“Don’t be afraid to ask us anything,” said Linda Zang when she and Hanne Valentin, of Denmark, opened the seminar for USEF-licensed dressage judges in Orlando, Fla., in March. Such a statement could easily render 50 judges mute in an instant. But the way she said it gave us all confidence that is was safe to let it all hang out.

Throughout the forum, the two FEI O-rated judges patiently responded to every one of our questions and added anecdotes from their own experiences in the field.

In addition to practice judging at the show (the Heidel-berg Cup at the Clar-cona Horsemen’s Park), we had classroom sessions that were very informative, since they covered a lot of new material and some of the same old stuff–which it never hurts to review.

The training scale was trotted out as always, and we were reminded that when it comes to the rhythm, it should be maintained–and not just on straight lines. The contact should serve to keep the horse in a frame that maintains his nose in front of the vertical, and the rhythm and contact together form the “phase of understanding and confidence.” Suppleness and straightness serve to develop the pushing power, while impulsion and collection promote the horse’s ability to carry himself and remain in balance.

Impulsion, of course, is not the same as speed or even “action.” Too much action turns into hovering and tension. True impulsion is generated by the hindquarters and transmitted throughout the supple body of the horse. And the horse that is straight is actually a horse that is uniformly bent, right?

We got the consistency speech, a reminder that it’s good to stay on track. Every competent judge has a picture of what each movement should look like and a scale that goes with every deviation from that picture. Our fearless leaders gave us examples of times in the judge’s box when they deviated strongly from the rest of the jury, because they refused to compromise that ideal scale in their heads.

The mental picture of the collection required at each level has to be especially clear for a judge to stay consistent throughout the class and from show to show.

The walk was, as always, a big topic. The mantra is regularity, regularity, regularity–and after that we can pay attention to overtracking, elasticity and frame.

Shoulder-ins have to remain on three tracks, with outside front and inside hind leg on the same track, which admittedly is easier to see from a corner position than from C, and hind legs are supposed to track straight without crossing.

But the travers is on four tracks and the angle is slightly increased, from 30 degrees in the shoulder-in to 35 degrees in the travers. The most essential element in the half-pass is the quality of the trot and the maintenance of the engagement and the impulsion.

We have a new name for the turn on the haunches, which the FEI now calls the “working pirouette.” Make a note of it.

Curb reins that hang in a loop will cost riders a point off in every movement, and if you talk during your test, you’ll pay 2 points per chatty occurrence.

While judging from the sidelines out at the show grounds, it became apparent that many of our riders still work their horses from front to back, which makes it rare to see a horse that is presented in true self-carriage.

We were also treated to a couple of true highlights, such as the extended trot displayed by Heather Bender in the Prix St. Georges. It was a rare sighting of a horse that showed the clear transitions, the power, the balance and the ground-covering stride we all hope to see when we anticipate an extended trot!

Before the R- and r-rated judges were allowed to depart, Linda pointed out that, the biggest responsibility for our sport’s direction rests with those judges, who repeatedly get to watch and evaluate our green riders and horses. The not-yet-S-rated judges carry a lot of weight in guiding how horses and riders will turn out later on, and their input will weigh heavily on how horses are trained.

On the last day, the remaining S-rated judges were informed about the latest FEI rules.

To avoid having to eliminate riders in the freestyle, a number of new procedures have been put into rules, mostly in the junior and young rider freestyles.

Heavy penalties will be imposed if movements are shown that aren’t allowed, which will be reflected in both the technical and artistic scores. In addition, the Intermediaire I freestyle has to include 12 meters of shoulder-in to each side, and any canter pirouettes at all FEI levels have to be entered and exited from a couple of strides of straight canter–that means not directly from a half-pass.

I agree it is a good thing to avoid eliminating riders, but at the same time we’re seeing more and more restrictions imposed on the freestyles. It seems to me that the requirement of “inventiveness” and “originality” is becoming mission impossible, and the not-so-free-style may soon have to be renamed a “program ride to music.”

As long as we have the compulsory tests leading up to the freestyle, why not allow for some artistic freedom, even if it makes things “easier” or “harder” for the horse? We judges are able to accurately evaluate the degree of difficulty, while the riders and the audience could enjoy more liberty and excitement.

Young horse classes are all the rage, and their judging is quite a bit different from the norm. Three judges sit together and discuss the horse’s training and gaits before deciding together on the final scores. These classes’ purpose is to safeguard the early training, as well as encouraging the breeders and owners to get their horses out in public.

To that end, FEI officials have created a 4-year-old test, of which we were given a preview. The test is basically a combination of training and first level (only working gaits), with a milder requirement on transitions, which are allowed to develop between letters.

Every time I attend a judge’s forum I learn something new and get reminded of what I already know and what our priorities are. Over the years, rules, requirements and philosophies change to some degree, but the main principles of good horsemanship and proper riding remain the same. And when the atmosphere is as open and inviting as at this seminar, you come away with even more.