A recent study published in Animals investigated stress-related behaviours in 238 dressage horse-rider combinations competing at national levels, using objective measures and video analysis to quantify conflict behaviours such as mouth opening, tail swishing, and head-neck changes.

Key Findings

  • Noseband tightness was measured using the FEI Noseband Measuring Device
    Almost all horses complied with current FEI rules — indicating good general adherence to equipment standards.
  • Competition difficulty influences stress behaviour:
    At lower levels, horses showed a wider variety of stress behaviours at relatively lower frequency. At higher levels (e.g., Medium to Grand Prix), horses showed fewer types of behaviours but more often, with mouth behaviour becoming predominant.
  • Bridle type matters:
    Horses ridden in a double bridle exhibited higher proportions of conflict behaviours than those ridden in a snaffle, suggesting that equipment choice interacts with how stress is expressed.
  • Judging scores may not reflect stress behaviour levels:
    At higher levels of competition, the study found no strong relationship between the amount of observable stress behaviour and performance scores — meaning excellent technical execution can mask underlying stress. The judges included in the study were not FEI (international) trained, but national judges.

 

What This Means for FEI Dressage Judges

Judging doesn’t end with performance quality:
This research highlights that horses at higher levels may limit the type of stress behaviours they show but exhibit them more intensely, especially mouth-related behaviours — often without influencing scores.


Factors to consider beyond technical execution:

  • Awareness that a “clean” performance may still involve internal stress
  • Considering how equipment (e.g., double bridles) might influence behaviour
  • Understanding that stress indicators might not align with technical marks — especially at Medium and above

 

Horse welfare and scoring:

The findings suggest an opportunity to integrate welfare-sensitive measures into judging philosophy — without compromising FEI rules — acknowledging that some stress behaviours are not currently penalised under existing scoring structures.

Lower levels versus Higher levels dressage: Higher levels tests and movements contains often significantly more elements than lower levels movements. Judges may take many of these elements into consideration.

In Practice

✔ Use observational skills to note subtle conflict behaviours (e.g., repeated mouth opening)
✔ Recognise that equipment compliance (with the FEI Noseband Measuring Device) is usually good, but behavioural stress can still occur at higher difficulty levels
✔ Promote discussions about how dressage scoring and welfare indicators can be better aligned on the international stage


Reference:

Simona Fialová et al., Stress Responses in Dressage Horses: Insights from FEI Noseband Measurements Across National Competition Levels, Animals 2026, 16(3), 518.