Beginning in December 2014, all AQHA all-around judges will be required to recertify their judging credentials. The recertification test will comprise a test over the AQHA Official Handbook of Rules and Regulations and a video test on five core classes.
Recertification has long been discussed by the AQHA Judges Committee, as well as interested members/exhibitors. The topic was briefly discussed at the March 2013 Judges Committee meeting and the 2013 AQHA Show Council meeting. After further discussion by the Judges Committee in May, a task force was appointed to study the feasibility of judge recertification. The task force made a recommendation to the full committee to implement the judge recertification program, which was unanimously approved. The AQHA Executive Committee approved the recertification program at their meeting in August.
Below are points regarding recertification:
• The first recertification is to be held in December 2014 in Dallas upon the conclusion of judges conference. Subjects covered at the 2014 judges conference will be relative to the video testing that will be covered on the recertification test. All judges will be required to attend.
• Those not attending, but having a valid excuse, will have to attend a recertification test at a location/time to be determined before March 2015.
• Judges with last minute cancellations will have their judging privileges frozen until they take the recertification test.
• The closed rulebook test will be made up of 50 questions in a true/false and multiple choice formats. During the last 10 minutes designated for the rule book test, the judges will be allowed to open their rulebook.
• Any judge needing special assistance will be assisted by a member of the judges committee in a different location.
• Anyone caught copying or talking will be immediately excused from the testing process. All cell phones, iPads and electronic devices shall be turned off. If anyone has an electronic device on, they will be immediately excused from the testing process.
• The 2014 video test will be on five core classes: western riding, trail, reining, horsemanship and hunt seat equitation. The test will be made up from runs at one of the AQHA world championship shows. There will be between six and eight runs on each video test.
• It will take a score of 80 percent or higher to pass the rulebook test. It will take a score of 75 percent or higher to pass the video test. The 75 percent will be figured on the average of the five video tests. Anyone scoring below the 75 percent on the average of the five classes will have to retake the video test(s). Judges scoring below 75 will be allowed to continue judging until they retest, but will be informed that they must attend the March Judges Education Seminar and retest to improve their score. Additionally, judges who do not pass the test the first time may not book any additional judging assignments until after they have attended the March education workshop, retested and passed.
• If the judge is retesting to raise their average of the five classes to the 75 percent level, they have the option of retesting on as many classes as they choose, but the score of the class(es) they retest added to the original score of the remaining classes must be 75 percent or higher. The retesting will be held at the March Judges Educational Seminar or at a place determined by the AQHA senior director of judges.
• Judges failing the second recertification will be removed from the list of approved AQHA judges and must reapply to become an AQHA judge.
• After the initial testing is complete, a DVD of the video tests, with voiceover on the runs, will be sent to all judges along with their individual scores for educational purposes.
• Judges will be required to recertify every two years.
