Penalties in Equestrian
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Listed below are errors and faults for the Endurance event, and their associated consequences. In the Endurance event, the first rider and horse to cross the finish line after passing the vet check is the winner. Additional awards are given for the best-conditioned horses that finish in the top 10.
Errors / Faults |
Consequence |
First refusal by horse to avoid an obstacle |
20 penalties per obstacle |
2nd refusal at the same obstacle |
40 additional penalties |
3rd refusal at the same obstacle |
Elimination |
4th cumulative refusal throughout the course |
Elimination |
Jumping or crossing obstacles in the wrong sequence, jumping or crossing obstacles from the wrong direction, missing an obstacle, rider falls off the horse |
Elimination |
Horse falls |
Mandatory retirement |
Exceeding the time limit |
0.4 penalties per second that is over |
Exceeding the time by 2x the specified time limit |
Elimination |
Delaying time on purpose |
20 penalties |
Rider without fastened head gear, improper saddlery, overtaking another rider in a dangerous fashion, wilful obstruction of another rider, failure to stop when signalled, horses not behind the start line when the event starts |
Elimination
|
In the Jumping event, scoring is based upon a penalty system. There are a few types of penalties that can occur, but riders often strive for a clear round such that no penalties are awarded and they complete the course within the time limit.
Penalties |
Definition / Consequence |
Refusal to jump or knockdown of obstacles (Knockdown penalties are imposed only if the height or width of the obstacle is changed by the knockdown.) |
4 faults |
Destruction of obstacle |
4 faults and an additional penalty |
Refusal to jump an obstacle in a combination |
Rider and horse must re-jump the combination before moving on |
Exceeding the time limit |
1 time penalty for each second or fraction of a second over |
Knockdown in a combination |
4 faults for each element in the combination |
The scoring system in Dressage is based on merit, not penalties. Rider and horse are scored between 0 - 10. The final dressage score is made up of the score for individual movement, and coefficients are multiplied to certain difficult movements. The scoring scale is shown below:
Score |
Definition of score |
0 |
Not Executed |
1 |
Very Bad |
2 |
Bad |
3 |
Fairly Bad |
4 |
Insufficient |
5 |
Sufficient |
6 |
Satisfactory |
7 |
Fairly Good |
8 |
Good |
9 |
Very Good |
10 |
Excellent |
At the end of the test, segment and collective marks are totalled. Segment marks are marks awarded for each section / element of the test and collective marks are awarded for the rider’s posture on saddle, effective use of commands / aids as well as the horse’s pace, overall performance and responsiveness. The winner will be the rider and horse with the highest score. In the event of a tie, the rider and horse with the higher collective marks wins.
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