World Dressage Masters Guide 2016

2016
WDM GUIDE
Global Dressage Analytics
ANALYSING JUDGE DECISIONS
WITH DAVID STICKLAND
58
The sport of Dressage depends crucially
on the education and knowledge of its
judges, on their ability to analyse the
performance before them, to measure
it against the scale of training and to
assign the correct score. This they
must do, observing multiple facets
of each movement and pace in a few
seconds, sign their name at the end of
the test and then move on to the next
competitor. The rider has the analysis
from the judge, the public sees the
winners and the ranking, but the judge
gets very little constructive feedback
or why their scores differ from their
colleagues or from the public perception
or what was good and bad. In the world
of Dressage we talk frequently of ways
to improve judging, of ways to build a
code of points, all of these have their
place and may come to fruition, in the
meantime Global Dressage Analytics
is working with the Dutch Equestrian
Federation, KNHS, to give their judges
feedback that can help them to analyse
and improve their own performance.
David Stickland