At a certain point, you know the arena and the test well enough; the gain then no longer comes from memorizing, but from riding more deliberately the movements where the marks stay low. The judge's scoresheet is your most important resource for that: it tells you, movement by movement, where you're leaving points on the table, and which few improvements will lift your average fastest.
What the scoresheet tells you
The scoresheet is the completed test sheet you receive back afterward. Each movement gets a mark from 0 to 10 (with half points) and usually a short comment from the judge. At the bottom are the collective marks for things like gaits, impulsion, submission, and the rider's seat and use of aids.
Two things make the scoresheet more useful than just the final percentage:
- The comments often matter more than the mark. A 6 with "too flat" and a 6 with "slightly rushed" call for completely different fixes. The comment points the way; the mark only tells you how far you still have to go.
- The collective marks sometimes count double. In many tests, the final marks carry a coefficient (often ×2). Gaining half a point on "gaits" or "rider's seat" then delivers more than half a point on a single individual movement.
Lay the scoresheets from your last three to five starts side by side. A movement that consistently scores low, even with different judges, is a genuine weakness. A one-off dip at a single competition tells you less.
Read the scoresheet as a priority list
Not every low mark is equally worth working on. Roughly sort what you get back by return on effort:
| Type of movement | Return | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Collective marks (gaits, seat, aids) | High | Often carry double weight and affect the whole test |
| A movement that recurs several times (transitions, voltes) | High | One skill that costs you points in many places |
| A single movement with a low mark | Medium | A one-off gain, but concrete to practice |
| A movement already at a 7 or higher | Low | Lifting it further costs a lot of work for few points |
The rule of thumb: lift your sixes to sevens before you spend time on the difference between a 7 and an 8. The bottom of your test drags the average down harder than the top lifts it up.
Transitions: where most of the points are
In almost every test, transitions occur more often than any other movement — between gaits, within a gait (collecting and extending), and at the strike-off into canter and the transition back out of it. Precisely because they recur so often, a clean transition is the most efficient way to lift your average.
Where it usually goes wrong:
- Too late or too early at the letter. The transition should happen level with the letter, not before or after it. Ride the preparation a few strides earlier, so the horse changes gait exactly at the letter.
- Loss of outline or tempo. A horse that falls onto the forehand or speeds up during the transition costs marks both on the movement and on the general impression. Think of an active hindquarters carrying the transition, not pulling on the rein.
- Restlessness in the head. Changing gait shouldn't send the horse above the bit. Better a fraction more gradual than a sharp transition with the head thrown up.
Practice transitions separately from the test, at random points in the arena, so the horse doesn't start anticipating the sequence. Anticipation is a common pitfall: ride the test as a whole too often, and the horse starts striking off into canter before you've asked for it.
Preparing in the weeks before
Preparing a test is different from training a test. The individual skills — transitions, flexion and bend, lengthening — you train throughout the whole season. In the final weeks before a start, it's about fine-tuning and pacing.
A workable structure for the last two weeks:
- Split the test into blocks. Practice separate sections (for example the walk passage or the canter tour) instead of always riding the whole test. This lets you work specifically on the weak spots from your scoresheet.
- Ride the full test at most once. Riding it once in full to feel the rhythm is enough; do it more often and your horse starts learning the sequence too.
- Film a run-through. A recording shows things you miss from the saddle: a crooked center line, a volte that isn't really round, a transition that falls too late. Compare the footage with your most recent scoresheet.
- Build in rest. A horse that's been ridden into the ground in the days before a competition rarely performs better. Taper the workload toward the start day.
On the day itself: the difference between ability and showing it
A test worth a 7 at home often delivers half a point less at the competition, due to tension, a new environment, or just too little warm-up. A few things that narrow that gap:
- Warm up generously. A tense horse needs more time to become supple and responsive to the aids. Warming up too briefly costs you the first movements of the test.
- Ride the figures large and clear. A judge rewards a recognizable, accurately ridden figure. A volte that looks like a genuine circle and a transition that visibly falls at the letter score better than a vaguely correct execution.
- Look ahead. Looking toward the next letter keeps your lines straight and your timing on point — two things the judge notices immediately.
- A small mistake isn't a disaster. One weaker movement barely pulls the average down; riding on and putting the rest in cleanly is what actually protects your score. Keep breathing and carry on.
A mistake in the sequence costs a small deduction, not disqualification. If you lose your way, the bell often sounds again and the judge points out where to continue.
Class and level: not moving up too soon
Scoring higher and moving up a class aren't the same thing. A rider who moves up a class the moment the winstpunten (promotion points) allow it often trades solid sevens in class L — one of the mid-tier levels in the KNHS's B–L–M–Z–ZZ class ladder — for tight sixes in class M. For your average — and for how the ride feels — it's sometimes wiser to consolidate a class until the movements sit comfortably, rather than moving up the moment you're allowed to. The guide below covers when moving up actually makes sense.
The exact rules on coefficients, permitted tests, and the scoresheet format differ by class and can change. Always check the current version at knhs.nl or ask your instructor.
In short
- The scoresheet is your most important tool: the comments point the direction, the marks show the distance.
- Lay several scoresheets side by side; consistently low movements are genuine weaknesses, one-off dips aren't.
- Lift your sixes to sevens first, and pay attention to the collective marks that often count double.
- Transitions recur most often and therefore offer the biggest gains — practice them separately from the test to prevent anticipation.
- Preparing is about pacing: practice in blocks, film a run-through, and build in rest before the start day.
See also: Riding Your First Dressage Test · When to Move Up a Class · Level: Competing more seriously