So you made it through your dressage test in one piece and felt like you did fairly well. However, you placed in the middle of the pack and would like to boost your test scores the next time around. But aside from the brief remarks the judge scrawled on the bottom of your test, you are not sure which areas you have the best chance of fixing the next time out. We asked Event trainer Carolyn Daughters, of Pinecroft Sport Horses in Middleburg, Virginia, what tips she gives her students about interpreting their tests. She frequently judges schooling or unrecognized dressage shows.
Daughters advises riders to read the purpose of the test first.
When a rider receives extremely low, or high scores, it is advisable to determine whether the rider is choosing to ride at a level appropriate to his or her current ability. Test geometry has been designed to encourage correct performance. Greater importance should be placed upon preparation, correctness and quality of the movements, rather than the gaits of the horse and exact execution of the movements at a specific marker. Horse and rider pairs are also scored for collective marks and it is important to understand what characteristics are considered in the scores. In the USDF Introductory Level tests, the horse's gaits are judged for freedom and regularity.