(“. . .first she thought the score was a misprint. ‘)  

 Eventing Nation just posted a video of the highest scoring dressage test at a British horse trials. “Highest” like ever!  A -5.5. The ride performed by Carrie Skelton was in the equivalent of an American Training Level test.

The question at hand is was such a fantastic score deserved or a case of the judge forgetting to remove his rose colored glasses? Look for yourself. We have both the score sheet available and the video of the actual ride.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNp1PX6ri_o

Without a doubt it is a very nice ride. But are a slew of nine point fives and tens appropriate? I think at the very upper levels of pure Dressage the movements are complicated enough that it’s easier to parse subtle differences at the upper end of the scoring spectrum. It’s easier to recognize a 10 for a line of 15 one tempis than it is to accurately decide among 8.5, nine, 9.5, and 10 for a single flying change. The same goes for double pirouettes, zigzag half pass in the canter, piaffe, and passage.

Regarding this test the most telling comment comes from the rider herself who said first she thought the posted score was a misprint and was probably a 25.5. That would have been a bit stingy but not totally unrealistic. While judging several of our top American riders on their very exotic young horses I have seen comparable tests and not felt compelled to use the very highest numbers.

As an example just look at the last halt. Certainly it was Good — straight, square and all that, But for me a 10 halt is the horse is trotting and boom, it’s standing there like a statue. Just the fact that this horse stopped and then had to adjust his left front leg into place makes it not a 10 for me. Along those lines I have judged better movers than this one. If we give the highest scores here, what is left to award those horses?

What do you think?