Training

Observations from the Judge’s Booth: D.J. Murtagh

The hunter/jumper judge talks about turnout, rhythm, scoring, effective riding and making a grand entrance.

D.J. Murtagh in the judge's booth. (djmequine.com photo)

By: Tracy Hanes | April 7, 2025

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you're listening to an article from horse sport.com. observations from the judge’s booth: d.j. murtagh by: tracy hanes. judge d.j. murtagh, who holds his senior hunter card and small ‘r’ recorded jumper card, has diverse experience in the horse industry. he grew up riding hunters and jumpers, and successfully showed up to modified grand prix and in the cet medals, and had a strong interest in equitation. after working for a couple of international riders, he directed his focus to horse behaviour and starting young horses. he rode with experienced cowboys and started many cutting horses in florida before transitioning back into the hunter-jumper world. as well as starting young horses and working with those with behaviourial issues at his djm equine in the orangeville, ontario area, d.j. gives clinics as well as judges at shows across north america. what do you look for when a horse first enters the ring? advertisement scroll to continue with content i’m looking for overall quality when a horse and rider enter the ring. turnout and overall appearance are the first things to grab me. the horse should be healthy, in good weight, well-groomed, braided, and i like a banged tail because it looks nicer. i like to see a nice jacket and clean boots on the rider. i got asked about bling at some clinics i gave, and my personal preference is to keep things traditional and simple. what are the most common errors you see in the hunter ring? i would say the biggest one that seems to catch a lot of people is inconsistent rhythm. at a lot of clinics i do, one of things we really work on is lengthening and shortening strides, and building rhythm. every horse’s rhythm is going to feel different, but a good exercise is to set a line of four rails and get comfortable understanding what that 12-foot step feels like so it becomes home base. when you score a class out of 100, how much do certain errors cost you? (a score of 90 to 100 is excellent). a stop will put your in the 30s or 40s. knocking rails down will be the 40s, and horses that are misbehaving, 50s. i hate when horses leave out steps in the line and are out of control. i’ve seen it go so badly. also in the 50s is if they break stride, or come back to trot to switch leads, or cross-cantering. in the 70s, nothing too bad has happened, maybe a horse will swap leads. in the 80s and 90s? a good solid round. i don’t often get to score much above that. how do you break a tie? there is always some deciding factor. i can always find something that separates one horse or another, such as its quality. one jumps better or has a nicer way of going. i don’t think i’ve had any so close that i’ve thought, “gee, i don’t know which one is better than the other.”. how can you best ride a hunter under saddle class? when you come in the ring, even though you’re not being officially judged, you are being judged. you want to make a big entrance as much as you can. understand what your horse does well. if it’s trotting, trot across the ring to stand out. if its canter is better, show that off. riding across the diagonal or up centre line will get you separated from everyone else. showcase what your horse is good at. ride the quarter line, as that’s where we pin. disappear and blend in with horses if yours doesn’t move really well. if there are some really good movers in the ring and your horse isn’t, i wouldn’t hang out with those; find a place where you are not right up against them. what is your advice for equitation and medal trips? the one thing i see a lot is riders focusing on riding pretty, which is part of it, but some are ineffective. i want to see someone using a good position to produce good riding, not perching and not getting much done. i look at which one of riders i would want on one of my own horses. i look for someone with nice style who is giving the horse a good ride. i watch their hands and their ability to connect with their seat and leg and put it all together. what is one thing that you wish trainers paid more attention to when setting up a horse/rider combination for the show ring? first and foremost is suitability. they have to understand where a rider is at in their journey to find a horse appropriate for them at that stage in their career. that’s one of the big things. another is setting things up at a horse show where the horse is ready to go in and work and not be too fresh. you’ve got to put people on horses that are suitable. they might be a bit of challenge, but not impossible. it’s having it be do-able, as that’s part of the fun factor. do all judges judge the same? i’d like to think so, but i’d say no. when i was getting my senior card, i sat with a bunch of judges and on the whole, most of them are on same page, with a base of knowledge of sport and horses that adds to their ability. i try to sit by the ring even if not judging and follow along in most of big classes, i can make sense of what the person looking for. unfortunately, there is that element where that doesn’t happen. the whole reason i got into judging is because there were shows where i was champion on some of my worst performance days, and days where it was the opposite. &&>

Judge D.J. Murtagh, who holds his senior hunter card and small ‘r’ recorded jumper card, has diverse experience in the horse industry. He grew up riding hunters and jumpers, and successfully showed up to modified grand prix and in the CET medals, and had a strong interest in equitation. After working for a couple of international riders, he directed his focus to horse behaviour and starting young horses. He rode with experienced cowboys and started many cutting horses in Florida before transitioning back into the hunter-jumper world.

