FREESTYLE DRILL COMPETITION CRITERIA

• RIDERS: Any number of riders allowed (minimum of six riders required; 4 riders allowed for

quadrille team)

• TIME: A minimum of 7 minutes and a maximum of 10 minutes are allowed (6 to 9 minutes for a

quadrille team)

• MUSIC: Music of choice. Points may be scored on how appropriate the music was to the

maneuvers performed and the pace the horses set to the music used.

• EXPLANATION: Primary emphasis shall be placed on the drill, uniforms, tack, equitation and

music.

JUDGING CRITERIA

EXECUTION: Spacing, alignment, timing, coordination and briskness (350 points)

Was the spacing consistent? Were the lines straight and properly aligned; circles evenly round and centered in the arena? Was the timing good with no rider racing or stopping to make “position”? Any missed holes or collisions? Were the connections between maneuvers good? Was the overall attitude of the team alert and their execution precise?

PERFORMANCE AND MANNERS OF HORSES (40 points)

Were the horses well mannered? No bucking or kicking? Did the horses break gait (i.e. trot when the rest of the team was loping)? Were they suitable as a drill horse? Note: Horses are not to be penalized for having their ears back.

ORIGINALITY, VARIETY AND ATTRACTIVENESS OF PATTERNS (75 points)

Were original and varied patterns used, or were the same patterns repeated several times? Was there a variety in the patterns (i.e. twos, fours, sixes, circle and line maneuvers mixed, echelons, pinwheels, etc.)? Were the patterns presented to the best advantage of the viewing audience?

SPECTACULARITY AND CROWD APPEAL (50 points)

Was the drill presented in a manner pleasing to the audience? Did the drill flow from one maneuver to another without a lot of set‐up moves? Crowd appeal can include the manner in which flags (if any) are presented, suitability of music to the maneuvers, and the tempo of the drill to the music.

DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY (75 points)

A team that performs a more difficult drill should receive more credit than a team that performs relatively easy maneuvers. Rate the degree of difficulty from 1 to 75, with 75 being extremely difficult. Difficulty is determined not only by the difficulty of the maneuver itself, but also by the speed at which it is ridden, the closeness of the spacing between riders during the maneuver, and the lack of set‐up maneuvers. Degree of difficulty can also be influenced by the correct flag protocol of the working flag(s) in contrast to posted non‐working flag(s).

HORSEMANSHIP (30 points)

Equitation as adapted for drill team purposes (i.e. basic equitation position, hands and use or misuse of aids).

GENERAL IMPRESSION (30 points)

Horses clean and in healthy working condition, tack and uniforms/attire clean, neat, uniform and in good repair.

PENALTIES

Penalty points will be deducted in any of the penalty categories in which infractions occur. See score sheet for details.

   FREESTYLE DRILL SCORESHEET

EXECUTION (350 POINTS)

100 Spacing: The maintaining of a uniform distance between all of the horses throughout an entire maneuver. Spacing may vary in succeeding maneuvers depending upon the requirements of the maneuver being performed.

100 Alignment: Lines straight, properly aligned both vertically and horizontally; circles evenly round and centered in the arena. Are the pairs/fours even side to side? Do the riders track directly behind the rider in front of them?

100 Timing and Coordination: How the team members work together to perform the maneuvers. No

missed holes, collisions, etc.

50 Briskness: Precise execution, alertness and overall attitude of the team.

PERFORMANCE AND MANNERS OF HORSES (40 points)

25 Performance of Horses: Way of going, no broken gaits.

15 Manners of Horses: Well mannered, suitability as a drill horse.

ORIGINALITY, VARIETY AND ATTRACTIVENESS OF PATTERNS (75 POINTS)

25 Originality: Original patterns used; method of presentation of patterns.

25 Variety: Varied patterns used (i.e. pairs, fours, eights, echelons, pinwheels, etc.

25 Attractiveness of Patterns: Symmetry and definition of maneuvers; methods used for continuity in which one maneuver flows into another.

SPECTACULARITY AND CROWD APPEAL (50 POINTS)

25 Spectacularity: Precision not to be sacrificed for speed, but speed to be noted because it is more difficult to perform in a maneuver well at a faster tempo. Also, liveliness and energy to compliment music and patterns.

25 Crowd Appeal: Drill performed in a manner pleasing to an audience; crowd appeal can include the manner in which the flags are presented and suitability of the drill music to the maneuvers.

DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY (75 POINTS)

75 A team that performs a more difficult drill should receive more credit than one that performs relatively easy maneuvers. Rate degree of difficulty from 1 to 75 points, with 75 being most difficult.

Difficulty is determined not only by the difficulty of the maneuver itself, also by the speed at which it is ridden, the closeness of the spacing between riders during the maneuver, and the lack of set‐up maneuvers. Degree of difficulty can also be influenced by the correct flag protocol of the working flag(s) in contrast to posted non‐working flag(s).

HORSEMANSHIP (30 POINTS)

30 Equitation as adapted for drill purposes, such as basic equitation position, hands and the use of aids.

GENERAL IMPRESSION (30 points)

30 Horse clean, in healthy working condition; no penalty for teams of mixed colors; equipment clean, neat, uniform and in good repair; uniforms clean, neat, uniform and in good repair.

TOTAL POSSIBLE SCORE – 650

PENALTIES

Points are deducted for each occurrence

‐2 Broken tack and/or dropped flag: Tack shall include hats, leg bands, tail bows, pennants, etc., anything that has fallen to the ground, or makes it necessary to stop to repair. All equipment, tack and uniforms should be checked prior to entry into the arena.

‐10 Fall as a result of a collision between two or more horses.

‐5 Fall not resulting from a collision.

‐2 Over or under allowed time: Time allowed shall be no less than 7 minutes and no more than 10 minutes from entry of first horse to exit of last horse.

‐10 Regroup or off course: Regrouping will be done under extenuating circumstances, such as a fall off of a horse or rider, severe tack breakage, or medical emergency. Off‐course is defined as a major part of the team being out of position or having lost its organization as opposed to one or two riders being out of line. Should a team be unable to continue at the present time for either of these circumstances, they may ask the timekeeper for permission to regroup. They may halt their drill and restart from any point in the drill for a one‐time penalty of 10 points. Should they be unable to continue due to injury to horse or rider, they may ask for permission to leave the arena and return at the end of the draw to complete their drill. In this case, time and all deductions will remain.