A judges lot

Oh Lord who would be a judge? Complaints about judges who know competitors (know them not train them) and should they be allowed to judge them? Well I don't think there will be many competitions if this becomes the case. The horse world is incredibly small and our social lives inevitably become embroiled within it. I have been judging for a good many years now and I know a lot of competitors and judges and yes, some of them are my friends but this does not mean that I give them high marks because of our relationship. Indeed, sometimes I think I am a little harder! Being a competitor as well, one would think. if this idea were true, that I would have qualified numerous times by now. Actually I should have won a national title with all the people I know! These topics are always written by people who had no chance of winning and does smack of sour grapes but it is the poor old judges who get the flack time and time again. Then there are the competitors who would like a rosette for just turning up, those who want to know which boots,jacket,gloves to wear and which saddle to buy. Recession? What recession! Mind, ask them to pay for training and they are not prepared to fork out more than £30. Ah well it takes all sorts! There is no doubt that our sport is an expensive one. I have been riding in the same saddle now for eleven years. It fits my horse, though not me as it was made for a well known GP rider and I bought it second hand from him, however I have adjusted to it and it feels like home, so although I would like a new saddle I prefer to use that money to train my horse. I sometimes compare dressage with Goks high street challenge, where he puts together high street clothes against designer. The point is, his clothes look just as good if not better!

I was out treating today at a riding school. A very old fashioned establishment with real old fashioned cobs and plods that are worth their weight in gold. The stable management standards are of the highest and all the horses get their backs done, saddles checked and dentistry twice a year. The owners buy the right types for the cleintele to learn safely on and have fun. All clients learn to tack up, lead,and groom the horses and generally handle them. Trips are organised to local shows, demonstrations and this week the Spanish Riding School. Whilst I was treating I could see the group lesson in progress. The riders had crossed stirrups and each had to trot a circle and then canter to the rear of the ride. Not once did anyone say,'I can't'. There was much laughter and verbal support. This was a group of adults learning in later life the joys of riding. The school organises picnic rides and internal competitions when both adults and children gain experience. Every now and again, mother and daughter who run the school, buy or get given an RSPCA case. He/she is nurtured back to health and given the chance of a loving environment. Some have blossomed into beautiful swans and were not suitable for the school but have been found homes for life and given much joy to their owners, many who have learned to ride at the school.
There are such good people in the horse world, it does the heart good to see it. I learnt to ride in one such school many moons ago and can still remember every pony I sat on. Sometimes we have to look inside ourselves a long way back to see why we set out on this journey and how we arrived here.