Session 7: FEI Dressage Judging Working Group Findings

The final session of the FEI Sports Forum 2018 featured a presentation on the findings of the Dressage Judging Working Group. Frank Kemperman (NED), FEI Bureau Member and Chair of the FEI Dressage Committee and Bettina de Rham, FEI Dressage Director, explained that the Dressage Judging Working Group has tasked a sub-group, the Code of Points Pilot Study Advisory Group (COPPSAG), to come up with a proposal of Code of Points for a determined number of movements in the Grand Prix test. This Code of Points addresses many aspects of Dressage Judging and contributes to ensuring more clarity, fairness and openness in the system.

Richard Davison (GBR), Olympic rider and member of the FEI Dressage Judging Working Group, gave a detailed overview of the background to the proposed Code of Points judging system looking at research he has undertaken into the cognitive demands of judging.

Bettina de Rham, FEI Dressage Director: “The Code of Points will help to standardise the judging process, building on fairness and transparency, and also contributing very positively to the education of judges.”

Richard Davison (GBR): “Are our brains capable of making the same detailed decisions in the first hour of a Dressage test as well as hours later? Our competitions run for hours at a time. We should - for optimal judging performance - have a standard reference (Code of Points), standardised visual search routines, embrace analysis from objective data, and also learn from other sports where cognitive judging is so central.” 

Moderators:
Frank Kemperman (NED), FEI Bureau Member and Chair of the FEI Dressage Committee
Bettina de Rham, FEI Director Dressage, Para Dressage, Vaulting & Reining
Richard Davison (GBR), Olympic rider and member of the FEI Dressage Judging Working Group