I’m not sure which movement in my husbands BN A test where the scribe wrote “giggle head”. We have tried every which way to decipher the handwriting but can only make out “giggle head”.
My husband rides an OTTB who’s not the most relaxed so there are usually comments about tightness and working on relaxation and stretching.
But “giggle head”? 
At a training level event my horse took offense to overhead flags “stayed in arena and didn’t fall off, good seat”. I still don’t know how we stayed in the arena after the capriole at A.
We had a hold up of two hours at the in box, the first THREE riders fell, took a while to get the third ambulance to the event. I was the first ride after that. Terrified, but at least I knew my horse could clear any of the fences from a standstill 
(In fairness to the course they were the only three riders to fall at the event and the course rode well).
Windy day in at an indoor show, the doors were banging behind us and we’re doing a lengthening across the diagonal. Miss Mare decided that she had rocket boosters on her hind feet and she was fully intending to just go right over the arena fence. We had no brakes and she was rocking back for the jump when I managed to basically pully rein her around the corner, complete with me throwing my weight back and to the inside while kicking on the outside shoulder to throw her off balance and out of the jump.
Comment for the lengthening was an 8 with “good impulsion” followed by 3 for “disobedient” on the transition back to a normal trot . Rider remarks included “way to keep her in the arena but explore more tactful options”
Now my friends and I use the “needs more tact” for whenever a rider is manhandling a naughty horse.
Maybe “jiggle head”? Sometimes horse will head wag when tense.
Still a weird comment!
How did I miss this thread’s first incarnation?
My First.Dressage.Test.Ever., where I was so certain I did not need a reader.
Turned out I really did 
Blanked out Midway through, meandered around the ring…
Past the judge, who leaned out & stage-whispered:
“Wrong test!”
Ya think? 
DH’s horse - suffering separation anxiety from my TB - called through his entire test.
Remark: " Talkative"
Ah that may be it as he does toss his head when tense and excited!
Mystery solved I’d say! 
“Interesting horse with lots of presence.” Translation: We somehow made it through the test without major fireworks going off.
All of these give me so much hope for some laughter after my first tests with my toddler this weekend. Here’s to hoping we stay in the arena!
I’ve also gotten the “tactfully ridden” comment on my test, especially in my younger gelding’s first shows. We dealt with a lot of herd-bound issues and he would yell and jig through his whole test. Our goal was just to get him experience and we did practice a lot at home with taking him away from his friends, so I was always just glad in those early shows to finish the test and stay in the arena. Thankfully, he has really improved with separation!
Other favorite, on the trot lengthen in a first level test: “Rider willing, horse not so much.” If I remember correctly, it was a pretty hot day, it was our last test and my horse just said “nope” on that movement. I appreciated the humor and understanding from the judge!
All the comment about staying in the arena reminds me of a test I rode at a schooling event decades ago. Young horse, LOTS of talent. However, we lengthened the canter down a long side, over the 9 inch little white fence and then the 4 foot board pasture fence. I came back to apologize to the judge later in the day who said “you know you are supposed to finish with a number not a letter?” I had a big “E” on the score line of the test and on the space after the canter lengthening was the comment “left early for XC, oops”. As it was just a schooling event I was actually allow to run cross country. The steward mentioned that they ‘already knew we would have no problems with the jumps’.
I love this! A friend was telling me about a horse at her old barn that had been a former eventer, but had mostly retired from competition. He was super kid friendly and happy to pack kiddos around small jumps during lessons and whatnot. Of course, with most kid-safe horses jumping 2’-2’6’’, you can pretty safely use the fence to “reinforce” your whoahs, or use the corner to help you slow down, get a lead change, etc. With this horse though, anyone and everyone who got on him received explicit instructions to NEVER point him at the arena fence in an attempt to slow him down because he would just jump right over it, bless him.
“Oh, dear”
Followed by a 2.
Apparently the pigroots all the way around a 20m circle are not required.
Not quite as scopey – my then 11yo rode a fancy large pony that had just been bumming around as a field hunting in his first ever show. Short Stirrup Eq in the small ring went great – they got reserve champion. Unfortunately, moving into the big ring for the main event the loudspeaker blew his mind. As they careened into the ring for their first o/f class, we all yelled: “Just point him at the fence to stop! Uhhhhhh, but just not the coop at the far end or we’ll have to go pick you up in the next county, ok?!?”
“There’s nothing like a good thoroughbred mare.”
Written in the test I rode on my Hanoverian gelding.
At least he sounds confident in his body 
I had a friend with an admittedly rather masculine looking QH mare. On more than one occasion, judges outright asked her why she was showing him in the mare halter classes. Fortunately, she was always really good natured about it, and it usually just resulted in a good laugh from everyone.
*called a doggy-bitch in canines
Way back when I first started in dressage I had a little grade Morgan that was athletically limited. But after much remedial work with a couple of good instructors he became very correct and willing.
I was riding a training level test in front of a r judge at a schooling show. My little Tribble clocked around and I didnt mess him up and we had a good ride. At the end the judge stood up and said “You are a great pair. People are going to tell you to sell him and move up. Dont listen to them! You two have a lot more you can do.” (She was right - we were schooling second level with some higher level moves when finances forced me to sell) This was also at the start of the “Warmblood invasion” and I think she was tired of seeing ammies on big old-style WBs that were not well trained and that they couldnt sit the gaits to.
Not my test but another in a recognized show:
“Ride to win, but not today”
I’m crying!!! i love this story <3
My favorite comment was made by the President of the Ground Jury when I halted and saluted at the end of the test (at G). It was my first intermediate driven test and after the collected trot one handed deviation (shallow serpentine for the ridden folks), as I was approaching A, I decided I was done with the test, so I THUNDERED up the center line at an impressive medium trot (I knew he was going to fade before we finished the 90meters so I thought I would start out with maximum energy. Somewhere between D and L I returned to Planet Dressage and realized I was supposed to be starting a 5 loop serpentine at A. Oops. So I just turned left and returned to K and did the serpentine… They never even rung me off I was so quick and handy with it. (it was also the one and only pic where I was laughing instead of my eternally pursed lips 
)
When I got to G, the PoJ said “Excellent Save!”
Not excellent enough to avoid the 5 point penalty, though… 
More recently as my pony treated us all to a magnificent temper tantrum where he leaped and shook his head through every. single.stride. of every canter movement in 2-3 (apparently after a lifetime of wearing ear bonnets, he decided he just. couldn’t. even.) the judge wrote: “above the bit”. I’m pretty sure that was some serious New England dry humor.
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