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The USDF ‘L’ program is the first step to becoming a Dressage Judge. The two-part ‘L’ program will take about one year to complete if run consecutively. Part 1, “A Judge’s Perspective,” consists of Session A, “An Introduction to Judging and Biomechanics”; Session B, “Judging Criteria for Gaits, Movements, and Figures”; and Session C, “Collective Marks, Equitation, Rider Biomechanics, and Basics”. Part 2, “Candidate’s Evaluation,” consists of Session D1, practice judging full test training level through second level tests at recognized shows, and Session D2, which is like D1 with emphasis on testing situations to prepare for the final exam. The final exam consists of a written and practical exam. Part 1 of the ‘L’ program is open to candidates as well as auditors. Part 2 is only for candidates. All candidates who pass the ‘L’ program are qualified to judge dressage schooling shows. Candidates who pass the ‘L’ program with distinction are eligible to apply for the USEF ‘r’ judging program.

On November 2nd and 3rd, 2024, DVCTA held Session A of the ‘L’ program. Debbie Rodriguez was the presenter. Saturday’s lecture was held at the New Bolten Center in Kennett Square, PA. The morning started with an introduction to judging. This included knowing and staying current on the rules, the length of time you are allowed to judge in one day, and how to conduct yourself in the judge’s box. Debbie offered her personal experiences including to be careful what you say to your scribe as your words can and will be taken out of context. As the judge it is your responsibility to keep the dressage ring safe, for example, if you see a loose horse in the ring next to yours you should stop your rider’s test until the horse is caught. You are also responsible for the horse’s well fair. If the horse is lame or you see blood anywhere on the horse, you must blow your whistle to stop the test and eliminate the rider.

Judging Methodology is the system every judge uses to arrive at the final score for each test move. The system consists of “B” = Basics/Biomechanics, “C” = Criteria of the exercise, and “M” = Modifiers. The Basics, did the purity and quality of the gaits remain consistent? The Criteria, did the horse and rider perform the move as defined in the USDF rule book? The Modifiers are used to raise or lower the score, for example, did the horse perform the move in balance with the correct amount of bend for the level?

● The formula is expressed as: (B+C) +/- M = Score

The judging scale consists of scores ranging from 0 (move not executed) through 10 (Excellent) with each score in between. For example, 6 (Satisfactory) means you performed the basics and criteria of the move as described in the USDF rule book. To earn a 7 (Fairly Good) for the same move you would meet the criteria with better connection and balance. For dressage shows, you can also use half points.

As a judge, you want to give comments that match your score. Your comments should be helpful to the rider without instructing them how to fix the move.

Sunday morning was also at New Bolten Center. Debbie Rodriguez showed videos of dressage tests asking the candidates to score the horse’s gaits as low, medium, or high based on the rhythm and tempo at the walk, trot, and canter. Debbie Rodriguez showed a slide of a sumo wrestler vs. a ballerina which I found very helpful. She explained that if the horse moves with his four legs at their widest, the rider will have little influence, but if the rider works to narrow the horse’s base by bringing the hind legs more under the center of the horse, they can perform the moves for higher scores.

Sunday afternoon was spent watching horses and riders at the Stables at Fox Crossing Farm. There were training level, first level, and second level groups of 3 to 4 horses each. Debbie Rodriguez asked the riders in each group to walk, trot, and canter, allowing the candidates to compare and score each horse’s gaits as low, medium, or high. She then had one rider at a time perform a move from each level, for example, the first level group showed a leg yield, again having the candidates compare and score the moves. At the end of each group, one rider rode a complete test.

DVCTA held session B of the ‘L’ program on January 11th and 12th, 2025. Kathy Rowes presented. Discussions for session B included: the Purpose of the training through second level tests, criteria of the gaits and movements, giving accurate comments that address what is happening in the arena and match your score, and giving comments that are constructive using appropriate vocabulary.

Saturday and Sunday morning sessions were held at the New Bolten Center. Scorecards with numbers 1 through 10 and .5 were provided for each candidate. On Saturday, Kathy Rowe showed videos of horses performing the moves for Intro through the first level test and the candidates held up the score they would give. Amer some discussion, Kathy would give her score. Second level is the first time horses are required to show collection and uphill balance; it was the topic for Sunday Morning.

