movements).

This has served my horses well, so the (what I call) standard principles of training carry over into all types of competition, and across all saddle-type breeds (walk/trot/canter breeds, that is--the gaited breeds need special consideration in the training scale, and will specialize much earlier in the training process, and I do not have much experience with them at all).

But, do all breeds carry over into dressage competition with the same consistency? In other words, is it a level playing field in dressage competition for all breeds? The one-word answer is "no". The qualifier is "with the same consistency". And it has nothing to do with not liking a particular breed on the judge's part. Dressage judges judge according to an ideal standard of quality and training, which are outlined in the USEF rules for dressage. And dressage judges, in my experience, have been the most educated, methodical, and fair group of judges among ALL the disciplines.

ALL 3-gaited breeds and types--they don't even need to be breed-registered, are (and should be) able to compete in dressage competitions, but when it comes to dispersing more favorable scores and awards, there is a component of judging that separates the breeds that are developed specifically with the sporting disciplines (dressage, jumping) in mind from those breeds developed for other purposes (flat racing, endurance, sprinters, pulling, etc.).

That component is quantified in the first of the collective scores (Gaits), but it is also the underlying theme throughout all of the figures and movements of the entire test. It is more than "gaits". It is the quality of those gaits, and it goes to the genetic physical and psychological type.

These (yes, I am talking about the warmbloods) breeds are developed with an "uphill" conformation that makes it easier to shift their point of balance back for greater collection, and move freely through their backs and shoulders; they have large open joints that make elasticity and collection easier for them; great strength through their loin areas, as well as other physical attributes that have been proven to be desirable specifically in the sporting disciplines.

We hear about "rideability" a lot in descriptions of the warmbloods, which speaks also to the psychological attributes of the horse allowing himself to be guided in all sorts of contortions, and remain calm and relaxed (this is quantified in the "submission" score in the collectives), and to not resist the rider. The horse gives himself to the rider; body and spirit and accepts the rider's guidance completely. These are the ideals that are in the forefront of the breeders' philosophies.


Other light horse breeds have been developed with other factors more in focus--run fast, jump high, be brave/bold (Thoroughbreds), think on its own, crouch down and pivot (quarter horses), pull heavy loads, take small steps and push weight through the chest (drafts), etc. Which is not to say that those breeds don't possess any amount of the same qualities that the warmbloods do--it is just that the emphasis of the physical and psychological aspects are different.

And that is one reason that ALL breeds can and should "do dressage"--(refer to my previous post from 7/25/09 "Is it REALLY dressage"), the "other breeds" will have a more difficult time winning in dressage competition against the warmblood types, all other things being equal. Of course there will be exceptions that prove the rule, and when it all comes down to it, TRAINING is key. If you spend the time necessary to develop a solid foundation on any breed or type of horse, you will get your share of the ribbons, and the scores as well.

I have found that the key to riding an "other breed" in dressage competition and winning is in the quality of the correct training that can garner enough points to win more and higher scores and ribbons in competition against the warmbloods--technically correct, well-ridden, and total focus by the partnership on each other makes a formidable presentation.

Just know that you have to be patient, and get help from a trainer/instructor that has experience with the breed you are working with. The journey is much easier if you have quality help.