As well as starting young horses and working with those with behaviourial issues at his DJM Equine in the Orangeville, Ontario area, D.J. gives clinics as well as judges at shows across North America.

What do you look for when a horse first enters the ring?

Scroll to continue with content

I’m looking for overall quality when a horse and rider enter the ring. Turnout and overall appearance are the first things to grab me. The horse should be healthy, in good weight, well-groomed, braided, and I like a banged tail because it looks nicer. I like to see a nice jacket and clean boots on the rider. I got asked about bling at some clinics I gave, and my personal preference is to keep things traditional and simple.

What are the most common errors you see in the hunter ring?

I would say the biggest one that seems to catch a lot of people is inconsistent rhythm. At a lot of clinics I do, one of things we really work on is lengthening and shortening strides, and building rhythm. Every horse’s rhythm is going to feel different, but a good exercise is to set a line of four rails and get comfortable understanding what that 12-foot step feels like so it becomes home base.

When you score a class out of 100, how much do certain errors cost you? (A score of 90 to 100 is excellent).

A stop will put your in the 30s or 40s.
Knocking rails down will be the 40s, and horses that are misbehaving, 50s. I hate when horses leave out steps in the line and are out of control. I’ve seen it go so badly.
Also in the 50s is if they break stride, or come back to trot to switch leads, or cross-cantering.
In the 70s, nothing too bad has happened, maybe a horse will swap leads.
In the 80s and 90s? A good solid round. I don’t often get to score much above that.

How do you break a tie?

There is always some deciding factor. I can always find something that separates one horse or another, such as its quality. One jumps better or has a nicer way of going. I don’t think I’ve had any so close that I’ve thought, “gee, I don’t know which one is better than the other.”

How can you best ride a hunter under saddle class?

When you come in the ring, even though you’re not being officially judged, you are being judged. You want to make a big entrance as much as you can. Understand what your horse does well. If it’s trotting, trot across the ring to stand out. If its canter is better, show that off. Riding across the diagonal or up centre line will get you separated from everyone else. Showcase what your horse is good at. Ride the quarter line, as that’s where we pin. Disappear and blend in with horses if yours doesn’t move really well. If there are some really good movers in the ring and your horse isn’t, I wouldn’t hang out with those; find a place where you are not right up against them.

What is your advice for equitation and medal trips?

The one thing I see a lot is riders focusing on riding pretty, which is part of it, but some are ineffective. I want to see someone using a good position to produce good riding, not perching and not getting much done. I look at which one of riders I would want on one of my own horses. I look for someone with nice style who is giving the horse a good ride. I watch their hands and their ability to connect with their seat and leg and put it all together.

What is one thing that you wish trainers paid more attention to when setting up a horse/rider combination for the show ring?

First and foremost is suitability. They have to understand where a rider is at in their journey to find a horse appropriate for them at that stage in their career. That’s one of the big things. Another is setting things up at a horse show where the horse is ready to go in and work and not be too fresh. You’ve got to put people on horses that are suitable. They might be a bit of challenge, but not impossible. It’s having it be do-able, as that’s part of the fun factor.

Do all judges judge the same?

I’d like to think so, but I’d say no. When I was getting my senior card, I sat with a bunch of judges and on the whole, most of them are on same page, with a base of knowledge of sport and horses that adds to their ability. I try to sit by the ring even if not judging and follow along in most of big classes, I can make sense of what the person looking for. Unfortunately, there is that element where that doesn’t happen. The whole reason I got into judging is because there were shows where I was champion on some of my worst performance days, and days where it was the opposite.