In April 2020 and in the interest of legacy I wrote a Wikipedia entry recording the thoughts and notable works of Harveywetdog. I admit I was ignorant of the rules concerning self promotion on Wikipedia and consequently my entry was correctly deleted and my account expunged from the system. As a result my original words and links were sadly lost but nevertheless here is a rewrite. Perhaps when I'm gone someone will be able to enter it onto Wikipedia as a fitting epitaph for my time on the Harveywetdog Project.
Thought for the day - does Dressage need a Video Assistant Referee (VAR)?
We've all had those days when we've felt our test was harshly marked or a judge has not appreciated the true beauty of our horse's movement. Even the best of judges can have a bad day, show their prejudices through having become conditioned to a certain conformation or way of moving. But how to appeal or look for an independent assessment of the score - could we borrow VAR technology from football to help provide the answer?
When I video a dressage test, I’m watching the test on a 7-inch bright HD monitor with all the benefits of 25x zoom, I’m not squinting through a piece of plexiglass trying to make out what’s happening 40-60m away or via a constantly buffering livestream. So, I probably have a better view than most. This got me thinking, when responding to another thread on the apparent subjectivity of dressage marking, why isn’t there a judge or judges watching in this detail and why don’t we have some form of VAR, or VAJ, in dressage?
I accept you probably need some judges in the arena taking in the general picture and seeing the horse in the flesh but all five - I think not. Alternatively in true VAR style they could be offsite, can you imagine the excitement as we waited for a decision from Stoneleigh or Lausanne?
Of course, this suggestion is a little bit tongue in cheek, but is given more credibility by the “public license to operate” challenge currently hanging over equestrian sport. What I’m thinking is we could also have a judge looking independently at the question of the “are we seeing a happy equine athlete?”
Happy equine athlete
How would you do that you ask, and my answer would be based around the ridden equine ethogram concepts being researched by Sue Dyson and others. These have already been trialled at events apparently and the more they are used then the more they will begin to yield positive benefits to all involved. There is a degree of subjectivity, but even the scales of training had to start somewhere. When your horse is in the middle of a 60m arena, just how well are your aids helping them overcome their desire to get back to the herd where they know they’ll be safe?
Please leave me you thoughts in the comments section
(Note: The images from Hartpury are for illustration only and were used simply because it’s the latest test I’m working on and provided one shot zoomed in and one shot more wide angle)
Based on an original post on the Harveywetdog Facebook Page
David spent approaching 50 years in Her Majesty's Electricity Supply Industry before retiring
He was part of the highly successful design team on the Sizewell B Nuclear Power Station Project before spending 25 years producing safety cases to keep our aging AGR fleet generating for the good of the nation
He is responsible for the Harveywetdog YouTube Channel which he maintains as an outlet for his creative talents
David is currently recovering from blood cancer but refuses to be a victim
All views are his own but might be influenced by the drugs he's currently having to take
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