FAQ: Do standardbreds score
lower in dressage?
From:
ChristineI
Sent: Tuesday, 25 April 2006 12:07 AM
To: info@colleenkelly.net
Subject: ADVICE
Dear
colleen
I own a standardbred
mare and I'm going to my first show next Sunday. Although I have
been riding for a very long time I have never done any of the shows and
competitions.
I
was devastated to hear
that many judges have a prejudice towards standardbreds. Is this true?
Many thanks,
ChristineI
______________________________________________________________
Dear Christine,
As far as prejudice (or getting lower marks) - the BREED
does not get marked down, however some breeds might have additional or
different paces that are not used in the sport s of dressage & showing.
Think of it this way...
Think of the judges as being “selectors” for the next year’s dancers
going into the Australian Ballet Company.
The prospective dancers
would have to be very correct in their technique & their steps (or
paces), fit, healthy, & strong enough to move
freely, showing no injury (impulsion). The selector would even
have to consider the dancer having an easy, trainable harmonious &
relaxed temperament to be successful at that level. And, yes,
selectors can be ruthless. You either pass or you don't.
And, that's just the dancer getting a PASS into the beginner's ranks.
That's not the winner!
And the real STARS of the ballet (or the winner of the
dressage competition) are the ones that are so light & free they make
even the most powerful leaps & jumps in the air look like they are the
simplest & easiest thing in the world. It doesn't look
HARD...the dancer is smiling and it looks so EASY.
It's not JUST standardbreds...
In dressage or showing, if an Andalusian shows a "Spanish Walk" (no matter how
beautiful!), or a Standardbred shows a trot that's not in diagonal
pairs, or an Icelandic shows a "Tolt", or a Tennessee Walking Horse
shows a different kind of walk, or a western horse shows a lope in the
canter, then it's like the ballet dancer doing a TAP DANCE in their SWAN LAKE
audition.
Nothing wrong with tap dancing, it's just not going to get to pass your
audition for Swan Lake!
We are ONLY allowed to show:
-
Four Walks:
a) Free Walk,
Medium Walk, Extended Walk, Collected Walk
-
Six Trots: a) Working Trot, Medium Trot, Extended Trot,
Collected Trot, Piaffe, Passage
-
Four
Canters:
a) Working Canter, Medium Canter, Extended Canter, Collected Canter.
So, no matter what the breed, if they show an additional or different
pace, THEN they will be marked down.
Standardbreds can GAIN marks - in 2 ways
A
standardbred can GAIN points in at least two ways I can think of:
1. With their temperament leading to good submission
marks. 2. If he standardbred keeps diagonal pairs - and they
don't "rush" - they can have an extended trot that could
really
get GREAT marks!
Who is right? My personal advice....
My advice is to always keep re-reading the rulebook (it gets updated all
the time) on the EFA website. All the information & rules on paces is
there for you FOR FREE! Then, rather than just listening to
friends & locals, you are getting the CORRECT information using the
exact book the judges use.
The rule book is very easy for riders to understand (even has pictures!), and if
you follow that rule book to the letter, then you're giving the judges
exactly what they are trained to look for
I
really hope I’ve helped,
Very best wishes,
Colleen Kelly
