Riding Horse Performance Tests Pilot Project: Format Revised

At the Al Shira’aa Bundeschampionate 2026, the examination format for three- and four-year-old riding ponies and riding horses will be adjusted in one key aspect: The assessment of physical conformation will in future be moved to the day before the actual riding horse performance test.

This change is part of a pilot project being implemented at the riding horse arena. The aim is to further optimize conditions for young horses and, at the same time, to respond to the recent intensive professional discussion regarding the assessment of physical conformation.

Already in February, a working group, following the Young Horse Summit, decided on initial adjustments for the Al Shira’aa Bundeschampionate 2026. The focus was on reducing the burden on young horses and developing an even more age-appropriate examination and assessment format. Against this background, it was initially decided to forgo the in-hand presentation after the test.

Intensive Exchange on the Assessment of Physical Conformation

In recent weeks, however, an intensive professional discussion followed, particularly on the question of whether a horse’s physical conformation can be adequately assessed under saddle. Together with the German Judges’ Association, Pferdesport Deutschland subsequently re-examined and adjusted the format. The result: The in-hand presentation will not be abolished but moved forward in time. “We have decided that the horses and ponies will be presented in-hand on the day before the test. The judges will assess the horse’s physical conformation on this day,” explains Dr. Klaus Miesner, Board Member for Breeding at Pferdesport Deutschland.

In the actual test, riding horses will continue to be evaluated with five scores: Three scores are for the basic gaits, one score for rideability or natural riding qualities. The fifth score (overall impression as a riding horse) is composed of physical conformation and the harmony of the presentation. The assessment of physical conformation on the previous day thus flows into the overall score as a preliminary mark. If necessary, the fifth score can be adjusted at the end of the presentation. Such an adjustment is made transparently and with justification on the examination grounds. Equestrian Sport Germany/SAG