Expert Anita Owen

Questions (For answers, scroll down or click on question)

I am interested in showing my connemara pony in-hand. The only problem is that he is a gelding. Are there any classes where you can show geldings or can you show geldings in hand at all?

Would a judge look unfavorably upon a horse that has a "thickened" back hind leg due to an old injury even though the horse is sound?

I'm transferring from Jumper/Dressage to Western Pleasure for next season. What is the appropriate dress for the horse and I?

Is it true that Paso Fino horses are looked down upon in the English show ring?

I am doing my first freestyle riding routine (in huntseat) with music and costume for a schooling show. What elements am I judged on?

Is a breast collar required for western pleasure and trail classes?

What is your favorite breed?

What do you look for when judging?

What do you think of us American riders?

What is the best way to prepare oneself (prior to the L-program) to be able to obtain a future judges license? I ride dressage and CT, take lessons, teach the handicapped, show and scribe as often as possible. Is this enough?

Following question answered by Margie Goldenstein-Engle on Jumping topic page: I went back to riding five years ago as an adult.  I now have a horse who will soon be suitable for showing, and both my instructor and I are receiving conflicting information as to whether judges of hunter classes want to see the rider on two-point  or three-point position the majority of the time while riding a course.  Can you clarify which a hunter judge wants to see?

How old does your horse have to be to compete in Training Level Dressage competitions?  Have the tests changed since 1996?

I am putting together a musical freestyle dressage test using Training Level Test One.  The test I am working with is dated 1996.  On the back it states you can use a turn of the forehand and sharper turns.  A dressage friend told me that you could not use the turn on the forehand.   Is that true?  ... You could make a 10 meter circle from the center line or quarter line and really be using the whole arena.  Do you have any creative ideas for this simple test in regard to movements?  And, please tell me if the turn on the forehand is permitted.

Questions and Answers

Q: What is your favorite breed?

A: I don’t have one per se. My favorite horse is an athletic, good mover with a nice disposition and a willing attitude.

Q: What do you look for when judging?

A: I look for the harmony between the horse and rider. There should be a correctly laid foundation that makes fluidity and balance in the transitions and the paces possible. I also look for happy horses that are relaxed and supple!

Q: What do you think of us American riders?

A: They are eager to learn, but too many take short cuts to cover up rather than correct a fundamental training problem. Few riders are willing to spend enough time on the lunge line to develop a good and following seat. Let go of the reins – remember half-halts.

A: The more experience you can gather from "the point of C" the better off you are.  Scribing is required during the L-Program, but the more you do it, the more proficient you will become.  By scribing for many different judges, your vocabulary will grow and you may come to seek out your own style.

You should ask for permission to sit with the judge and observe.  Such a request should first go to the show management and then to the judge.  Most judges are willing to have a quiet listener/observer, and some may offer indepth explanations and expansions as to why certain marks were given.  Please remember that anything you hear in the judge's box is strictly confidential!

Auditors are always welcome to attend judges' forums and many of these are held all over the country each year.  A forum is an open, and often enlightening, discussion among many judges as they evaluate movements performed by volunteer test-riders.  Try to go to as many as possible.

And last, but not least, you are well served to document your competition results (levels entered, % scores, who was judging) as well as those clinicians with whom you have studied.

Good luck and please let me know if I can be of further help! 

Q: How old does your horse have to be to compete in Training Level Dressage competitions?  Have the tests changed since 1996?

A: A horse must be 36 months old to compete under saddle in an AHSA sanctioned event.  The age is to be 36 months at the time of the competition, not by January 1, as one might be led to believe. The currently used tests are dated 1995.  New tests for dressage competitions are under proposal and will go into effect in 1999. 

