Judging at horse shows?

Question

My daughter was in a horse show just recently and did quite well on Sat (felt that ribbons she got were earned). On Sunday, she was doing a flat hunter class and being that her 4 y/o TB is still young and not all muscled yet, he kept switching leads in the ring (still getting strong and will switch because its easier for him and yes she is working on building the muscles but it takes time). Well out of 15 horses, she won the flat class and I mean he switched his lead right in front of the judge twice. OMG. I want my kid to excel -what parent wouldn't BUT to give her a first place ribbon over 14 other riders is plain ridiculous !!!! When she walked out of the arena, she was actually in tears because she knew it wasn't fair. She actually took her ribbon to the second place winner and tried to give it to her. Now, her horse is a very cute mover but come on. What's going on with this type of behavior ??? I have noticed several people have the same problem.

Answer 1

It is frustrating but at least she was on the winning side of it this time rather than having given an excellent show only to lose to the other one who gave a mediocre show.  It shows what a well adjusted daughter you have though to know what went wrong and want to change it.  

Unfortunately, the worst thing about showing is that it is the judge's opinion that counts and not a more scientific method of scoring as with jumping or racing.  I've judged in the past and it is very hard to not let your prejudices against certain breeds, colours, etc get in the way but you have to do your best.  I always encourage people to ask the judge what they could better or improve and there is nothing to stop you asking why she felt your horse deserved to win.  You have to be careful to put it in the right way, such as maybe saying this was his first win and you want to know what put him ahead of the rest so that you can try to replicate it again in future.  You never know the judge may have a valid reason that just wasn't obvious.  

One thing that may have gone in your favour though is your horse's age.  If all the other horses in the ring were far more experienced and were still making simple little mistakes as well then she may have placed your youngster higher as he was doing so well in comparison.  This often happens with the young horses or very young riders as they are given a bit more benefit of the doubt.  For example I judged a best rider under 16 class.  There was a very capable little rider with a lovely position aged 14 on a real school master but I placed her 2nd as I had a 6 year old in the ring off the lead riding a sprited little pony who kept trying to nap and buck with her.  She dealt with it and still managed to sit nicely and certainly deserved the 1st place as she proved how good she was at not just looking good but also being competent dealing with the issues horses give her.  It was a hard call and I'm not sure the 14yr old's family really approved.

Answer 2

I sympathize, but do remember judging is all subjective.

I once had a situation where I placed too high in one class and felt embarrassed about it, but my friends consoled me by telling me how I was shafted in another class in the same division (differnet judge).  It was very noble and admirable of your daughter to try to give her ribbon to the 2nd place finisher. Clearly, you both have character.

Answer 3

My daughter has had the same issue and been victimized by a judge who pinned the "prettier" horse.  I have a friend who blew the doors off her competition but didn't place because she rode an appaloosa (he was a beautiful horse) but the judge didn't like appaloosas and didn't place her.  I overheard the ring steward tell someone that it was too bad her horse had spots because she woulda won the class.   How they place in a horse show is strictly the judges opinion.  I know they are supposed to be objective but they are humans too.  My daughter had a competitor that one week the judge placed ahead of her then the next week my daughter would place ahead, it was very frustrating.

Answer 4

Your trainers right - sometimes you win when you shouldn't. Some judges will already have their favorites picked out from the over fences classes and will pin them no matter what.  Or perhaps the judge was just looking down at his scorecard, or focusing on another horse.

Tell your daughter not to worry about it - save that ribbon for the day when she has a perfect ride, and the judge doesn't pin her at all!

Answer 5

The judge is obviously very fickle!

Every judge has an opinion on something, and some will prioritise a pretty head over correct movement. Some judges are so unknowledgeable that all they look at is the face. Some miss things; yes it's horrible, but if you have 15 horses in a class sometimes you do miss things.

All you can do is keep a little book with a list of judges; get to know who likes your horse and who judges fairly, and don't go to the people who don't know how to judge a class.

Answer 6

i completely agree with the first answerer