Dressage Scores

Scores mean a lot to me.  I guess I should clarify that a little bit.  Scores under 60% mean a lot to me.  They mean I stink.  They mean I wasn't prepared.  They mean I am unfocused.  I really don't like those scores.

Curiously, scores above 60% don't necessarily mean the opposite: that I rode well, was prepared, or focused.  Instead, they say to me you got lucky! 

I am often frustrated by my inconsistency.  As you saw over the past week, we can do rides in the 50s and then turn around and do rides in the 60s, and even occasionally in the 70s.  I suspect that the judges might have something to do with this.  

I went back and looked up the results for the GEAHS Open show that I did in May.  You might remember it because it was the one where I was so unceremoniously dumped as I was entering the warm up ring.  I was feeling pretty low about those scores.  Here they are:

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What I noticed about the scores, especially in the T-2 class, is that my scores were right in line with everyone else's scores, except for Betsy Shelton's, but she is a true open rider.

Does everyone else stink, or do these scores just say that we're all on the same learning curve?  Maybe the judge disliked us all evenly.  Maybe our horses had a uniformly bad day. Maybe we all had a bad day.  I know I did. Getting thrown minutes before a test can certainly shake your concentration!

About my scores from last weekend, Sarah, from Eventing in Color, posted this comment, "...maybe [the] judge just liked you better than [the] previous day's judge. Nothing wrong with that - just part of life."  

That concept still just makes me shake my head in puzzlement.  Us?  Really? I think I am going to take Sarah's comment to heart and embrace the idea that a judge might really see a diamond amid all of this rough!

I've also been checking Centerline Scores for my latest scores.  They finally appeared over the weekend.  Accumulating scores is important to me.  It's like working out: I might not like it at the moment, but I know that in the long run my body is fitter and healthier for doing so.  That's what the scores on Centerline Scores mean.  I might not like what I see on every line, but in the long term I will be a better rider for having put in the work.

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I realize that not every one needs scores.  Many, many riders get their feedback through less extrinsic motivators.  For me, the scores are actually necessary.  Wikipedia explains it like this self-determination theory proposes that extrinsic motivation can be internalised by the individual if the task fits with their values and beliefs and therefore helps to fulfill their basic psychological needs.

Yep.  That's it exactly!