Warmblood By Julie Winkel What Not To Do: A Hunter Judge Shares Her Pet Peeves I
’ve been a USEF ‘R’ judge since 1984, holding cards in hunter, jumper and equitation, as well as hunter breeding. I’ve also been an
exhibitor, coach and spectator for many years. You might be surprised to find out that the littlest details can make a very good or very bad impression on your judge. In my 30-plus years of experience in the judge's box—and after countless hours of sitting with other top judges—I have developed some definite likes and dislikes. I’d like to share my list of “don’ts” based on what I see from the judge’s booth which can negatively affect your score.
Let’s start with turnout issues: Dirty boots. Please take a moment to give them a quick wipe down before you enter the ring.
Poor-fitting tack. Bridles with throatlatches that are too large im- mediately come to mind.
Martingales too tight or too loose. Incorrect adjustment defeats the purpose of the martingale
Yellow tack. This can suggest you are a beginner and just pur- chased your tack.
Oversize saddle pads. They should be only an inch or so bigger than the saddle.
Big, fuzzy boots for horse in equitation classes. Out of style and distracting. Poor braid job. Sloppy braids make the judge wonder if you left them in overnight.
Spurs sticking straight up. They should be level with boot seam, otherwise they can be quite painful for your horse.
Untucked shirts. To me, this is inexcusable. If you wear low-rise breeches, you may need to buy longer shirts.
Blingy belts. I just don’t feel they have a place in the hunter or eq- uitation rings.
Bling on spurs. Just no, in my opinion. Bling on brow bands. That’s for a different discipline. Charms on spur straps. Double no. Crops that are brightly colored, have charms or are too big. All of these are distracting, detracting and nontraditional.
Huge bows on children that obscure the rider’s number. This is very difficult for judges.
Hunt coats too short. Your coat should touch the saddle as you sit. If it’s too short, it can look more like an untucked fitted shirt.
Odd-colored hunt coats, breeches or shirts. Stick to hunter green or navy hunt coats and beige breeches.
Boots with snakeskin or multi-colored leather. They may be lovely but please wear them to a different event.
A horse in poor condition. Whether it’s a weight issue or the condi- tion of his coat, to me this demonstrates poor horsemanship.
Unconventional bits. Let’s train our horses properly instead of running to the tack shop for the newest fad.
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Messy hair. There is no excuse—hairnets are available for a dollar. Overly large fake tails. To me, they look more like a mop than a natural tail.
To sum it up, judges tend to frown on anything that de-
tracts from the horse in the ring. Traditional hunting attire is the expectation and clean, conservative, classic turnout is very important.
Performance-wise, here are some major pet peeves: Posting to the canter. To me, this means your legs don’t work or you are copying a trend.
Twisting and pulling on the inside rein over a jump to try to land the lead. This is obnoxious to both horse and judge.
Poor sportsmanship. Never tolerated! Excessive speed. Dangerous. Too slow a pace. Boring. A tired, sore or sour horse. Sad and inexcusable. Temper. Simply never allowed on a horse. Horse behind the bit. Worse than being above the bit which results in a major penalty.
Riding too heavy in the saddle or behind the motion. Remember your horse has a sensitive back so always ride light in the tack.
Obviously looking for your lead or diagonal. Red flag you are a be- ginner!
Horse overbent in turn or bent to outside. This unbalances your horse.
Pulling on the inside rein for a lead change. This throws your horse off balance, often resulting in cross canter.
No release or backwards release over the jump. Hitting a horse in the mouth is the cardinal sin of jumping!
Getting left behind over a jump. Hitting a horse in the back is the second cardinal sin of jumping.
Jumping ahead. Again, dangerous. Ducking over the jump. Throws your horse off balance.
Keep in mind the origin of the sport. In the hunt field, negoti-
ating jumps carefully and correctly is critical if horse and rider are going to stay safe. Work with a good, successful trainer regularly to guide you in your performance with your horse or pony. And lastly, remember your turnout, appearance and performance all reflect respect for yourself, the judge and—most importantly— your horse. I hope you will use these suggestions to help turn in your best possible performance. Good luck and have fun!
Julie Winkel is the owner of Maplewood Stables in Reno, Ne- vada, and is an accomplished hunter/jumper competitor and USEF judge. Julie offers internships, as well as full training for horses and riders and sales horses. She also stands two jumper stallions. Learn more at
www.mwstables.com.
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