The hunter ring has always carried an air of mystery for those on the outside – and sometimes, even for those competing. Rounds are completed, ribbons are handed out, and often, riders, trainers, and spectators alike are left wondering how the judge reached their decision. But veteran judge and accomplished Canadian equestrian Kim Kirton believes there’s a simple solution to that confusion: announce the scores, every time.
Kirton, known for her straight talk and deep understanding of hunter judging, feels strongly that open scoring makes the sport more transparent—and more educational.
“I think the scoring is educational because trainers, rider, parents don’t always understand the score or why the round didn’t get a ribbon,” Kirton explains. “But if there’s a score to go with it, they can go back and look at their video and read articles to learn what that 55 or 62 actually means.”
The Reality Behind the Numbers
In her previous HorseSport interview, Observations from the Judge’s Booth, Kirton provided insights into scoring benchmarks. She explained that mistakes like a rail down is typically 45 and up, while minor imperfections can still result in respectable scores, depending on horse quality. But what happens when those numbers aren’t made public?
“A lot of the time, judges get blamed for the result,” says Kirton. “Good judges—the placing will still fall into place regardless of the scores. But when people don’t hear the number, they fill in the blanks, and often, the judge takes the heat.”
That’s why she believes every hunter division, at least at the gold level, should announce scores. “Not just the derbies or special classes—normal divisions too. It keeps the judges accountable, and it helps educate everyone at the show.”
The Accountability Factor
Kirton is quick to point out that open scoring isn’t just for riders—it keeps judges sharp as well. With more of the older American judges working in Canada retiring, she sees public scoring as a way to maintain high standards.
“If you’re a new judge and your scores are way off, you’re not getting invited back,” she says frankly. “Scoring out loud means you have to know what you’re doing, or everyone knows you don’t.”
The issue of accountability becomes even more important, Kirton suggests, when considering the subtle politics that can influence judging. While she believes Canada largely avoids the worst of this compared to the U.S., having public scores helps prevent favoritism or questionable decisions from creeping in.
“It encourages integrity,” she says. “You don’t want to look like a fool giving ridiculous scores, and you can’t hide your mistakes if everything’s announced.”
Debunking the Score Myths
Part of the confusion around scoring, Kirton acknowledges, stems from widespread misconceptions about how rounds are judged. She offers examples to demystify the process:
- A 40 usually reflects a stop on course. The horse stopping to poop on course is considered a stop and in the hack it’s considered no ribbon.
- A 45 signals a rail down.
- The 50s come from mistakes like trotting, kicking out, spinning, leaving a stride out, or using your whip on course either on the shoulder or behind the saddle.
- The 60s might reflect an added stride, a chip to a fence, or cross-canter
- 70s indicate faults like a hard rub, overjumping, a step late on a lead change, a swap on the landing or middle of a line, or a super round with a lesser quality horse.
- 80s are reserved for quality horses with near-flawless trips and only minor errors such as a small rub, a slightly late change, or a little swap where the straightness doesn’t change.
- 90s “That’s a perfect trip on a quality horse,” Kirton says. “But 100? You’ll almost never see it—too much drama.” Indeed, the rare occasions when riders like Scott Stewart or Victoria Colvin received perfect 100s sparked heated debates across social media—a reminder of how controversial judging can be in the absence of widespread education.
While these are good guidelines, Kirton points out that there are always variations.
“If you have one stride of cross-canter you could get to the 80s, but if you it goes on for three strides you are in the 60s. If your horse lightly swaps his lead on take-off but doesn’t shift of the centreline, you are still eligible for a top ribbon. If the horse swaps after the jump, that’s a major fault that will land you in the 70s,” explained Kirton of the intricacies. “Another example would be that if you enter the ring at a trot, pick up your canter and then break to the trot again, that is breaking stride and scores in the 50s, but if you canter and pick up the wrong lead and do one step of trot and get the right lead you are ok – though really you should do a lead change – that’s not as bad and will only be considered as part of a tie-breaker.”
Overall, judges are looking at manners, straightness, turnout, and quality of the horse and the jump.
The Trainer’s Dilemma
While Kirton champions public scoring, she also acknowledges the challenges. At smaller, grassroots shows, adding scores to every round can be logistically difficult. And when Wellington introduced mandatory public scoring a few years ago, it didn’t last—too many trainers protested at the in-gate when they heard numbers they didn’t like – although it has since been re-introduced.
Still, she believes the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, especially for those serious about improving.
“I have people ask me about their scores all the time—even my own clients,” Kirton admits. “If I don’t like my scores all week, I just won’t show under that judge again. Or I take the good ones, be a good sport, and move on.”
Her advice? Watch the whole class, listen to the scores, and learn. “I already know what I’m going to get when my rider finishes their round,” she says. “It shouldn’t be a surprise.”
A Call for More Canadian Judges
One hurdle to consistent, quality judging in Canada is the lack of qualified homegrown officials. Most of the hunter judges at major Canadian shows come from the U.S.—a trend Kirton attributes to gaps in the education system and past restrictions on Canadians shadowing American judges.
“We didn’t have enough qualified judges, and our good Canadian ones go work in the States—it’s too close to home for them to judge here,” she explains. “But now, with new programs allowing Canadian judges to sit and learn from more seasoned Americans, hopefully that changes.”
Still, Kirton herself avoids judging in Ontario for the same reason—she knows too many people. “It’s hard to be totally impartial when you’ve had a martini with half the competitors,” she jokes.
At the End of the Day—It’s About Learning
For Kirton, public scoring isn’t about embarrassing riders or calling out mistakes. It’s about improving the sport, encouraging better horsemanship, and creating a transparent, educational environment for everyone involved.
“People need to understand straightness, manners, turnout, the quality of the horse—it’s not just about jumping the fence,” she emphasizes. “They’re judging everything—there are 92 strides on course, not just the eight jumps.”
Her ultimate message? Listen, learn, and aim to do your best. And if you heard your score announced, good or bad, take it as an opportunity – not an insult.
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