‘Is the mark system failing us?'

Rebecca Penny analyses changes to the 2021 RIHS pony qualifying format

- Rebecca Penny

THIS year, all Royal International (RIHS) pony qualifiers were judged without the usual marking system. I’ve watched the later Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) qualifiers unfold with the usual marking system reinstated, but with that has come to a flurry of confused and deflated competitors.

This begs the question, is the marking system really fit for purpose or is it failing us? I much prefer the no marks approach as more often than not I come away feeling that the marks awarded don’t give a true reflection of a class on the day.

I hope I’m fairly realistic and can usually critique my own performance and pony without a pair of rose-tinted spectacles; I’ll happily take a low mark if deserved. However, the marking system in its present format can be manipulated when conformation and performance judges don’t agree and enter into a strategic number war to get their own way.