Q: I am putting together a musical freestyle dressage test using Training Level Test One.  The test I am working with is dated 1996.  On the back it states you can use a turn of the forehand and sharper turns.  A dressage friend told me that you could not use the turn on the forehand.   Is that true?  This test is very simple in that it is limited to two 20 meter trot circles and two 20 meter canter circles.  I know that one is encouraged to use the whole arena in the freestyles, but it seems difficult to use the quarter line and center line when you are limited to the 20 meters.  You could make a 10 meter circle from the center line or quarter line and really be using the whole arena.  Do you have any creative ideas for this simple test in regard to movements?  And, please tell me if the turn on the forehand is permitted.

A: Training Level is not a recognized level/test with AHSA or USDF in musical free style.  Therefore, there are no rules or score sheets for competition at that level, and it then follows that you are allowed to use turns on the forehand.

Don't use 10 meter circles, but do use loops, tract to center line or quarter line to quarter line.  Full or half diagonals to change directions would work.  Keep your pattern varied and not test-like.  You don't have to show everything in both directions; concentrate on what your horse knows and does best.  Good choice of music is very important and should relfect the kind of horse you are riding as far as being light or more substantial.

Please feel free to send me a copy of the free style test that you are creating and I will be glad to look at it. 

Q: Is a breast collar required for western pleasure and trail classes?

A: Although I am very familiar with the western performance classes, I am not a judge for those disciplines. I looked through the rule book, however, and was not able to find anything under western dress and saddlery that stated that a breast collar is required. To be completely certain, I suggest that you contact either a steward or a western judge. You can also call AHSA in New York (212-972-2472) or Kentucky (606-225-6900) and ask them for information. If you are not already an AHSA member, I advise you to become one. When joining, you will be sent a rule book that covers all equestrian disciplines as far as rules and regulations. 

Q: I am doing my first freestyle riding routine (in huntseat) with music and costume for a schooling show. What elements am I judged on?

A: Since this is a schooling show, anything goes! Otherwise, costumes are not customary, unless so stated in the premium list. A freestyle performance is judged both on technical and artistic merits. The technical ones are obviously how each movement of the test was performed. The artistic components are:

1. Rhythm, energy, and elasticity.
2. Harmony between horse and rider.
3. Choreography. Use of arena. Inventiveness.
4. Degree of difficulty. Well calculated risks.
5. Choice of music and interpretation of the music.

Please keep in mind that the artistic marks will be good only if the movements were technically well performed. 

Q: Is it true that Paso Fino horses are looked down upon in the English show ring?

A: No GOOD judge would ever look down on a horse for the sake of its breed. Paso Finos, Peruvian Pasos, Islandic Ponies, and Missouri Foxtrotters, to name a few, have a very particular way of moving - indeed, some of them have more than three gaits. If you have one of these horses, it is best to enter him in classes where the other entries move in the same fashion. For instance, in a Dressage Class, a gaited horse would score poorly, not because of his training but because of his own natural way of moving since a four beat, flat-footed walk, a two beat trot, and a three beat canter are required. If you have a Paso Fino, you have an elegant horse who was bred to carry his rider over many miles with the utmost comfort. 

Q: I'm transferring from Jumper/Dressage to Western Pleasure for next season. What is the appropriate dress for the horse and I?

A: I do not have experience in Western judging, however, I can recommend that you refer to AHSA's rule book/Western Division.

Q: Would a judge look unfavorably upon a horse that has a "thickened" back hind leg due to an old injury even though the horse is sound?

A: In a performance class such as dressage, pleasure, or jumping, the judge would pay no attention to the horse's "thickened" leg as long as the swelling does not interfere with the horse's movements. However, if the competition is a conformation class, the judge must take the abnormality into consideration.

Q: I am interested in showing my connemara pony in-hand. The only problem is that he is a gelding. Are there any classes where you can show geldings or can you show geldings in hand at all?

A: In-hand classes are offered for 2 and 3 year old horses; rarely for those who are older. Unless the premium list clearly states that the classes are restricted to fillies, colts, mares, and stallions, there is nothing that prevents you from showing your Connemara gelding.