Evaluation of a video based exam for riding instructors in equestrian sports.

The Royal Dutch Equestrian Federation (KNHS) provides training and examination for riding instructors in equestrian sports. During their training program, instructors build a portfolio consisting of different exams. In one of these exams, the instructor needs to give an advice on the suitability of a horse for a certain discipline (E.g. dressage or show jumping). In 2017, KNHS introduced a video exam, replacing the real life exam, to increase efficiency and reduce costs and planning of using real horses for the exam. In order to pass the exam, among other statements, instructors need to make statements on the exterior of the horse. For exterior judgement, often the linear score form of the Royal Dutch Sport Horse Studbook (KWPN) is used. In this study, the new KNHS video exam was evaluated, using theory on educational design, exterior judgement of horses, and expert opinions on the quality of the KNHS videos. This study provides important input for designing educational videos for learners in equestrian sports and also provides guidelines that can be used to design and evaluate video based exams within the field of educational science.