How judges evaluate the rider in the dressage tests. First in an occasional series.
By Jayne Ayers
This article is reprinted from the July/August 2024 issue of USDF Connection.
In the Collective Marks section of all of our national dressage tests, there are two score boxes for the rider. The first of these is for “position and seat.” What the judge assesses to determine this score are elements of equitation that are the foundation for effective communication with the horse. A correct, balanced, and independent seat is necessary for successful training and competition.
The test sheets list five directive ideas that the judge considers in formulating the collective mark for rider position and seat:
- Alignment
- Posture
- Stability
- Weight placement
- Following the mechanics of the gaits.
In this article, I’ll discuss the first directive idea: alignment.
Without correct alignment, the rider cannot develop independent balance. Too often, the reins or a gripping leg are keeping the rider aboard.
The classic illustration of a good seat depicts the rider from the side, with ear, shoulder, hip, and heel in a vertical line. Not every rider’s body fits the elegant lines of the ones in the drawings, but the same principles must apply if the rider is to find the balance and base of support needed to allow the aids to work correctly and independently.
Effects of horse conformation and saddle fit.
Both the conformation of the horse and the fit of the saddle are key to helping a rider achieve correct alignment. A person with short legs may find it a challenge to get those legs down and around a very wide-barreled horse. The saddle should place the rider’s center of gravity over that of the horse, and allow the rider to sit upright without using muscles to stay there. Judges frequently see saddles that have slid forward onto the horse’s shoulders, moving the rider too far forward to allow the horse to remain in longitudinal balance. If the saddle tips the rider forward or backward, they will be in a constant struggle to maintain a correct position. To feel the effect of a saddle that is tipping the rider backward, sit on a hard chair with your feet well in front of you, then try to stand. A rider whose saddle forces their balance toward the rear will undoubtably be relying on the reins for support. You should never feel that you need the reins to help you balance; nor should you feel that you’re being forced into an unnatural posture in order to stay vertical or to keep your heels under your hips.
Stirrup length.
Stirrup length is another key factor in finding and maintaining correct alignment. When I judge and teach clinics, I rarely see stirrups that are too short unless the rider is fresh from a jumping background. More often the stirrups are too long, which causes the rider’s lower leg to be either too loose or braced forward with the toes down. Stirrups are intended to provide a secure base of support for the leg. Correctly adjusted, they should allow the rider to keep the heel slightly lower than the ball of the foot so that the calf muscle is slightly taut, ready to apply the leg aids in a variety of places and pressures.
Vertical alignment.
Viewed from the rear, the rider’s spine should be vertically aligned over that of the horse at all times. Leaning in to steer or bend the horse puts the pair out of balance, with less-than-optimal results. The idea of “using” one seat bone or the other is important in the use of the aids, but it is not achieved by leaning.
Symmetry.
Both sides of the rider should match. It is very common to see someone riding with one leg further forward than the other, with one hand higher or at a different angle than the other, or with the torso rotated to one side. All of these position problems result in the rider’s giving the aids differently left and right. One of our goals in dressage is to make the horse equally supple on both sides, but this is impossible if the rider cannot operate the same way in both directions. Horses and riders are all born with left/right differences and asymmetries. The challenge of the training, like that of a ballet dancer, is to equalize the strength, mobility, and flexibility of the two sides. The rider must take the lead in achieving this. Ask a helper to take video or photos from each side while you ride so you can compare any differences in your position.
Arm, hand, and wrist position.
Correct alignment also includes a straight line from the rider’s elbow, along the bottom of the arm and hand, through the rein, to the horse’s mouth. Arm position affects the operation of the back and shoulders, both for strength and for the flexibility and control that together allow subtlety of communication with the seat aids. It is the length of the rider’s arms that determines the correct height of the hands above the withers. In turn, arm length, along with the rider’s body shape, determines the appropriate amount of space between the hands. Riders come in all shapes and sizes!
Hand and wrist position is very important in developing clear, subtle rein aids. To achieve a tension-free connection between arm and hand, the wrist must be nearly straight with only the slightest curve to the outside— never broken inward. The top of the hand forms a continuation of the outside of the arm. Why does this matter? This is the natural position of the arm and hand and one that allows the most relaxation of the muscles. Arms and hands in other positions are held there by muscular effort. Try walking with your arms swinging with the thumbs pointing toward your body and the knuckles pointing forward. You will feel a tension that isn’t there when you swing your arms in the normal way.
In the saddle, unnecessary tension often prevents the subtle use of the fingers and may interfere with the hand’s ability to gently follow the motion of the horse in walk and canter. From the correct position, the hand can be moved in a number of ways—with strength when required, but also with dexterity and subtlety. The knuckle of the thumb should always be the highest point when the arm and wrist are carried correctly. A wise trainer once described the correct hand as a cozy cottage with closed walls and a peaked roof. The fist should be lightly closed, with the tips of the fingers resting on the heel of the hand. This allows the rider to give a strong aid without pulling, to soften the contact very subtly, and to give a wide variety of aids in between, all without being visible. Another useful concept is that your hand should hold the rein as if there were a little bird’s egg in your fist and you want to neither drop the egg nor squash it. For riders whose hands tend to be like open hooks, practicing with a bird’s egg-sized pebble can be of help.
In future articles in this series, I’ll discuss the other “rider” directive ideas: posture, stability, weight placement, and following the mechanics of the gaits.
US Equestrian “S” and retired FEI dressage judge and USEF “R” sporthorse breeding judge Jayne Ayers, of Pewaukee, Wisconsin, has been a USDF L Education Program faculty member since the program’s inception. She is a member of the USDF L Program Committee and a former longtime member of the USEF Dressage Sport Committee.
