TARHEEL REVIEW by Elaine and Harold Thacker Rt . 5 , Winston-Salem , N . C .
WILL POOR JUDGING RUIN OUR HORSE SHOWS ?
Ever since there have been horse shows or exhibitions of any kind there have been things going on that are not right . You can call it anything you want to , crooked judging , imparital judging or just plain lack of knowledge of the type of horses he is judging .
Let ’ s start with the Exhibitions in the early 1900 ’ s . My grandfather told me about a judge that approached him during a log dragging contest and said . “ If you will give me five dollars , I will arrange for your horses to get the smallest log to pull .”
Now here we are in the middle 1960 ’ s still showing horses , but finding it even harder to win or just to place .
In every state where you find horse shows , you will find riders winning the blue ribbons not the horse . You will even find a horse that is well advertised winning even though he doesn ’ t deserve it . What goes through the judges mind in this case ? Does he say to himself , “ There ’ s Mr . John Doe . He usually rides a good horse or there ’ s John Doe he is a good friend I ’ ll give him first place . On the subject of the highly advertised horse . The horse comes into the ring . The first way of the ring he does all three gaits perfect , but on the reverse he breaks in the running walk or he gets the wrong lead in the canter . In the ring with this advertised horse you have a horse that does everything right , maybe a little bit better . Unfortunately , the judge says to himself , “ He must be good or the owner ’ s wouldn ’ t spend all that money to advertise him . I ’ ll give him first place .”
A judge that places a horse because he has won in other shows or he has been advertised must not know what he is looking for . In other cases , he may not know what to look for .
A trainer , or anyone that keeps up with the shows , can tell by seeing the judges name who will win the class before the horses enter the ring .
In one case in another state , the fans booed the judge and shouted , “ Go ahead and give the man on the black horse first place and send him out the gate then get on with the rest of the class .”
There have been cases where the man who won all the classes was the one that hired the judge .
Sometimes a judge has given a rider every blue in the show although he didn ’ t deserve it ; just because the rider was going to judge a show in his home town . Later , we found out the man that went to the judge ’ s home town tied horses not the rider . This is the kind of man everyone in the horse business can be proud of .
How does improper judging hurt Horse Shows ?
( 1 ) There will be less horses in competition .
( 2 ) There will not be as many spectators .
If the number of horses decrease and the fans do not attend , Horse Shows will no longer exist . What can be done ? The question , ‘ What can be done ?’, has been asked over and over . For instance , the committee that selects the judge should be careful who they select . It does not take much time to investigate the man you want . This will make your show a much better one .
I would like to make a plea to the men and women who will be judging the shows in the 1965 season : Please judge the horse not the rider . Please judge them as you see them not as someone else wants you to see them .
Always remember the GOLDEN RULE , and use it the way it is supposed to be used . “ Do unto others as you would have them do unto you .”
AGRICULTURAL CONSULTANTS PASS MILESTONE
Clovis , California — September 21 , 1964 — The American Society of Agricultural Consultants ( ASAC ) met in Denver , Colorado , on September 11 and 12 . It was the Society ’ s first annual meeting ; the organization - charter meeting having been held in Fresno , California , nine months earlier .
Forty-five members from 14 states , Washington , D . C . and Canada assembled for the historic two-day session . Dr . M . E . Ensminger , Clovis , California , the Society ’ s first president , presided .
Dr . Ensminger congratulated the Society on its accomplishments during the first year . He singled out “ the setting up ( and adoption ) of Constitution and by-laws , membership requirements , code of ethics , and grievance procedure ; the publication of two proceedings (’ 63 and ’ 64 ); a paid-up membership of 65 from throughout the United States and Canada ; and a cash balance of $ 599.38 , plus an inventory of proceedings valued at $ 1,196.00 . Dr . Ensminger also admonished the Society ever to “( 1 ) keep in mind their noble objectives , ( 2 ) invite for membership all those who qualify and comply * and ( 3 ) maintain high standards . He concluded his formal report by saying , “ This Society has given
point , purpose , stature and a new look to the profession in which we are engaged .”
Major addresses before the Society were made by Robert C . Liebenow , President , Board of Trade ,
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16 VOICE of The Tennessee Walking Horse