GoHorseShow asked several judges some of their most memorable moments while judging a horse show. Many involve traveling to foreign countries; insane travel and weather problems; funny events happening in the show arena; the shows they had the opportunity to judge; people they have met, and exhibitors that have left a lasting impression in their minds.
Regardless of the memory, all of the judges are thankful that horses gave them the opportunity to have these once-in-a-lifetime experiences. We separated the moments into a three part series starting with fun travel memories. Stay tuned for travel nightmares and fun moments inside the arena.
Fun Travel Memories
Don Falcon – I was judging in Texcoco, Mexico (pictured right) and the show was held in conjunction with a big fair. There were lots of cattle, different breeds of horses, and wall-to-wall people surrounding the horse show arena. I was waiting for the organizers of the show to process entries when I saw three guys riding these huge bulls at the far end of the arena. I had never seen anything like that before, so, I grabbed my ring steward and told him I needed to get a picture. When we got down there, these bulls were huge–must have been six feet tall across their backs and weighed over 2500 lbs. I was going to have my picture taken beside them but this one guy jumped off and told me to get on. I wasn’t going to pass up this opportunity, so, up I went–took the picture, and, then, he asked through my interpreter if I wanted to ride him in the arena. I said, “Sure!” The arena was shaped liked a horseshoe, and the end we were on was open. I started this bull out thinking he’d be pretty “pluggy”, but I kicked him off and he went right into a nice trot. I guided him to the rail and went down to the far end thinking this was pretty cool. The spectators started clapping, and, when I started up the far side, this bull started increasing his speed into a fast trot. That’s when I was thinking; I should have asked the “bull trainer” what the Spanish word for “Whoa” was…… For a moment, I envisioned this big guy just going out the other end and through the vendor tents like a “bull in a china shop!” Just a halter with reins, no bit, but as we got to the where the rest of the bulls were standing, he stopped on his own. As I climbed off, I was thinking of the letter that I would have had to write to Alex Ross explaining how I was riding a runaway bull.
Cindy Chilton-Moore – In September 2010, I was invited to judge a two-day horse show and give four days of clinics in Israel. It seemed almost surreal to land in Tel Aviv. The horse show and my lodging were in a kibbutz named Magal. Later, I learned that some of the young equestrians did not own, but shared, horses. Each morning, I noticed that many of young people were camping in tents at the horse show grounds. These young people were able to participate because of the type of program offered by the Israel Quarter Horse Association, championed by Rudi Shadmot. Just before the last day of clinics, my husband, Gary, flew in so that we might tour Israel afterwards. We met Yoab Barry a credentialed Israel guide who was Rudi and Boaz’s neighbor. Starting at the top of Mount Olives, we walked through Old Jerusalem, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Garden of Gethsemane, Wailing Wall, Temple Mount, Israel Museum and Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum. The next day we drove to the Dead Sea, Sea of Galilee, Tiberius, Jordan River and Golan Heights. The last night we walked the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. All of this, I owe to the American Quarter Horse Association and the Israel Quarter Horse Association.
David Denniston – I have been so blessed to have the opportunity to judge horse shows all over the world and one of the most enjoyable recent experiences I’ve had was judging the 2013 AQHA European Quarter Horse Championship Show in Kreuth, Germany. Judging with Gretchen Mathes, Sandy Jirkovsky, Karen Watters, Peter Morgan and Sylvia Jackle–how could one not have a good time? There was never a dull moment and we shared so many laughs. David Avery was at the helm for the AQHA and he took incredible care of us and was an excellent restauranteur. There are so many intricacies associated with international travel and judging and we will always remember and cherish the memories we created. It’s truly amazing how the horse and horse shows can bring people together and form bonds that will last a lifetime. To protect the “innocent”, many of the memories we created shall remain within our group; however, I can share that Mr. Avery will most likely keep very good and careful track of his cell phone for years to come.
Casey Devitt – One of my most memorable trips was a quarter horse show I judged in New Zealand. My wife, April, got to come with me and we made sort of a mini-vacation out of it. We found it refreshing that the horses showed in the halter classes in the morning and throughout the day in all the other classes from pleasure to the reining, the cutting, etc. As a judge, it was not only my responsibility to place the class but also to hand out the ribbons to the exhibitors from first through sixth–all the placings were received with much enthusiasm. After judging the horse show, we stayed for a couple days and enjoy the beautiful scenery. We also gathered 400 head of sheep on horseback, more like a trail ride–dogs did all the work! We met some great people that will never be forgotten.
Clint Fullerton – One of the things I love the most about judging horse shows, besides seeing so many different amazing horses, is the great people one gets to meet and experience and the travel and the great places one gets to go. I have had the great privilege to judge all over the United States and abroad and it’s almost surreal that this is what I get to do for a living. One of my best experiences has been judging in Adelaide, Australia at the AQHA State Championship Show. The hospitality they showed me was second to none, even taking me out on a cruise around the bay to show me a pod of dolphins that lived there. The people were amazing and so enthusiastic about showing their horses. I am glad to say I developed some lifelong friendships while I was there and that is what is so amazing about this career.
