GoHorseShow.com would like to congratulate the
newly approved AQHA judges. There were seven new all-around judges, two
progressive and several international and novice judges approved to round out
the testing process this year.
“After reviewing the scores from the 2010 AQHA
Judges Qualifying Exam, it was apparent these applicants were well prepared for
the difficult testing session,” Alex Ross, AQHA Executive Director of Judges
remarked. “AQHA would like to congratulate them on a job well done.”
The judges on the official panel included: John
Pipkin, Don Topliff, Joe Carter, Wayne Halvorson, Alex Ross,
Jim
Heird and Sam Rose.
Jerry Erickson of Sanger, Texas and Jennifer
Leckey of Richmond, Indiana were two of seven all-around judges approved. They
are excited about the opportunity to provide their input and give back to the
industry.
Erickson, who first tested in the mid-80s, said
that the test is now more in depth and thorough. “It was a lot harder this
time. We didn’t have to do videos, and penalty point tests back then. It was a
completely different format, and it was harder to get back into the groove of
studying, but I think it went pretty well. I struggled with the written parts
and penalty point sections of the written tests, but I did quite well in the live
judging–which is quite easy a reflection of the old fossil that I am,”
Erickson said. Jerry adds that he is glad to be able to judge again and
contribute to the industry by helping improve the quality of horses and give
advice to many in the industry.
Leckey, who ran into a bit of bad luck last year
with the weather flying to Amarillo for the judge’s test made sure that this
year she went a couple days early. She said she felt prepared and confident
going into this year’s test. “I wanted to become a judge to help improve the
quality of the hunter under saddle and western pleasure horses in the
industry.Those are my classes of expertise, and there are not as many judges
now that are as knowledgeable in those events.” Jennifer said the most
stressful part of the testing process was judging the halter classes. “There is
not a definite point system and numerical process to judge the halter. It is
more based on opinion and what type of horse you like,” Leckey said. “You have
to match up with the panel, and it is a little trickier when it comes to the
conformation classes.”
Wayne Holt of Argyle, Texas and Ronald Stratton
of Blountville, Tennessee were also accepted as Progressive judges this year.
Progressive judges are allowed to judge any shows in the industry that had
under 350 entries the year before. According to AQHA, 81% of all horse shows in
the country are under 350 entries. Stratton said he thought the testing process
was fair and laid back. “The interviews were very low key, and I was very
pleased with the process,” Stratton said. “I thought they did a really good job
to provide us with the best opportunity to show our abilities and knowledge.”
Holt said he was glad to be back in the game. “I
didn’t realize how much I missed judging horses, and I knew I wanted to get
involved again. I would like to thank AQHA for giving me the opportunity to
test for my card,” Holt explained. “I thought
Alex Ross did a great job administering the test, and I thought the
process was very fair but at the same time, intense and competitive. I love
judging horses and meeting new people and look forward to being involved in
this aspect of the horse industry for years to come.
The entire list of judges approved this year are
shown below.
All-around
Judges Approved:
Jerry Erickson – Sanger, Texas
Jessica Gilliam – Greensburg, Indiana
Kathryn Kope – Cocoa Beach, Florida
Jennifer Leckey – Richmond, Indiana
Jill Newcomb – Rancho Santa Fe, California
Jimmy Stickler – San Luis Obispo, California
Terry Thompson – Aubrey, Texas
Progressive:
Wayne Holt – Argyle, Texas
Ron Stratton – Blountville, Tennessee
International
All-Around Judges Approved:
Maj Britt Holm Lemay – Sweden
Sascha Ludwig – Germany
Sonja
Merkle – Germany
Iris Oplusstil – Austria
Francoise Raimondo – France
Matteo Sala – Italy
Sandra Schmitz – Germany
International
Specialized Novice:
Klaus Fock – Austria
Hannes
Gaube – Austria
Jitka Kynclova – Germany
Specialized
Novice Show Judges
Donna Crossman – Midlothian, Virginia
Kris Hiney – River Falls, Wisconsin
Joe Pluhar – College Station, Texas
Reid Thomas – Corpus Christi,
Texas