Kathy Rowes broke down steps for judging the turn on the haunches as this is one of the most difficult to judge. First, deal with the legs, do they stay active with the correct rhythm? Second, deal with the bend, is it in the correct direction? Third, deal with the size of the turn on the haunches as it can be up to 1 meter in diameter.

Saturday afternoon’s training and first level demo were held at the Stables at Fox Crossing Farm. The horses and riders were exceptional. The candidates used their score cards to judge the moves along with supplying comments.

Sunday afternoon’s second level demo rides were also held at the Stables at Fox Crossing Farm. The candidates did an amazing job of judging with many agreeing with Kathy Rowe’s scores.

Session C of the ‘L’ program, “Collective Marks”, was held March 8th and 9th, 2025 by DVCTA. International Judge Mike Osinski was the presenter. Saturday started with a video of Mike Osinski judging the 2024 Paris Olympics and wonderful stories of how judging dressage has taken him worldwide, judging the best of the best.

Saturday’s lecture was held at New Bolton Center. The theme was Collective Marks and final comments. The Collective Marks reflect the individual moves throughout the test. Mike Osinski explained that if your scores for the individual moves are 6 to 7, you wouldn’t give an 8 for the Gaits score. The same applies for the Submission score; if the horse was resistant and above the bit on several moves scoring 5 to 6, your Submission score will also be 5 or 6. Amer watching a video of a pony at training level who appeared to be cruising around the test performing the moves, Mike asked for the Submission score. Then he explained the pony wasn’t submissive as the rider hadn’t asked for the moves. I found this to be an eye-opener.

Impulsion is the desire to move forward, elasticity of the steps, suppleness of the back, and engagement of the hindquarters. Indicators of Impulsion are articulation of the hocks with over stride, freedom in the shoulders, and lightness of the front legs. Mike Osinski explained the difference between impulsion and running.

The Collective marks include 2 rider scores.

• Rider’s Position and Seat
• Rider’s Correct and Effective use of aids

Rider’s Position and Seat are the alignment, stability, weight placement, along with the rider’s ability to follow their horse’s movements.

Rider’s Correct and Effective use of aids includes an independent and stable seat and legs. Geometry and accuracy of the test are included in this score.

Sunday was the time to apply the lessons learned on Saturday. Demo riders and horses rode training, first, and second level tests. Amer each test, the candidates took turns giving their scores and comments for each move, the Collective marks, and the final comments.

Thank you DVCTA for the opportunity to audit the “L” program. This was a wonderful and educational experience. I recommend it to all dressage riders.

Judge’s Forum and FEI Trainer’s Conference

by Ange Bean

Sometimes I feel like my dressage education is an add-a-bead necklace. I take lessons, I ride and audit clinics, and I observe riders, and each educational opportunity gives me a new pearl to add to my chain. In the weeks since the Judge’s Forum and FEI Trainer’s conference in West Palm Beach and Loxahachee FL, I’ve found my teaching and riding sprinkled with the pearls I gleaned from my trip.

The first pearl was for me. The major reason I make the trek down each year is to re-set my standard. Winter in PA creates a challenge—how do I keep my standard high throughout the long months of riding alone? During the summer, I can sit ringside at shows, observing the JJ Tates of the world, and let my cognitive learning skills do their magic. I watch skilled rider’s body alignment, quietly effective aids, and the volume of their corrections. This information worms itself into my brain, and my mounts respond. But the magic doesn’t last forever, so by mid January, 12 weeks after our last show, my training was feeling a bit stale.

After two days of watching 7 CDI Level riders, including such names as Canada’s WEG rider Karen Pavicic on her up-and-coming mare Beaujolais, and Beatrice Marienau aboard her Nation’s Cup mount Stefano 8, develop their horses, my internal dressage eye is reset, my brain is working out new training ideas, and my arena time now feels much more inspired.

Venus was the recipient of the next pearl. She often comes into the arena a touch on the unresponsive side. For her, the pearl came from Alexandra du Celliee Muller’s lesson on her mount, Rumba. I watched as Alexandra tried to subtly, tactfully bring Rumba more in front of her aids, and how that made her seat more and more crooked, just like happens to me on Venus. Then, as the clinicians Lilo Fore and Hans Christan Matthiesen encouraged her to get a better reaction, Alexandra gave him a strong (but not ugly) correction, to which Rumba splattered forward, dropped his poll, and lost the collection. Ah, Venus and I know this pattern well.

