Dressage Judges are being asked to do the impossible’

A study found it is too much to ask judges to assess the sheer volume of information required

- OSCAR WILLIAMS

DRESSAGE judges are being asked to do the “impossible”, as they are predisposed to give higher marks to those who share their nationality and have previously performed well.

A study by Inga Wolframm, professor of sustainable equestrianism at Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences, considered whether the information a judge must evaluate could exceed what can reasonably be expected, so if the system predisposes them to bias, or cognitive shortcuts, that favour certain combinations.

She analysed more than 500 scores from CDI5*s in 2022 and 2023. She found judges are predisposed to give higher scores to riders who share their nationality, and combinations who had previously performed well, indicated by FEI rank and starting order.

“These form what may be referred to as a bias cascade, which is likely to lead to inadvertent, yet unfair, advantages for certain riders,” Dr Wolframm wrote.

She told H&H she is not blaming individuals; judges are not at fault “unless you fault them for being human”.