2/ NOVEMBER 2019 THE RIDER


Peter Cameron Continued from Page 1.


chance to succeed. Peter’s legendary show


judging career spanned over 65 years. It began in 1953, at a Paint and Quarter Horse show in Hamilton, Ontario, when it was announced that the scheduled show judge


had been in an auto acci- dent. The trainers all put their names in a hat and Peter’s name was drawn to judge that day. That was the start of a judging career dur- ing which he held up to 23 judge’s cards and judged 885 shows with a variety of breeds. He was a founding


member of the Western


Horse Association of On- tario, Ring Steward for Quarterama for 5 years, and Ring Steward at the AQHA World Championships for 4 years. He was the first Cana- dian to judge both the AQHA Congress and World Championships. Peter admitted to en-


Peter visits The Rider and Orange aPEEL booth at Can-Am in 2005


joying judging everything from performance classes, especially Reining and Working Cow Horse, to Lead Line and Stick Horse classes. Eventually, he con- centrated on Arabians. He received their Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into the Hall of Fame with the Arabian Professional and Amateur Horse Association. His legacy also included being inducted into the Arabian Horse Association Judges’ Hall of Fame, the Ontario Quarter Horse Hall of Fame, the Arabian Horse Associa- tion of Southern California Hall of Fame, and the Can- Am Equine Emporium Walk of Fame. He was an hon- orary Life Member of both WHAO and the Arabian Horse Association of East- ern Canada and received the ‘People Make a Difference’ award from Ontario Eques- trian.


He is fondly remem-


bered by those whose path he crossed. When you were judged by Peter there was no place to hide. “Peter was fast, fair, ex-


Peter was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Arabian Professional and Amateur


Horsemen’s Association annual banquet held in Scottsdale, Arizona on February 23rd, 2014.


acting and had a fantastic memory for horses,” said Diana Macdonald of Kin- tyre Arabians, a lifelong friend. “He wouldn’t carry a clipboard and make notes during the class. He would stand slightly into one side with his back to the corner. He could “hear” you make a mistake or a correction,” said Diana. “At the end of the class he would walk rap- idly down the line and give you a comment. I loved showing under him because if you won, you earned it. We would drive out of our way to show under him.” Peter made it clear that


he had no time for politics or favoritism; he judged the


local low-income families to have fun and participate in sports, whether that means buying them skates or help- ing them participate in horseback riding. Donations can be made to “Pete


Cameron – For the Love of Kids and Their Sports”at http://www.community- carestca.ca/donation Peter Cameron passed


away on September 5, 2019 at the age of 90.


Peter riding Cinco Grande


Peter in Colorado


horse and rider in front of him and wasn’t intimidated by the top trainers. He had a photographic memory but he didn’t carry a memory of a mistake made into the next class.


Educating new judges


was important to Peter as well. During his career he mentored 220 learner judges, encouraging them to talk to exhibitors and teach- ing them how to suggest im- provements in order to make the show itself a learning experience. Judges need training in the ring on live horses, not just videos, even if that meant organizing a practice show. To him, a good judge


would judge the horse, not the person showing; read the rule book like a bible; and be able to judge each com- petitor as they stood in that particular class, unbiased by previous performances. In his honour, the Arabian Horse Association now presents the annual ‘Pete Cameron Award’ to an elected judge or steward. As he told Equine Extra


in an interview, he would like to be remembered as an honest judge, a judge who gave everyone a fair look, and for the fact that he judged all those years with-


out a hint or suggestion of conflict of interest. And most importantly that his whole mission has been to encourage – not discourage. Outside of horses, Peter


worked for TRW Automo- tive in St. Catharines, ON for 54 years, retiring in 1988 but returning part-time as Head of Security. Peter was father of four, grandfather of six, and great-grandfather of two. He lived in St. Catharines with his wife of 67 years, Velma, receiving a Trillium Award for Civic Beautification from the city, a Goodwill Ambassador Award, and the Mayor’s Award of Merit in 1993. In his younger years he was ac- tive in basketball and fast- ball, among other sports, and was inducted into the St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame. “My dad was an amaz-


ing and well-respected man,” said his daughter, Karen Rotz. “The stories we have been reading since his passing talk about his inspi- ration, integrity and honesty especially in the horse world where he has left an incred- ible impression.” In his ho- nour, the family has set up a fund with Community Care of St. Catharines to support and encourage kids from


Peter tackles a 1985 Egg and Spoon Competition


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54