GUIDELINES FOR OWNERS, TRAINERS AND RIDERS

On completion of our annual FEHL Finals the Organisers habitually debrief the foreign Judges to ascertain their views. This is a most useful exercise and continues to contribute to the refinement and improvement of our programme.

Glaring deficiencies have been identified in the basic training of many entries. To address these points, it has now been decided to reward competitors who demonstrate evidence of correct training methods.

Horses demonstrating the following will gain extra marks in each phase:

All movements should exhibit softness through the back and extending to a swinging tail.
Nose should remain in front of the perpendicular at novice level.
The Poll (not the 3rd vertebrae) should be the highest point of the horse's outline.
Neck extending forward - downward with engaged hind quarters.
Maintenance of an even and balanced rhythm throughout the performance
Sustaining regular paces through circles, turns and corners with correct bends.

It therefore follows that riders demonstrating "hand over leg" riding will lose marks, while those exhibiting "leg to hand" aids will gain valuable marks.

In all phases horses will be rewarded for presenting an outline appropriate to their age, rather than presenting a contrived outline. The Riding Test is an exhibition of basic training and a preliminary to subsequent dressage performances. Similarly in the Jumping Test, the horses will be assessed within the appropriate outline for their age group on their style, courage, balance and rhythm. See accompanying sketches.

The competitive performance must reflect correct training principles as well as functional efficiency. In future, all FEHL judges will be briefed to mark accordingly.