Mi papi by the numbers

Now that I've had a night of real sleep, I've done what I usually do when I try to make sense of something.  I rounded up the data.

Here is Theo's show record at USDF santioned shows to date:

Not a lot of data to date.  He's only been to two shows and had eight tests.  I can't draw a lot of conclusions from such a small data set, but hey, that's never stopped anyone from making decisions off of inconclusive data.

So our average test score when up over two percentage points from the first show to the second.  Nice!  Our submission score improved greatly due to a lack of broncing and frightening the judges.  I also got an uptick in my position and his gaits.  We got a hit in impulsion, but that makes sense when three of our five tests were judged by someone that thought Theo was lazy.

Broken out by judge, yeah, we had two very different reactions this past weekend.  Janet Briggs saw us twice at GMHA and we averaged 65% in her ring.  Susanne Handler saw us three times and we averaged 60% in her ring.  The Kristi submission score is highlighted because that includes the bronc test with a submission score of 3.  The Susan Buchanan test was also a bronc test, though a small one.

We are pretty much the same regardless of test.

Breaking out the three Susanne tests, it was interesting that when we upped our gait score, it did nothing about her energy comments but we took a bigger hit to submission than what we gained in gaits.  In the end, regardless of her comments, she scored our most relaxed test the highest (our comments included 'much too relaxed').  Our most electric test was the lowest.  Evidently accuracy and submission really does trump all in Training level and I need to ignore the constant judge comments about need more energy and more forward.  Well, not ignore, but not strive to push Theo toward explosion land.  Impulsion and submission are the two collectives with coefficients.  Our impulsion score never moves, so I better focus on that submission score that swings from 3 to 7.  I need more 7s in submission and position.  Those I can fix.  I can't do a dang thing about the fact he's an earthbound type of a horse.

I feel better after going through the numbers.  I was on the right track.  I don't regret my decision to experiment with my last test.  I wouldn't know what the results would be if I didn't try.  Now I can dial in my approach and give Theo the most appropriate ride possible.

I love data.