For pencillers, and the organisers who look after them on the day.
Watch: pencilling in under two minutes
What a penciller does
A penciller sits beside the dressage judge and records exactly what the judge calls out: the mark for each movement and the comments that go with it. In Horsify you do this on the rider's score sheet on a tablet or laptop, instead of on paper. Horsify adds up the marks and works out the percentage, so there's nothing to total by hand.
- Record it word for word. Never change, shorten or decide a mark yourself.
- Not sure what the judge said? Ask straight away, before the next movement.
Before you start
- You don't need your own login. The club organiser logs the device in for you. Please don't log out or switch accounts.
- Live scoring needs stable internet. If there's no internet, or it's patchy, the organiser will set you up in offline mode (see Offline dressage judging), and everything uploads once the device is back online.
Running off a phone hotspot? The phone has to stay right beside the device all day. If its owner walks away in the middle of a test, the connection drops and the score sheet will freeze.
Step 1. Open the rider's score sheet
On the event's Dressage scoring page, under Assigned score sheets, find the rider who's about to go in and tap Open.
Before the judge starts, check the bridle number, rider and horse at the top of the sheet match the horse in the arena. It's the most common pencilling mistake.
Step 2. Record each movement
The sheet opens on the Movements tab at movement 1.
- Tap the mark the judge calls. One tap is a whole mark (7). Tap the same number again for a half mark (7.5). A third tap clears it. (On 10 there's no half mark, so the second tap clears it.) The mark shows in the Mark badge at the top right of the movement, and under that movement's number in the strip across the top.
- Add the judge's comment. Use the Notes panel on the right: typed, shorthand keys or handwritten. On a narrow screen, tap the Notes tab to switch to it.
- Tap Next. Everything saves as you go. The header shows Saved, and the running score percentage updates beside it.
On the last movement the Next button says Review and goes straight to the Review tab. Tap the Collective Marks tab first (Step 3).
Missed one? Tap its number in the row across the top to go back. Each number shows the mark recorded under it, so one showing a dot (·) is a movement still to score.
Three ways to add the judge's comments
Use whichever suits you. You can mix them on the same test.
| Way | How |
|---|---|
| Write | Write in the Handwritten notes pad with a pen, stylus or your finger, just like a paper sheet. Undo, Erase and Clear sit above it. |
| Type | Tap the Typed notes box and use the keyboard. |
| Keys | Tap a shorthand key to add the judge's abbreviation in one tap. The keys that suit the current movement come first. The rest are grouped: Movement (CL, Diag, Serp, L, Trans), Quality (Imp, Med, Leng, St, Rhy, Reg, Cont, Bal) and Symbols (arrows, circles and a square), with More for the rest. |
If the judge rings the bell
Go to the movement where the error happened, tap Penalties at the bottom of it, and tap 1 (the number of errors at this movement). Recording it here marks where the error happened. It never reduces that movement's own mark.
Each error is counted at its own movement, and Horsify adds them up. Whole test so far shows the running total and the deduction. So for a second error later in the test, go to that movement and tap 1 again; don't tap 2 to mean "the second error", or Horsify counts three.
For most tests the 1st error is −2 from the test total, the 2nd is −4 more (−6 in total), and the 3rd is elimination. Some tests (FEI) use a different scale. Horsify uses the right one for the test and works the deduction out for you.
The same drawer has two other things, and only if the judge asks for them:
- Mark deduction: type the marks to take off this movement's mark (2 for using the voice or riding with the reins in one hand).
- Technical faults: 0.5% off the whole test each, and they never eliminate. Whip or boots where not allowed, dress, entering before the bell or after 45 seconds, no salute, reins not in one hand at the salute. Every judge on the panel records the same number.
Tap Done to close the drawer.
Step 3. Collective marks
After the last movement, tap the Collective Marks tab (not the Review button).
- Tap the mark the judge calls for each collective. Every collective has its own row of mark buttons (usually 0 to 10).
- Type the judge's comments in the Remarks box at the end of each row. The heading shows your progress, e.g. 4 of 4 marked.
Step 4. Review and submit
- Tap the Review tab.
- Check Missing movements and Missing collectives both show 0.
- Final remarks: if the judge dictates closing remarks, write them in the Write here pad. They are printed above the signature on the score sheet.
- If the judge signs the sheet, they sign in the Sign here box under Judge signature. Signing is optional.
- Tick I confirm this dressage score sheet is ready to submit, then tap Submit score sheet.
- Tap Score next competitor to open the next ride (when there is one), or Back to running order.
Submitting needs internet. Once a sheet is submitted it can't be changed on the device, but an organiser can reopen it if a mistake is found, as long as they haven't locked it yet.
If something goes wrong
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| The sheet freezes mid-test | Don't close the page. Check the hotspot phone is close by, and tell the organiser. |
| Red "Changes are not saved to the server" message | Don't close the page. Your marks stay on the device. Tap Retry now once you have signal. |
| Submit won't work | It needs internet. Submit once the device is back online. |
| A horse doesn't come in | Tell the organiser. The ride is scratched so it isn't scored (on the score sheet, More actions → Scratch this ride). |
| A mistake is found after submitting | The organiser can reopen the sheet, unless it has been locked. |
Penciller's one-page guide
A printable summary of everything above. Print one for each judge's table.
Download the one-page guide (PDF)
Related guides
- Setting up dressage scoring for your event (for organisers)
- Offline dressage judging
- Event results management
- Dressage results: how riders find their score sheet
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wiki/features/DRESSAGE_PENCILLER_GUIDE.md \nLast synced: 2026-10-21 13:20:13 UTC