How do judges score piaffe and passage in dressage competition?

Piaffe and passage are among the highest-coefficient movements in Grand Prix tests, reflecting both their difficulty and their diagnostic value as indicators of genuine collection, and judges evaluate them against a specific standard of what correct piaffe and passage look like while being attentive to the most common faults that reduce the quality and correctness of the movements. For piaffe, the primary scoring considerations are the regularity of the diagonal rhythm, the elevation and suspension of each step, the degree of collection visible in the lowering of the hindquarters and the lightening of the forehand, the horse's maintenance of position with minimal forward or backward movement, and the overall impression of power, balance, and relaxation. A piaffe that scores nine or ten will show a clearly diagonal two-beat rhythm, significant elevation of the diagonal pairs with marked suspension, a visibly lowered croup and lightened forehand, minimal forward movement, and a horse that appears relaxed and brilliant in its execution. A piaffe that scores five or six will typically show some quality issues — perhaps insufficient suspension, some irregularity in the steps, some forward movement that exceeds what is appropriate, or some tension — while still maintaining the basic two-beat diagonal rhythm of the movement. For passage, judges evaluate the same qualities with the additional assessment of appropriate forward movement: a passage that moves too fast or too slowly for the arena and the horse's size, or that shows too little suspension for what passage requires, will score accordingly below a movement that shows perfect tempo, maximum suspension, and genuine collection. The piaffe-passage transitions are typically scored as separate movements in Grand Prix tests and evaluated on how seamlessly the horse moves between the two while maintaining the quality of collection in both.