Horse Score
Extensive discussions on Horse Score, Technical Test and 1* Competitions
In-depth discussions concerning the Horse Score were, besides Technical Test and the 1* classes, the main topic of the FEI seminar held from 9th to 12th February 2006 in Bad Boll (GER) (see lead-in “Latest News”).
After the debates which had arisen around this matter at the European Championships last August in Verolanuova (Ita), all international judges and trainers attending this seminar took up the topic from scratch. The chairman of the FEI Dressage Committee, Marietta Withages, clarified the requirements concerning the canter in vaulting: the expected pace is working canter, as described in the FEI Rules for Dressage Events . Following new Guidelines for judging the Horse Score, based on a proposal made by Mrs Withages, the horses are expected to show a pace “between the collected canter and a medium canter, in which they are ready for collected movements, showing natural balance while remaining ‘on the bit’, going forward with even, light and active strides and good hock action.”
These Guidelines (also published among our “Latest News”) will be effective as soon as they will have been ratified by the FEI Bureau and published in the FEI Bulletin.
The main criteria of judgement will be: the regularity of the three beat rhythm with a clear moment of suspension, the lightness and steadiness of the contact with the line of the nose in front of the vertical and the “poll” as the highest point, the suppleness throughout the body and the elasticity, as well as the energy, activity, self-carriage, natural balance and uphill tendency of the horse.
Numerous examples have been discussed and analysed during the seminar in Bad Boll, and these two days of intensive work can be considered as an important step towards a more uniform and clear way of understanding and implementing the horse score worldwide.
In Technical Test the requirements for the roll-up mount, especially concerning the timing of the rotation of the vaulter around his lateral axis, were analysed in detail. It was highlighted that the “roll” rearways (which is not exactly a roll as defined in the Guidelines for Vaulting Judges, D. Fresstyle, 1.3.1., because not actually “in constant contact with the supporting surface”) must begin immediately after the jump off the ground. “If the roll movement has not been initiated before the centre of gravity reaches the level of the horse's back, the mount shall be scored zero. That means, if the vaulter has not started twisting his body in order to face rearways before having reached that height, this move will not be considered as a roll-up mount at all. The later that twist will be initiated and the less the axis of the rotation is parallel to the shoulder-axis of the horse, the lower the score will be. As stated in the clarifications to the Vaulting Rules (Appendix F. 1.1) presented in Bad Boll: if “the axis of the roll movement moves from horizontal to a rather vertical position, which entails a dislocation of the centre of gravity to the outside of the horse” this will be considered as a deviation from the optimal quality of the roll-up-mount.
Concerning needle sideways, it was recalled that ANY position of the hands other than described entails a deduction of 2 points, whether one hand is not flat on top of the pad/horse, or the other hand is not on top of one grip (or both).
In shoulderstand the focus was on the vaulter carrying his/her weight on the shoulder and not on part of the upper arm or back, for an optimal quality of the exercise.
Discussing rearways stand, it was recalled that, if any technical exercise is repeated during the freestyle, the second execution counts. So, if the vaulter (even unintentionally) stands rearways with both feet on the pad at some point (for example before his dismount) after having already shown this position as a technical exercise, this second execution will be scored as the technical exercise.
Vaulters were advised, generally speaking, not to put themselves in a situation where the judges can be in doubt if the vaulter is performing a technical exercise or not (they should for example rather stand in a different way before the dismount, with one foot on or behind the surcingle, etc…). For the future, the participants of the seminar were in favour of scratching the possibility of repeating a technical exercise during the Technical Test, in order to avoid misunderstandings of this kind.
Concerning 1* Team Compulsories, the main criteria and possible deviations were summed up and analysed once more, in order to point out the priorities in matters of technique. It was also recalled that in swing rearways+ dismount, there is no separate score for the dismount. Mistakes in the dismount will be deducted from the swing rearways.
In 1* Team Freestyle the number of counted static triple exercises was the main matter for debate, especially in cases where only one of the three vaulters on the horse executes a dynamic move, while the two others hold a static exercise. In order to clarify which moves are to be counted within the six allowed static triples, the Vaulting Committee has decided that this would be the case as soon as the centre of gravity of all 3 vaulters is not displaced in relation to the horse during a minimum of 3 canter strides.
New guideline for the horse score
Clarifications to the rules
For any further questions, don’t hesitate to contact us: office@vaultingclub.net
(C) 2006