A horse and rider is eliminated in the first round of a Classic. Can they come back for the second round, or can they go hors concours?

No and no. You are not eligible for the second round when you don’t receive a score for the first round. Hors concours entries are not permitted in hunter or equitation classes.

When you call the riders back to ride-off in a medal class, is it important where you line them up?

It is very important where you ask them to line up. You need to make sure they are not standing in the way of any jumps, that they are in a relatively quiet area of the ring so the riders can hear the test announced and the horses aren’t upset while waiting their turn. They also need to have enough room to spread out and turn around when they are asked to face out of the ring.

You are judging a ride-off with your top four riders and they all go off course. Do you test them again? How do you handle this?

There would be no further testing. You would pin them in the order that they came back in for the ride-off after the first round. They were all off-course, regardless of their performance, so the placings don’t change.

Can you start an under-saddle class by going straight to the canter after the initial walk, and when would you ask for this?

I will do this only when I have a few entries. The canter is the gait they jump out of and the one that I want to see the most. It also keeps the day shorter! A lot of judges end up pinning the class from the trot. Moving the canter up in the order puts the emphasis back on the gait from which we jump.

Randy’s Pet Peeves

What irritates you most at horse shows?

Here’s my list:

• First and foremost, rotten ponies being mean to little kids and taking advantage of them when they should just do their jobs!

• Holding up a ring for a trainer when it is a flat class

• Not leaving the ring when you are told to

• Numbers tied on horses’ or ponies’ necks when they are jogged back into the ring

• In-gate clinics … coaching that goes on and on before and/or after a round. Leave it for the time and space of home

• Unbraided horses and ponies in rated classes