Lilo gave cooking advice that clearly resonated with Alexandra. She described cooking soup, and how when the soup needs salt, you don’t come in with the entire bag, because if you get the soup too salty, it’s tough to fix it. Instead you add salt, you taste it, and then you add more if needed.

Was the result magical? I’d be lying if I said Lilo’s words made a 100% turnaround, but it did make a difference, in not only Rumbas balance, but Alexandra’s straightness. Lilo made clear to all of us, riders, judges, and auditors, that this is not a quick-fix problem. And, of course, as horses are apt to do, Rumba set out to prove Lilo wrong – he came in on day two more uphill and more prompt in his responses.

Slingshot also received a pearl, this time from Dana Fiore’s lesson on So Special. So Special wanted to come short and deep in the neck, putting too much weight on his shoulders, which affected his suspension. Dana applied the clinician’s corrections to “show him the way up” through variations in shoulder in– the two that made the biggest difference were trot-walk in shoulder in, and varying the angle of shoulder in while maintaining the same bend. Throughout the ride, So Special’s trot gained more and more airtime.

My students and I all received a pearl from Karen Pavicic’s lesson on Beaujolais and Debbie Hill’s lesson on Cartier, a 9-year-old Dutch Harness Horse (who, incidentally, at one point in his career came through New Holland horse auction). Both horses were big, powerful moving horses, with a ton of bounce in their gait, and a tendency to carry their heads high. The corrections – focusing on hands going with seat bones in the canter, connecting calves to the bouncy horse, and making collection changes in small increments to help the horse understand to use their hips instead of their neck, keep getting repeated in my home sandbox, both to myself and my students.

Like an add-a-bead necklace, each pearl I gain creates a more complete string of knowledge on how to better develop horses and riders in this beautiful sport.

Boyd Martin Clinic

by Karen Clark Rubin

I was pleased to attend a clinic with Boyd Martin with help of a DVCTA scholarship the week between Christmas and New Years in Unionville.

The clinic was sponsored by the Cheshire Pony Club and I organized it.

Boyd started each session by speaking with individual riders about their horses age and level of experience. The groups were organized by experience of the horse and rider and split with adults riding together and kids in their own groups. Flatwork started each group and there was an emphasis on rider position and how it affects the aids. The horses were asked to go forward, back and bend. The riders were given tips on how to achieve this and we discussed why it is important to do these things. Boyd kept things fun for all and we started with grid work after the flat. There was an exercise at one end of the arena of rails on the ground in a curve. This was with a bounce distance for more experienced pairs and a one stride for less experienced. The rails were raised to X’s then verticals. Gradually we added a fence and a bending line to the exercise. Another exercise that day was riding a two fence combo with a forward or waiting entrance to achieve a four or five stride distance between the two fences. There was finally a grid in the center of the arena that we started as an X. Concentration for the group was having the right line, jumping in the middle and staying straight after the fence.

The second day was course walk with Boyd going over each step and what he would be thinking, what he would be asking, where he would be looking and why. There was shorter session of flatwork then we started jumping and gradually adding fences and finally jumping the course. The preparation paid off and everyone had a great time. It was a solid learning experience for all.

Unfortunately I have an old back injury and my youngster tripped in the curved fence exercise and triggered it. I was able to complete most of day one then Boyd did the final grid. I was only able to do the warm up on day two and my daughter finished it on my young horse. I was disappointed to not be able to finish but my horse was a star and I was thrilled with him.

Thank you DVCTA for the support in attending the clinic.

Sincerely,
Karen Clark Rubin

Riding with William Fox-Pitt

Sara Gartland

While clicking the submit button for my entry, I paused for a moment and thought, I really hope the weather holds.  November in Virginia can be beautiful sunshine or bitter cold rain, and the latter would not make for a fun weekend.  However, I pushed my weather concerns away with a second thought, I’M RIDING WITH WILLIAM FOX-PITT!

Early Thursday morning, we trailered over to Great Meadow and upon opening the truck door I could hear William already teaching lessons.  On my way over to the ring, I was met by the clinic organizer, Kelly Gage of Team Engaged Clinics, and a few of the wonderful clinic sponsors, Jeep, Musto Clothing, and Albion Saddlery.  I picked up my rider-goodies and quickly found a seat to watch the morning lessons.

