Ask the Judge: applause for bad rounds, ring crew distractions and more

Do you ever congratulate the riders for an exceptionally good class?

I do try to contain myself, but I am known for my enthusiasm! If I strongly feel that the riders should be rewarded, I will ask the announcer when placing the class to mention that the judge congratulates the riders on an excellent performance. (I would limit this to a junior or amateur class, not a professional one.)

If the ring crew runs into the ring to fix a fallen tree or put up a rail that has been knocked down while a rider is still on course, and this action spooks the horse or causes a refusal, what do you do as the judge?

If it is a spook directly related to the ring crew’s actions, I will forgive it. If it is a refusal, I have to decide whether to penalize it or not. If the jump crew is clearly at fault and the cause of the refusal, then I will allow a re-ride from that point forward in the course only.

How do you feel about applause for a really bad round?

It happens so often and it is not appreciated. There should be no applause for a poor performance. And for those who think whooping it up for a mediocre performance might influence me to give a better score – it doesn’t. I will judge it as I see it.

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A rider comes into the ring and starts to go to the wrong first jump. Realizing their mistake, the rider stops, corrects their direction, picks up the canter and then jumps around the correct course well. How do you score that?

Unfortunately, this would be scored as a refusal for the approach and subsequent pulling up in front of the wrong jump. The rider would only be eliminated if they had proceeded to jump the wrong first jump.

How many is too many placings in a flat class?

In my experience, 10-12 placings is too many; eight is enough! Otherwise it is a lot of numbers to keep track of and write down. When judging, I write a brief description of the colour of the horse with their number, which takes me extra time. If I have to place more than eight horses, I lose time doing this, which takes my attention away from watching the top ones to determine the results.

A horse comes into your ring for an under-saddle class and the standing martingale is simply tied up in a knot. How do you feel about this?

So very tacky! The rider must dismount and take the martingale off entirely, as it is not allowed and looks like a lazy shortcut. It takes no time at all to remove a martingale before entering the ring.

When a horse plays innocently and briefly while on course, how much do you penalize this?

If the horse is not rude, aggressive, or mean in his behaviour, then I am not going to hold it against him. If he’s just expressing himself in a good way about enjoying his job and using all his parts to convey this, then he feels good – and so do I as the judge watching him.