Evaluating overall performance in high-level dressage riders

In the sport of dressage, one or more judges score the combined performance of a horse and rider with an emphasis on the technical correctness of the movements performed. At the end of the test, a single score is awarded for the ‘general impression’, which considers the overall performance of the horse and rider as a team. This study explored measures that contribute to the general impression score in a group of 20 horse-rider combinations. Horses and riders were equipped with inertial measurement units (200 Hz) to represent angular motion of the horse’s back, and the motion of the rider’s pelvis and trunk. Each combination performed a standard dressage test that was recorded to video. Sections of the video were identified for straight line movements. The videos were analyzed by two or three judges. Four components were scored separately: gaits of the horse, rider posture, effectiveness of the aids, and harmony with the horse. The main contributor to the score for gaits was stride frequency (R=-0.252, p=0.015) with a slower frequency being preferred. Gait scores and all three rider scores were associated with dynamic symmetry of the trunk indicating that this measure was the most useful predictor of rider performance