Lisa Krohn – About six years ago, I had the privilege of judging the New Zealand National Championship show in Hawera, New Zealand on the north island. My son, Cody, who was nine at the time, and my brother came with me, and we planned to explore both islands for about 10 days after the show. The show committee was wonderful, as were the competitors, and I came to find out that I was the first woman who had judged the show. I also seemed to be one of the few who had been interested in staying to enjoy the beauty and magnitude of the country, and everyone really appreciated that. I judged for three full days, which included both open and AQHA classes. One thing that I thought odd was that I was expected to hand out the ribbons in every class. Thankfully, the exhibitors were all very nice and happy with their placings, but there have been other shows I’ve judged in the states where I don’t think the participants would have been so kind. At the end of the show, they held a dance and barbecue for the exhibitors and show staff, and I was invited to attend, along with my son and brother. We had a great time at the party where awards were handed out to the high point horses and riders, and I was also given some beautiful gifts from New Zealand that I treasure to this day. This show was such a joy to judge, and it further demonstrated to me how lucky I was to have had the opportunity to travel to such an amazing place to represent AQHA.
Kathryn Boggetta – One of my most memorable shows was judging a Paint Show in Medford, Oregon with Mike Short, Chris Strine, Karen Banister, Rod Cavender, and Rob Meneely. First off, Mike Short could do stand-up comedy and is so entertaining to be around. The format of the show was six days, but on Thursday we were treated to the HellGate Jet Boat Tour and Dinner in the afternoon. We were shuttled to the boat launching, with all the judges sitting in the front row of the boat with exhibitors and their families behind us. The boat took us down the Rogue River where the film, The River Wild, was filmed. The boat driver managed to do multiple donut moves splashing the front row to the hysterics of everyone behind us. The scenery was beautiful though and we had to turn around as we approached the “gauntlet”. On the way home after repeated soakings, we were treated to dinner served family style at a lodge that overlooked the river. What a fun way to spend the afternoon!
Christa Baldwin – Here is what I think of when I think of how fortunate we are to be able to travel and meet such great people all over the world and the destinations we have been to. I can’t even narrow it down to one place, but when I think of some of the places I have been–I think of snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef; whitewater rafting in the Glaciers in Denali National Park; circling Mt McKinley on a clear day in an airplane so small you have to tell them your real weight (heaven forbid) and taking off and landing in a creek bed; touring Florence, Venice, the leaning tower of Pisa, seeing the statue David (oh my) and all the architect of the churches and loving every moment; exploring castles that are dated 1200 AD in Germany; staying in a lovely quaint town in Switzerland that is totally surrounded by a fort and looks like something out of a book; riding a bike around Vancouver Island and jogging inland on Nova Scotia while staying at a Bed and Breakfast. Did I mention I got to do this all the time I was loving and enjoying judging our American Quarter Horse? What an opportunity this horse has brought me and so many people in so many ways.
Kit Kope – I have such great memories of so many places that I have judged. From Paris to Milan, Amsterdam to Aachen, Fairbanks to Aguascalientes and hundreds of other places in between. I never could have imagined that the horses would bring me here. On the flip side of the coin, there are also the inevitable travel tragedies. Lost luggage, missed flights, rides that don’t show up, no hotel rooms. You name it, it has happened to me. One funny story does stick out in my mind. My first trip to abroad to judge was to Vjele, Denmark. I studied my Lonely Planet travel guide and decided that I just had to see the 4,000 year old mummy, “Queen Guenhilde” in a local church. She had been frozen and preserved in a glacier and I just had to lay eyes on her. My fellow judge, Lori Gordon, went with me. We wandered in and found a sign pointing to the shrine of Queen Guenhilde off to one side. I went ahead and found a tiny little petrified human lying in state in a tiny coffin. She was not covered in any way. I knew this sight would be shocking to Lori so I stood there, looking in at the Queen and waved Lori on, like it was nothing. When Lori saw the body laying there she must have jumped six feet into the air. The look on her face was priceless. We couldn’t get out of there fast enough but had to contain ourselves out of respect for the service in progress in the church. We managed to make it outside before we fell apart. We had not been prepared to just see her lying there with no shroud or any type of cover whatsoever. In that moment, I knew that I had to see the world and all the fascinating places, people and their horses.
Melissa Hargett Dukes – My trip to Japan to judge a show was a fun and educational one. I loved the friends I made and the country was beautiful. My mom traveled with me and we had a great time. Not ever traveling to Japan before, we were taken back by its beauty and how clean it is and the people are very accommodating. The horse show was very different in that they have a set time for each class which meant there was anywhere from 20 min to an hour in between each class. I was prepared for this and took a book to read. The exhibitors were very curious about the Ranch Horse Pleasure class. It was the largest class and they were anxious to learn as much as they could about it. I feel it will continue to grow over there as it has here. All in all it was a great trip!
**GoHorseShow would like to thank all the judges for sharing their experiences, and not just the fun ones! Stayed tuned for travel nightmares and moments inside the show arena.
