05/21/2026
Do you ever look at a dressage score sheet and feel a massive sense of disconnect?
You ride a test where your horse feels soft, relaxed, and genuinely balanced, but the scores are mediocre. Meanwhile, a flashy, tense, hyper-flexed performance walks away with the high marks. It’s one of the hardest pills to swallow for the conscientious rider, but it brings to mind the profound warnings in Charles de Kunffy’s "The Ethics and Passions of Dressage." Charles reminds us that classical dressage is a sacred art designed to liberate and elevate the horse, and yet the modern show ring all often enough commercializes the horse, rewarding superficial spectacle over true structural harmony.
When the mainstream standard shifts from classical artistry to a circus-like exhibition, modern judging criteria inevitably clash with long-term soundness. If a particular judge is looking for a forced, artificial frame and explosive, tense movement, then a lower score from that viewpoint isn't a failure. It’s a badge of honor. It means you refused to sacrifice your horse's physical and psychological well-being on the altar of competitive vanity. You chose your horse over a ribbon.
To be fair, this isn’t an indictment of the entire judging system. We are fortunate to still have many conscientious, deeply educated judges sitting a C. True keepers of the flame who recognize self-carriage, appreciate genuine relaxation, and will absolutely reward correct classical work when it crosses their path. The real test for us as riders is to remain steadfast regardless of who is sitting in the booth that day. We must be entirely willing to risk scoring poorly under a judge who rewards tension, while remaining deeply grateful when we encounter a judge who still protects the classical standard.
Don't let the score change your mind. It is the rider's absolute ethical duty to preserve the horse's health, longevity, and dignity. When you look across the warm-up arena, you know the truth... you wouldn't want to trade horses, or the inevitable long-term physical outcomes, with the rider on that high-scoring, "flashical" horse. So don't hope to trade scores with them, either. Not on that day, at least. Not under that particular judge.
We have to stay anchored in the passion and the principles that brought us to this form of horsemanship in the first place. Stick to your principles. Trust your process. And remember, as we strive to honor the classical traditions, that the horse is not just the object in this sport - he is the objective.
