Turning In The Last Judge's Card

Cathy Harper is a FEI Level 3 Jumper Judge and Canadian national Senior Jumper Judge who recently announced her well-deserved retirement from the sport. She has judged at North America’s most prestigious shows, including the Nations Cup in Wellington, Florida; American Gold Cup in Old Salem, NY; Central Park Horse Show in NYC; and two Olympic trials for the USA at Devon, PA, and Sacramento, CA. Throughout her career she also acted as member of the jury or foreign judge for the Live Oak International, Global Champions Tour in NYC, the Royal Winter Fair, Major League Show Jumping tours in Ottawa and Angelstone, the Nations Cup in California, and her final event, the Las Vegas National November 13-19.

Harper, who currently lives in Ormstown, Quebec, grew up in St. Lambert and began riding lessons at the age of ten at the Mount Bruno riding school under the tutelage of ‘the father of equitation’ in Quebec, Eugene St. Louis. Within a year, her parents had purchased her first horse and she began competing at small shows. It was the beginning of a long period of competing, both on her horses and on other’s more inexperienced mounts who needed miles in the ring.

At the age of 17, she was invited to join the National School of Equitation, an instructors training institution developed by Auber Brillant and headed by Bruce Fowler. “It was all-inclusive and we studied all aspects of the sport,” remembers Harper. “I was fortunate to be asked to stay on the second year as assistant instructor, during which time I had two very nice horses to show, one hunter and one jumper – both were very successful.”

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As the National School came to a close, Harper ventured out on her own and worked for several professionals, including Gabor Foltenyi in Michigan and Lorne Siegle in Ontario, before being hired by the Mathers family, where she became the coach of the family’s six children. “This was a tremendous opportunity to go to a lot of major shows,” she says. “One highlight was the Junior International in Puerto Rico, where we took home team gold and individual gold as well.”

From there, Harper freelanced for a few years before opening Equinoxe stable in 1979; by then, she had begun judging and after 12 years decided to close the stable and concentrate on judging full time.

Holding EC senior cards as both a hunter and jumper judge in the beginning of her career, Harper spent much of her time living out of a suitcase – although she laughs that she managed miraculously to avoid the most common pitfall of a professional traveller: lost luggage. “I was lucky with all that travel that there were no missed flights, although there were a few sprints through the airport!”

In 2003 she began the process of becoming an FEI judge and after becoming certified as Level 3 by the FEI she began her career as a jumper judge at shows such as Bromont, Blainville and Quebec City before being appointed to shows in the United States as Foreign Judge, including Kentucky, Florida and twice the North American Young Riders Championships.

“Francois [Ferland] instilled in me a work ethic and a sense of integrity and fairness that I have strived to keep over my career.”

Drawing on her experience in the industry, both in the saddle and behind the scenes, the progression to judge was a smooth transition for Harper. “I think I can say that I loved judging right from the beginning,” she says. “I understood what goes into showing horses and what is expected.”

Her career became more serious when she began working with mentor Francois Ferland, long-time FEI official who acted as President of the Ground Jury at the 2004 Athens Olympics and who was inducted into the Jump Canada Hall of Fame in 2007. “I would say that once I started doing more jumper shows and had the chance to sit with Francois, I was ready to immerse myself in this aspect of the sport. Francois instilled in me a work ethic and a sense of integrity and fairness that I have strived to keep over my career.”

Other mentors throughout her career included FEI level 4 judge David Distler, whom Harper says taught her fairness and how to listen to competitors, and the late Karen Golding. “Karen helped me in my first couple of foreign judge appointments in Wellington, Florida,” she recalls. “As Chief Steward, her vast knowledge and willingness to share made everything go smoothly. I think she was happy to see that I became more self-assured because of it.”

Her appreciation for her mentors is evidenced by her desire to give back to the sport herself, as she willingly stepped into the role of mentor for the next generation of judges. “Over the years, I have had many people shadow judge with me,” she says. “I have tried to give them the same advice and tools that have worked for me and I am always available to them if they have any situations that they are not sure of. I have enjoyed being a mentor, and it is always good to give back to the sport.”

Harper has had the best seat in the house to witness not only the world’s best horse-and-rider combinations, but also the progression of the sport. “There have been so many great horse-and-rider combinations that I have have seen over the years,” she says. “Of course Ian Millar and Big Ben, McLain Ward and Sapphire, Nick Skelton and Big Star and the incomparable Hickstead, to name a few.

“I had been to the Royal as a spectator, a groom, a rider and a coach, so to finish as a judge was special to me.”

“I have also had the opportunity to see the sport develop over the years – the amazing venues available, the quality of footing and the course designing have all attributed to the excellence we see in our horses and riders today. A career spanning forty years is a long time, during which I have seen some riders show in the pony division, continue into the juniors and even on to the grand prix level.”

With credits on her resume that include some of North America’s top venues, Harper is hard-pressed to choose a horse show that for her represents a culmination of her life’s work, but one close to home holds a special place for her both personally and professionally. “I have had the opportunity to be on the jury or be foreign judge at a great many shows throughout North America, and to single out one or two is difficult,” she says. “But, I would say The Royal Winter Fair is probably my favourite. I had been to the Royal as a spectator, a groom, a rider and a coach, so to finish as a judge was special to me.”

Harper counts herself among the lucky few to say that after a 40 year career she still enjoys going to horse shows, although with retirement comes the opportunity to pick up a few hobbies that had to take a back seat with the demands of horse show scheduling.

“My retirement is bittersweet,” she says. “I will miss the shows and of course the friends and colleagues I have been working with all these years. I have started travelling for my own pleasure, specifically cruising. I have been on several and hope to do a few more in the future. I love this sport and will continue to go to shows when I can.”