Reflection on The International Dream Program

Embarking on this journey to Germany to watch the European Dressage Championships, I was not anticipating to become so close with the other 3 participants. I never expected that we would bond so quickly, or that we would have so much fun… We couldn't have asked for a better group! Being from all over the country, from Alaska to Chicago, didn't make a difference since we all share an immense love for horses and a passion for the sport of dressage. 

A photo of the group with Kyra Kyrkland 

 With my blog I have focused on the educational aspects of the trip, however it is of large importance to recognize something grand the Dressage Foundation and the International Dream Program did; they helped establish relationships for the future generation of dressage by linking us together in this unique experience. We were able to share our love, and as Michael Poulin had hoped, the trip certainly ignited our dream of being the best riders and trainers we can be. With all the knowledge gained from the trip, we were able to come home and begin sharing what we learned with others in our community and applying what we learned to our riding. 

There are not enough words to express how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to be a part of this program. The Dressage Foundation's International Dream Program is a once in a life time experience that I will forever remember.  

Missed Notes: Freestyles and The JSP

Creating a Great Freestyle with FEI 5* Judge Katrina Wuest

Left to right: Annie Morris, Jennifer Foulen, Rosie Simoes, Katrina Wuest, Sadie Lahey, Sarah Cohen, Charlotte Bredahl

Fundamentals

•  Good riding and execution is first and foremost
•  For an inexperienced horse or rider, don’t over choreograph… better to keep it simpler that overly complicated
•  Good choreography must fit the horse, demonstrate the highlights of the horse, and not place emphasis on the weak points. Ex: If the horse has a weak walk, show it walking away from the judge.

Choreography

•  Make sure it is not test like, that it is unexpected yet organized

•  Work to combine elements and not isolate movements. It increases degree of difficulty and makes for interesting choreography. (Ex: Medium canter to a simple change for a second level horse)
•  Show things more than once! It can improve technical scores and will increases degree of difficulty

Music

•  Fits paces, fits picture and appearance, fits type of horse, and takes the judges into account

• Fun, recognizable music stays in you head. Must make the judges dream and spark emotional response.

The Judges Supervisory Panel

Left to right: Annie Morris, Sadie Lahey, Rosie Simoes, Charlotte Bredahl, Mary Seefried, Sarah Cohen, Jennifer Foulen 

Relatively new to the sport of dressage and unknown by many is the Judges Supervisory Panel, or JSP.  Lucky for us, we were able to gain insight on the responsibilities of this panel from one of the members of the panel at the European Championships, Mary Seefried. 

What is the JSP?

The JSP is a devise which is used in a lot of sports with semi-subjective judging. It is used to keep the sport fair for the riders and judges and helps prevent errors. "We are all human, we all make mistakes. It's a safety net for judges and riders," explained Mary. The JSP can change individual marks on movements up or down depending on the situation. It is a high pressure job as all marks must be finalized before the next rider enters the arena!

What does the JSP do? 

She continued to explain the panel consist of usually 3 members, 1 trainer and 2 judges, that each are responsible for different tasks; one watches a monitor with the scores coming in from the judges, one watches the arena where the test is live, and one watches a monitor with the live test. The collaborate to notice discrepancies in the judges scores in relation to the test. Only if there is a discrepancies of 2 or more points on a movement between judges, then the panel can change the score. 

When can they change a score mark? 

Scores can only be changed on the more technical elements of the test and cannot be changed for quality reasons. For example, scores can be altered if the rider made a counting error in a series of tempi changes, or in counting strides of the canter zig-zag. They can also change marks for discrepancies between judges on a flying change if it was late (behind, or in front), or if a combination did not perform enough piaffe steps. Marks cannot be changed on a basis of quality, for example an extended trot ect. Marks cannot be made lower than the lowest mark given from one of the judges.   

Important to Remember…

The Judges Supervisory Panel is a part of the team of judges sitting around the arena, even though they are stationed in a different area. It is not there role to judge the competition, however it is their job to help make the sport as fair and honest as possible.