In a hunter course, there are some shorter options to the jumps. Should I take them?
No. Make use of the whole ring, as it is not a handy class so I’m not looking for efficient turns. I want to be able to see as much of your horse as possible, and the best way to do this is to make full use of the entire ring.
When you tell a rider they are excused, but then they continue on and attempt to jump, what can you do?
I would first have the announcer repeat that they are excused. If they still continue in the ring, then I would contact the steward and give them the number of the offender with the request that they speak to both the rider and the trainer about abiding by the rules. At the very least, an apology to the judge would be in order.
In all of your judging years, have you ever seen jumping performances that you have no symbol for?
I have seen many that would fall into this category, and the automatic symbol is just a big ‘X’ that says disaster has struck!