Swedish Equestrian Federation Launches Pilot Project to Assess Qualitative Riding Alongside Technical Skills

Dressage

Sweden

The Swedish Equestrian Federation is launching a pilot project this year to further develop Swedish dressage towards more harmonious riding.

The Swedish Dressage Committee wants to apply assessment method of the FEI Children division in more age categories. In the Children division rider's position and seat, effectiveness of aids, precision and general impression are scored separately from the technical execution of the test. According to the Swedish equestrian federation this method of judging "has contributed to smoother and more harmonious riding."

The purpose of the project is "to evaluate whether the results of the “qualitative” assessment are comparable to the classic technical assessment and to evaluate whether the “qualitative” assessment can be used to a greater extent in dressage competitions."

Maria Nilsson, chair of the Dressage Committee, stated, "we see this as an important step in promoting soft and harmonious riding in more classes, while strengthening Swedish dressage."

The project will be tested during three national OBS rounds (five competitions) during the year in all youth classes, including at the 2025 Swedish Youth Championships in Strömsholm.

Two additional judges, with experience in the Children division, will judge the combinations according to the "qualitative" method alongside the classic technical assessment. The results from the project will not be displayed in official systems (such as TDB or Equipe), but will be shared with the riders and the national team leaders for the respective age groups.

The aim of the pilot project is to evaluate whether qualitative assessment can be introduced on a larger scale within Swedish dressage. After each competition, the results are analyzed with a focus on harmony, areas for development, and comparisons between the two assessment methods.

A look at the Children's team test score sheet here.