I HAVE seen them scored too high. Not consistently, but it does happen. And sometimes the scores are available - some of the CDIs are publicly posted. Some of the shows have scoreboards with running scores, or with live running commentary.
As usual, this is useful discussion - some of us are schooling, or showing this movement!
You realize that judges are not robots. It can happen, but all the ones Iāve scribed for were adamant to give points where they found it was warranted.
Also, what āyouā consider as scored too high might not reflect the ārealityā (what the judge sawā¦ or not)
And I donāt deny what you sawā¦ it does happen. Not often, but it does.
When at B or E or M, sometime the judge at C doesnāt wait much for the other judges to finish writingā¦ they ring the bell and the other judges miss the entranceā¦ So yeahā¦ Iāve seen that tooā¦ as a scribe, I was asked āhow was it?ā so I described itā¦ my judge gave an āaverageā markā¦ and compared it with the final haltā¦ It goes pretty fast sometimes.
Maybe Mondo is in a region where judges are not good tooā¦ It could be that.
Could you describe what you sawā¦ and donāt give the score, we could try to score it! 
my personal experience with canter halt transitionsā¦ just rode 4th level yesterday and have ridden some beforeā¦ When I have a bad feeling about the entry I usually get a low score, if I have a good feeling I usually get a good score. So I personally (from my experiences) would not agree that judges score bad canter halt transitions to highā¦
I agree that discussing the mechanics and training issues of canter halt is useful, but claiming that they are scored too high routinely without all the facts is not useful.
āI agree that discussing the mechanics and training issues of canter halt is useful, but claiming that they are scored too high routinely without all the facts is not useful.ā I agree. And I am making no such claim.
From your original post āā¦When I started showing at the FEI levels, I recall that one backward step as being the cardinal sin on your entry. Automatic 4. Now, I see horses doing it at the top levels of our sport and I just scratch my head. What do you all say?ā
I think you implied incorrect canter halts were common and getting good scores. Also, I donāt think it matters if it is a pro or AA in the discussion.
I have seen them often enough that I think they are not the norm, but not really an exception either. Commonā¦to a degree. Getting higher scores - obviously I wouldnāt know. I havenāt seen the test sheets of any of the rides I was looking at when I posted that. But I do recall from scribing in the last couple of years that the judges no longer make it an automatic 4. Not all of them, anyway. And, not all horses take the step back. It depends on just how hard the rider slammed on the brakes at C.
I agree with others that sometimes what looks abrupt at C looks softer and correct at another angle. So I would look at the difference in score from the different judges. I do understand what you are saying Mondo. Although we are all taught that you should never give away scores for āgiven movementsā like the halt. I am never sure that the collected canter to halt transition in the GP tests is a given. If the rider has had to boot the horse just prior to ring entry to ensure that the horse knows that he/she better stay in front of the leg, they may be setting themselves up for an abrupt halt. This has certainly happened to me. I have also gone into the ring so worried about my walk transitions or tempis (I often canāt figure out how those are getting scored for FEI tests either) that my mind is somewhere else.
After auditing an L program this weekend, I learned there are few if any āautomatic 4sā any more. The rest of the movement, the basics, etc are considered. IMO seems much more fair. And yes I realize the L program is nowhere near FEI.
If the collection is 100% true, it actually IS pretty easy. When an upper level horse and rider perform a poor quality canter to halt transition, it is just showing how much the collected canter is lacking in quality/balance at that moment.
Let us know next time you get an +8 score for that canter-halt movement with your 100% true collected canter.
(not sure if you meant Ā« through Ā»)
I have done so, thanks for your concern. If you find it so hard to do canter to halt transitions well, then you need to improve your collected canter. That is simply a fact.
The problem is that so many riders move up the levels without their work being really and truly correct. This is when the problems (and the excuses) start showing up as things get more difficult.
Did anyone ever see Reiner Klimke do a poor canter to halt transition? Ever?? It just doesnāt happen when the canter is truly collected enough for a good canter to halt transition, and the horse is in true self carriage. Training that insists that the basics are 100% correct before moving up the levels is the answer.
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