Research using eye-tracking technology has revealed new insights into how dressage judges focus their attention when assessing horse-rider combinations.
Overall, judges focus more on the front of the horse, compared to the back end, hooves or the rider. However, for movements in trot and canter, advanced level judges paid comparatively more attention to the horse’s feet, while judges assessing horse-rider combination at lower levels of the sport focused comparatively more on the rider.
The research was led by Dr. Inga Wolframm, professor of Sustainable Equestrianism at Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences in collaboration with Tobii Eye Tracking Technology. Wolframm has been studying visual attention patterns in dressage judging for more than a decade.
Advanced Eye-tracking Technology Used in Study
Using advanced eye tracking technology, this study investigated visual search patterns and subsequent decision-making processes of dressage judges. Two groups of dressage judges at advanced and lower levels were asked to assess a number of dressage movements from video recordings, while their eye movements were recorded with Tobii Fusion Eyetracker technology.
Specifically, the researchers calculated how long and how often judges ‘fixated’ on the different aspects of the horse-rider combinations. During a fixation, the eyes focus on a certain area long enough for the brain to actually process the detailed information that is being looked at. Fixations therefore provide a useful method to draw conclusions about cognitive processes and attention.
Insights into dressage judging
Wolframm: "Dressage judging is cognitively very demanding. Per movement, judges only have a limited amount of time in which to assess a horse-rider combination. That means that judges have to develop their own strategic visual search patterns, focusing on the aspects they consider essential when assessing horse-rider combinations. While we were able to detect overarching patterns of visual search behaviour, we also saw considerable variation between individual judges. This is something we’ll investigate further in the months to come. At a time when equine welfare and transparency in the sport is becoming increasingly important, we need to know what judges engaged at different levels of the sport focus on.”
Dr. Peter Reuter, form Tobii and associate professor at VHL: “Eye-tracking can contribute to the development of educational tools and training programmes for dressage judges. By identifying the visual cues and patterns associated with effective judging, educational materials can be designed to enhance judges' observational skills and decision-making accuracy.”
The full manuscript of the paper can be found here.
Related Links
Dr. Inga Wolframm: "What is a Piece of Tack?"
Natural Bias, the Hidden Controversy in Judging Sports
Inga Wolframm on Visual Attention Patterns in Grand Prix Dressage Judging
Wolframm, Clayton, McLean: Where Science Becomes Knowledge
Dr. Inga Wolframm: 'My equestrian wish for 2023: “Be the change you wish to see in the world'"