Together with the 2007 World Cup Final Dressage in Las Vegas an FEI O-judges Forum was held in the Thomas and Mack Center. Points for discussion were the new codex for judges, the new series of competitions for Young Riders, proposals for rules revision and evaluation
of technical difficult moments in tests.
One of the general points that was shared with the press in the meeting of the IAEJ (International Alliance of Equestrian Journalists) was the concern of the judges to improve the relation with the press. “We are open for the press, we have the open scoring now and we like to share our thoughts, but we want to improve the transparency and the contact with the press even more”, Mariette Withages shared the concern of the official judges with the gathered press.
Mariette Withages stressed the point that judges will come forward with some improvements in the interest of the growth of the knowledge and appreciation for dressage, still being a difficult discipline to get a more insight and knowledgeable view. Some ideas are having organised a welcome reception with press and judges in advance of the first test at a show, spending time with the riders after the test with the press (like what was established in Athens) work on biographies of the judges with probably mobile numbers available for the press and practice in easy language to explain differences and specialties of horses and riders.
In the end both press and the FEI judges were happy with the promised step forward made.
Source: FEI Press Release
Back to the 2007 World Cup Index