Judging takeaways:
These are my opinions based off my experience, study, practice and knowledge of the sport.
Know your rules
Understand obstacle requirements
Your geometry being off says a lot to the judge about the effectiveness of your aids
Choose the course lines that work for your horse. Going into an obstacle with tension because the line was too short or approach incorrect for your horse will affect your obstacle score and your course navigation/ transition score.
Have fun! If you are too tense and anxious, your horse will be too. Enjoy the ride! Your horse didn’t ask to be there so don’t punish them if things don’t go as you planned.
Count your numbers as you go along. “I just finished 4, now on to 5”. This help prevent you from skipping obstacles.
Don’t wait to get in the ring until you are perfect. Perfect will never happen. Play with your horse where you are now. Enjoy the ride.
Build your partnership not your awards cabinet.
Big circles on the drums and figure 8 are easier but the rules require 3-4 meter circles to obtain the highest score. The level of difficulty you choose to perform at will depend on where your horse is. But large circles will not get high scores.
Judging Takeaways
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