Thursday was a dressage day for everyone, which would be followed by the riders’ choice of jumping or dressage for the following days.  From the novice packers, to the young event horses, to the advanced horses, William kept a consistent theme: the horses must be happily moving into a contact with both reins.  He asked most riders to post the trot (A huge relief for me!) in order to help the horses move freer and loosen up down the contact.  The only differences between the lessons were the movements schooled after the warm-up.  An advanced horse worked on adding expression to extensions and lead changes, a young training horse worked on lateral movements, and an experienced preliminary horse worked on finding better balance in the counter canter.  Throughout all of these different lessons, William asked riders to be accurate with their figures and their aides, to be riding from the leg into a happy contact, and to give the horse breaks at appropriate times.  During my lesson, I worked on transitions within the trot and canter to reinforce the idea of riding from my leg.  It should no longer surprise me that a half hour of very correctly running through simple figures with well-placed half-halts will drastically improve the quality of the movements.  However, this lesson and the ones that I watched served as a wonderful reminder of what can be accomplished with a happy horse that is moving off the leg.

Friday was my off-day since I only registered for two lessons.  After a tour of the Middleburg-Warrenton tack stores, I returned to Great Meadow to watch some show jumping lessons.  As I walked up to the ring, I was surprised to find that William had set what seemed to be a fairly simple course.  A triple combination was set on both quarter lines along with gently bending s-curve lines set across each diagonal that passed through parts of an X formed by four verticals in the center of the ring.  Each horse came to the ring warmed up, and William assessed their readiness by asking riders to jump several fences in the trot.  If the horses still seemed tense, he would ask the riders to stay in the trot while working into patterns that included a clover-like series of roll-back turns through the four jumps in the X.  He recommended that everyone school jumps in the trot at home to help the horses relax.  Riders could approach with a contact or with loose reins, but they could not be wishy-washy.  From there he spoke with riders and observed to find weaknesses to be worked on.  Each combination played with different striding in the lines, altering paths on the bending lines to add or subtract strides without necessarily changing the canter, and finding a happy contact for jumping.  By the end of the day, I was excited to jump!

Saturday was cross-country day, and the exercises from yesterday’s course had been altered to include skinnies, arrowheads, and corners.  Although I had not ridden the course the previous day, it seemed as though he set the lines on a more forward stride to reward a committed ride.  To help re-balance the horses after stepping out down a line, William set a double bounce on one of the quarter lines that could be jumped at the beginning or end of an outside line or bending s-curve.  This course immediately highlighted issues with straightness and forward riding in almost every pair, but that was the point.  Again, William asked riders to begin by trotting everything, especially the new odd-looking skinnies.  Then, he checked in with everyone’s experience and goals before sending us right into the course work.  I spent most of the morning worrying about two of the skinnies: one was a single barrel with a 6’ rail set across the top of it, the other was a 3’-ish by 3’-ish wooden box.  My novice horse had never seen anything like that, and I already knew that straightness was an issue.  William put my concerns to rest by adding wings and lowering the barrel so that I could start out by riding confidently forward.  Once we were jumping out of the right canter and staying straight at the lower height, William put the barrel back on end and raised the corner.  As with the other horses and riders, I wound up jumping a much bigger and more technical course that I had initially thought we were capable of, because he methodically built us up to the task.  He had us focus on the canter, the striding, the approach, and the connection so that the jumps just happened – regardless of what they looked like.  Everyone struggled, and William took care to explain that struggle was a good thing in small doses.  The mistakes and the issues point out what we need to work on, but he warned that we need to be careful to not undermine the horse’s confidence.  He practiced what he preached by pushing horses and riders to their limits momentarily and then sending them down a single line to regroup.  By the end of the day, I felt like I was ready to move up a level!

The experience of riding and learning from William Fox-Pitt is one that I will remember for a very long time.  He thoroughly enjoys teaching, and that was evident in every lesson.  On one of the days, he happily taught from 7am to 8pm!  I want to thank William, Kelly, and all of the sponsors for making this clinic possible.  Also, I’m not sure who called in the 60 degree days for November, but they were also much appreciated!

