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SHOW makes adjustments to classification of judges
Tuesday, March 9, 2021


The SHOW HIO maintains a list of licensed judges for use at any of the horse shows that affiliate with the SHOW HIO. Show managers can contact and hire any judge licensed with SHOW for use at their horse show.

Due to the reduction in the number of horse shows held each year as well as the decline in the number of affiliated shows with SHOW, the judges’ committee made recommendations that the SHOW board ratified recently at their meeting.

After a new applicant has passed all of the requirements to be considered for a judge’s license, the judge must apprentice four SHOW affiliated shows or performances under a AAA or AAAA licensed judge. The committee changed shows to shows/performances so that on multi-night shows those new judges can use all of the performances to help build their resume.  

The AA designation is the first designation once a new applicant passes their apprentice phase.  Once they become a AA judge, they must judge or co-judge one SHOW affiliated show/performance every three years to qualify for renewal of their designation. In order to achieve AAA designation, a judge must have held a SHOW judges license for three years and have judged eight performances, including at least one multi-judge system show/performance, since becoming licensed and be at least 24 years of age. This is a change from the requirement of 12 shows to eight shows/performances.

In order to become a AAAA judge, the highest designation for a SHOW licensed judge, the judge must be licensed as a AAA judge and licensed in divisions including pleasure and equitation. The judge must also have judged 12 shows/performances in his/her lifetime. This changed eliminated the requirement for a judge to be required to judge five shows which included each division of performance, pleasure, equitation and versatility.

The committee also added a section labeled “Elevation of Rating.”  This section reads:
“Any judge who is qualified and wishes to elevate his/her rating from AA to AAA or AAAA must notify the SHOW office in writing.  To be considered, the judge must request the elevated rating and must provide a list of the shows/performances he/she has judged.  The judge must be in good standing.”

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