>>>> I told her that was true but the ribbons don't really tell the story--it's the score and her's were only a couple marks lower so she didn't do bad at all.
Absolutely. It SHOULD be that the rider is competing with herself only, going for sort of a "personal best." >>> In Test A she received an overall score of 56.67 and in Test B she received 57.14. The scores are a percentage out of 100, but it's nothing like grades in school for instance - a 70% or above is very unusual. Those are very respectable scores for her and Gat - she can be proud. I think the general rule in competition is that when you consistently score in the mid-60's, you're ready to move to the next level. She's a 10-year-old girl and just made her dressage debut on a gaited pony. If they got scores in the upper 50's that's nothing to sneeze at. Good for them! >>> What lowered her scores was when Gat broke into her 'other' gaits a few times and their circles were not round. Round circles are not easy. She's not the only one who's ever been penalized for eggs, or squares instead of circles. In this show, did the judge give her a comment card? I like that part of dressage showing, where you can see exactly what the judge thinks you need to work on, and what you did right. Hunter shows are much more subjective, so sometimes it's hard to know exactly what to work on afterwards. As for breaking into the "other" gaits....well, who do you think has the most comfortable riding pony for pleasure riding... :) >>>> Overall I think they did great, they had fun, and the day was a success! I'm glad they had fun. They sure looked nice in their show attire. Good job braiding. :) Karen Thomas, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.8.0/818 - Release Date: 5/25/2007 12:32 PM
