Wow, thanks for that insight into how it works! I have never used that system, but have had multiple cases where judges struggled with whether or not to ring out a horse. I suspect for a judge at C it becomes an easier choice if multiple other judges also see it. So standard of soundness becomes tighter.
I can’t speak for any trainer but my own. If my horse is ever off or consistently irregular in the warmup, we scratch the class. I just did exactly that at my most recent competition.
As an ammie owner of a 14 yr old horse with an extensive show record I can say that no, not always is an irregularity present in the warmup. Tension and poor equitation (I believe, especially with regard to the contact) will almost always exacerbate a known or even an unknown issue. An older horse in particular needs to be relaxed and guided with confidence and skill to move his best. If a horse is suddenly unhappy, he can just as suddenly stop moving well. I try, but I’m no pro and I don’t always achieve his best movement at a show. Relaxation in ME is often the missing piece when we have a bad go.
The ride over from the warmup arena to a stadium with five judges’ booths, loudspeakers, spectators on both sides, and more than anything else–the pressure, can lead to a rider seizing up and reverting to bad habits, And that sudden tension over the back and in the mouth can be all it takes sometimes. Goodbye relaxation, hello does he look a little off to you?
The qualifying shows for this event require only two judges and are mostly at the same rated shows where we all compete. There’s pressure yes, but it’s not THAT big of a deal. For a lot of these youth NAYC is their first time experiencing a CDI barn, five judges, long distance travel. They aren’t familiar with riding in this kind of an environment.
I would rather believe based on my own experience that pressure and tension are what led them to have sound warmups and then appear unsound after entering the competition ring, than to consider that their support team was trying to get away with something.
My sense was they didn’t look shocked or surprised just because they felt that it wasn’t going well and things felt uneven, after they entered and began riding the trot movements.
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The horse I was familiar with had George Williams helping in warm up and I would find it hard to believe he overlooked something. Interestingly this owner said she did see some irregular steps in the test; had vet go over the horse after and horse was fine. I believe you are spot on regarding the tension, rider nerves, etc. Toss in a little loss of balance here and there and its easy to see how this can happen. I cant help but feel bad for the riders; its a long way to travel and hope only to have a learning moment.
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