Do judge’s care if…? Do judges prefer…? Horse show judging has taught me that the pressure to sort through a group of moving horses in a limited time doesn’t leave room for pet preferences. Without a good mover and correct leads, bling and brand names won’t land anyone in the ribbons for flat and rail classes.
First impressions are lasting impressions in horse show flat classes. Enter the show ring with confidence – in show mode, not training mode. Though judges aren’t yet officially scoring, they’re forming opinions as they organize bookwork and check tack. Get in there promptly. Don’t dilly-dally and contribute to a delay. That’s irritating to a horse show judge – the judge you’re hoping to impress. As a bonus, making an early entrance into the show ring carves out extra warm up time while the judge is recording numbers…and waiting for the tardy entries.
As a horse show judge, I survey the group of horses moving around the show ring and visualize the ideal- the entry illustrating the original intent of the class. Could that hunter under saddle effortlessly jump a course? Would that road hack fit the hunt field? Is that horsemanship rider not only elegant, but effective? Is that pleasure hack truly a “pleasure” to ride?
Flat or rail classes are the most subjectively judged of horse show events. Without the numerical scoring systems of other disciplines, a horse show judge has more latitude for his preferences. Still, there’s more to the sorting process than “The judge just didn’t like my horse”.
Whether you compete or ride for fun, keeping your horse mentally happy is better than trying to cure a horse gone sour.
“Clenching the bit”. “Stiff necked”. Horse idioms we use for steely determination. So what’s this got to do with Good Friday? This week I saw a horse that’d had enough – took the bit between his teeth, locked his jaw and trotted off on a tangent out of the circle, toward the gate., neck and determination were set like stone. This riding session was over…