Klimke-Hassler Dressage Training Symposium October 29, 2016

Aneesa Romans

The Klimke-Hassler Dressage Training Symposium was held at Hassler Dressage at Riveredge, a lovely and expansive facility in Chesapeake City, MD. This event was a collaboration between American trainer Scott Hassler and German Michael Klimke, who have been friends for many years and often team up to coach one another. They stressed the value of having educated eyes on the ground, as that exposes new perspectives, which keeps standards high and training on the right track. In addition to their demonstrated prowess in the saddle, both men have experience working horses in hand, which is a key skill when teaching piaffe and passage. Several of the lessons incorporated in hand work, and it was interesting to see how the horses responded differently to the increased pressure. We were treated to a diverse range of experience levels, from a 5yo just starting to figure out flying changes, to a seasoned grand prix horse and his young rider aiming for U25 division.

The 10 pairs that kindly allowed us to watch their lessons were:
Eiren Crawford & Godot SFF (5yo KWPN g)
Kelly McGinn & Eureka (7yo KWPN g)
Katarina Antens-Miller & Adriano (8yo SWB g)
Ange Bean & BR Danny’s Secret (14yo ArabX m)
Jordan Rich & Ellert HB (7yo KWPN g)
Clare Green & Watson (12yo Hann g)
Melissa Vaughn & Awel (11yo KWPN g)
Sarah Thomas & Argo Conti Tyme (14yo Old g)
Cindi Wylie & Edelrubin (10yo Westfalen g)
Scott Hassler & Harmony’s Star Agent (10yo Old g)

Each lesson started with ample time for warm up in all three gaits. Michael’s warm up plan focused on having the horses active and stretching down to the bit as much as possible to loosen the entire topline, especially in the loin area behind the saddle. Scott mentioned that this isn’t the perfect warm up plan for every horse. More than one was a little too unsettled to start working in a completely free and relaxed manner, particularly in a new environment with almost 200 auditors packed at one end of the arena.

Scott worked with one horse that was particularly overwhelmed by the atmosphere. The horse benefitted from a more supportive ride past the audience. The rider employed what Scott called “coaching” aids to carry the horse past his source of anxiety. Scott then challenged the rider to return to using normal “training” aids as soon as possible. This meant dialing back the rein and leg aids a bit and asking the horse to carry himself with (hopefully) renewed self-confidence.

Scott’s point was that we should be checking in with our horse often when training, not just cruising along until we need to make a correction. The recommendation was to never go more than 6 strides without a half halt. When you’re coaching, they may need to be as often as every other stride. However, while we need to be pro-active, that doesn’t mean changing your ride in anticipation of an issue. The half-halts enable you to be in tune with your horse so you’re less likely to be surprised by a spook or shy and can address it in the moment. Half-halts also help prevent the rider from being talked into carrying the horse unnecessarily.

Scott cautioned that riders often make the mistake of looking for too much of an immediate difference in ‘feel’ after one half halt or transition within the gait. Instead we should think of each one as micro-adjustments, subtle balance shifts. The rider should not feel an abrupt change in each one. However, the ground person should easily be able to see the cumulative effect of a series of them; a more elastic, attentive, and expressive horse.

In the evening lecture, both Michael and Scott went a little more into their overarching training philosophies. They reiterated the need to consistently be firm but fair to give a young horse the best chance to develop, physically and mentally, into a top athlete. Although most of the lessons we watched were about addressing basics rather than specific test movements, Scott touched on his approached to training the “tricks”. The following are his four stages when starting a new movement:

i. Introduction/Exploration – Be playful and do not drill the movement

ii. Training – Be more persistent but give the horse plenty of time to process as they are sorting out a new way of using their bodies and developing the musculature to support it

iii. Maturing – Be fairly strict about getting a prompt and obedient response to aids that should be well established at this point

iv. Owning – Not only can you reliably execute the movement, it looks polished and effortless and you are capable of making smooth adjustments within the movement

Michael advocated for riders to gain a strong theoretical understanding of the sport by reading and studying classical horsemanship. He told the story how, after achieving top placings at world championships as a young man, he went to ride at the Spanish riding school in Vienna where they promptly stuck him on a lunge line without stirrups for the entire week. He described it as a good lesson in staying grounded and always working to strengthen your foundation, since that is what everything else has to build upon. Scott stressed that we need to be students of the horse, striving to seek understand from their point of view. Most training issues are from a lack of understanding or strength, not because of willful disobedience.

Thank you DVCTA for the opportunity to be reminded of how incredibly generous and tolerant our horses are. I came away from the day with a several new training tools, and renewed sense of responsibility to find the art within the sport.