We Ride Sport and Trail Magazine August 2016 | Page 17

DECISION TREE
The ETS Judge’s Guide to Scoring Obstacle Attempts
Note: Pluses (+) awarded with Judge Discretion

Both Horse & Rider Get Zeros “0”

IS THIS A ZERO?
 Rider does not attempt obstacle, OR
 Fall of horse and/or rider, OR
 Rider cannot get past the start point.

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IS THIS PARTIAL CREDIT?
Low percentage of completion &/OR
Low percentage of quality &/OR
Judging stopped due to time, safety,
or unscheduled dismount
Partial Credit is reserved for
attempts with substantial issues

IS THIS AVERAGE?
At least the critical elements were
completed AND/OR overall quality
needs improvement. Judge sees lots
of areas for improvement.
“Average” is better than “partial
credit”, but not “above average”

IS THIS ABOVE AVERAGE?
Every element of the obstacle must
be completed, AND
Overall quality of the execution must
be above average.

SCORING: In your mind, rate the overall performance of the obstacle
compared to your vision of the ‘perfect’ performance:
Score horse & rider equally if they contributed equally to the results.
Adjust horse & rider scores up or down as appropriate to their
contribution to the overall obstacle rating. In the majority of cases, there
will not be more than 2 numbers between horse and rider scores.

Judge may award a “+”, PLUS to rider
Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Judge may award a “+”, PLUS to horse

PARTIAL CREDIT - “1, 2, 3, or 4”
1: “Did not Pass Go” - Rider barely got past start
No elements were completed other than passing start
2. “Bless Your Heart” - Almost nothing completed or all, or almost all, of low quality
3. “Not ‘Purdy’ ” - A small % got done, AND/OR a small % was quality
4. “Close, but no cigar” – Did not complete the critical elements of the obstacle.
For example, horse never gets across the bridge.

AVERAGE - “5, 6, or 7”
Yes
5. “Okay” - The low end of average, got it done.
Mostly complete AND/OR mostly of sufficient quality.
6. “Average” –
7. “Almost Good” - The High End of Average. Considered a SOLID SCORE
Missing minor element(s) of the obstacle AND/OR
Quality issues prevent overall obstacle from appearing “above average”.

ABOVE AVG - “8, 9, or 10”
8. “Good” - All Essential Obstacle Elements Completed.
Judge observes flaw(s) but overall quality remains above average.
9. “Excellent” - All essential elements completed correctly.
Rider exhibits clearly perceptible cues.
10. “Perfect” - All obstacle elements completed correctly AND
rider demonstrates almost imperceptible cues AND performance equals Judge’s
vision of the perfect performance of that obstacle.
Makes judge want to say, “That’s how it’s done!”

“RIDE TO LEARN” – JUDGES’ COMMENTS ARE ESSENTIAL TO THE “RIDE TO LEARN” EXPERIENCE.