From: admin [#1]
1 Jun 2008
To: ALL
Hello everyone, and good morning!
In light of a small bit of controversy at last week's show, I wanted to make a post that talks directly about our Saddle Club's rules regarding horse show judging.
First, we are aware of the issue dealing with alcoholic beverages at our events, and we are dealing with it.
In the Gibson County Saddle Club Universal Rules (those which must be applied to all events), there is one rule we want to address:
- Decisions made by judges and referees are final, in all aspects of judgment.
We give judges a lot of latitude, because we invite them to participate as judges. We look for different judges, because of their varied experience and differing opinions. If we used one judge the entire year, their opinions could be construed as favoritism over time.
The first benefit is diversity of opinion. Judges don't always see things the same way, and they'll often discuss what they like or dislike with the riders. The second benefit is finding consistency. From show to show, our riders can learn from these different sources what they're doing right... or what they may need to improve upon.
Our judge at the last show made a change to satisfy a need for safety. It was her opinion that the riders were too close together for a canter, and she did not feel it would be safe to ask the riders to canter so closely together. Especially for a safety concern, we must agree to let the judge's decision be final. To do otherwise may endanger our children or their horses.
As your announcer, in the future I will personally help to clear any controversy by talking with the judge on behalf of any decisions they make in the future. The judge is limited by the arena, and cannot speak to everyone at the same time. If she feels it's necessary, I will gladly get on the P.A. and explain any adjustments she makes during future events.
I hope this will help clear up any issues with our judging. Children learn a lot from judges and the judging environment. They will become better riders as time goes forward, and we hope that they'll continue to improve at every saddle club event they attend.
Thank you!
Eric Geater
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