>>> If it was a FIPO dressage class then the rider wrote her own test.
Huh? Fipo ALLOWS the rider to write their own test? For the low levels that Icelandic's are capable of? That is just sooo foreign to me, in the context of dressage. The purpose is not supposed to be simply to execute certain "maneuvers." The judging is supposed to be on the accuracy of the test, the quality of the gaits, and certain other basic dressage tenants, like, forward, straight, supple, etc. In the first place, how on earth could a judge possibly know if the test is accurate, if the test isn't established? The judge would have to be concentrating on following the ever-changing pattern, and it's not humanly possible to watch for accuracy...if you don't know the definition of accurate ahead of time! That's why the tests stay constant for years in FEI and USDF dressage. And of course, that allows the naive, newbie rider to attempt patterns that are just too demanding and too stressful for the horse...as was shown in the YouTube example Judy linked to. That's just wacky to me, to call that dressage. Sure, competitive USDF/FEI dressage has had some less-than-idea fads crop up over the past couple of decades, but the PREMISE is that the sport is that the sport should take time to learn, and is supposed to look ahead for the horse's long-term soundness. Allowing riders to make up their own tests just throws that idea totally out the window. I really don't think FEIF (the Icelandic organization) has any business having "dressage" classes, if they are so out of touch with the basic premise of the sport. Call it something else if you must allow it, but it's not dressage. The definition of dressage is not "fancy footwork." Karen Thomas, NC
