This begins with a letter from Laurie Takoff of Laurian Quarter Horses to all Halter Horse people. Following this is the proposal for the Judging system for AQHA Halter Classes, which will be taken to the AQHA Convention in March of 2000.

We must have your letters in by January 1st, 2000 - so we know where you stand on this issue.  Please read this very carefully in its entirety - THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT and concerns all Halter Horse people, whether you are a breeder, enthusiast, trainer or exhibitor.

A Letter from Laurie Takoff, Laurian Quarter Horses:

Submitted with deep respect,

Is it time for the American Quarter Horse Association to take a more defined and outlined approach to the current system used to judge the halter horses of our Industry?

A cry is being heard from all sectors of the Quarter Horse Industry.  A cry reaching from our Grassroots Enthusiasts to some of our Industry's Leading Professionals......

Changes need to be made to the way our halter horses are currently being judged!

The American Quarter Horse Association, it's Executive, Directors and Membership need to hear this cry!!

It is important for everyone in our Industry to be aware of the concerns which have arisen and the reason for the proposed changes.

Should these concerns be addressed at the AQHA. 2000 Convention?

Individuals who feel strongly about this issue need to, in writing, contact their respective State/Provincial AQHA Directors and the current AQHA Executive Committee to request that these concerns be tabled for discussion at the 2000 AQHA. Convention.

The below information/article was presented to me by Roy and Malia Donn of Crosby Farms in Pilot Point, Texas.....  I propose that this be a starting point for the development of a system to be used for our AQHA Judges while officiating halter classes.

With deep respect to Mr. & Mrs. Donn for their efforts I sincerely thank them for so positively initiating this movement.

Now, it is time for others to express their opinions.....

What are your thoughts on this issue and do you wish to help it to become properly addressed?

Sincerely,
Laurie Takoff

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section I

Introduction

Section II

General Information

Section III

Categories of Evaluation

Section IV

Use Of The Conformation Judging System

Section V

I. INTRODUCTION

A SPECIAL NOTICE TO THE JUDGES

In accepting the obligation to judge a sponsored show, you have agreed to abide by the concepts and principles as set forth in this judges handbook.   While we are not telling you how to judge a horse, we are advising you of our interpretation of the criteria for evaluating the Horse.  The horse is an athlete and its conformation determines its ability to perform. When all the horses' parts are so constructed and proportioned one to another that it is perfectly adapted to its work, then it has good conformation. Unfortunately, the ideal horse may not possess the optimal conformation for all performance events. This dilemma presents problems for the experienced judge. It is essential to judge horses in a conformation class based upon their merit that day. Do not attempt to predict the potential riding ability of an individual being shown in a conformation class. This tendency is called "crystal balling" and is about as accurate as having your future read at the county fair carnival! After all, there are performance classes where an animal's ability to be ridden can be judged.  This instruction booklet has been compiled for use by those participating as Judges at approved shows and for the purpose of bringing familiarity and consistency to the use of the CONFORMATION JUDGING SYSTEM.

This booklet is not intended to train a person how to judge.  Rather, it assumes that people utilizing this information are already trained and qualified in the various aspects of judging horses. This booklet is intended to help coordinate the use of a proven system of judging by persons who have the proven capabilities to judge Horses.

Horse enthusiasts interested in purchasing or exhibiting conformation horses are strongly urged to read this booklet and understand the principles of the CONFORMATION JUDGING SYSTEM. Those qualified persons participating as judges or managers of shows are required to do so. 

CHARACTERISTICS OF A SUCCESSFUL JUDGE

1) A clear mental picture of the STANDARD OF PERFECTION, and the ability to recognize the good qualities in relation to the STANDARD

2) Ability to employ deductive reasoning and incorporate practical considerations in a positive manner 

3) The mental and physical stamina necessary to make logical decisions under pressure.

A SPECIAL NOTICE TO JUDGES

1) Do not judge handlers. You are in the arena to judge horses, not handlers, owners or trainers.

2) Do not place a lame horse. It must be eliminated from the class.

3) Do not judge maturity. Judge the horse as it appears to you compared to the STANDARD. Remember, there may be great age differences among horses within the same class. Do not penalize a young horse of good quality that is smaller. If the younger (or smaller) horse most exemplifies the STANDARD, use it! Use the best horse in every instance, regardless of age or size (as long as its size is within the STANDARD.)

II. GENERAL INFORMATION

CONFORMATION

The new Britannica-Webster dictionary defines CONFORMATION as:  "Formation of something by an assembling into a whole; structure; the proportionate shape or contour, especially of an animal."

Expanding further:
"A symmetrical arrangement of parts: the manner or formation of a body; the general structure, form or outline."

Structure . . . Form . . . Figure . . . Shape . . . Arrangement . .

Configuration . . . Build . .. Outline . . . Pattern . . . Fabrication

An evaluation of conformation should include the head, the neck, the body and the limbs. Correct conformation of each Parr' one to another, is essential.

The CONFORMATION JUDGING SYSTEM states that all "horses must be serviceably sound."  Therefore, any horse showing an OBVIOUS LAMENESS MUST BE DISQUALIFIED from the class instead of giving it a low number.

OBVIOUS LAMENESS IS:
1) Consistently observable at a trot under all circumstances;
2) Marked nodding, hitching or shortened stride;
3) Minimal weight-bearing in motion and/or at rest and inability to move.

Since horses in conformation classes are judged at the walk and trot, and must be serviceably sound, then one should interpret that they naturally move correctly and soundly as a result of correct conformation.

Judges are required to make the determination themselves and DISQUALIFY any horse found to be unsound.  Many exhibitors have become accustomed to being allowed a very wide latitude in the presentation of halter horses at the trot and tracking to and away from the judge. We should be determining if a horse can move without interference in harmony and balance within their body structure while exhibiting athletic ability. 

Therefore, horses must be tracked straight to and away from the judge and when shown at the trot it MUST be at a brisk trot, any exhibitor should be asked to retrack if not done to the judges satisfaction.

When the judge is doing their individual scoring, the horse should stand square and quietly.   If the judge feels that they could do a better job of evaluating the horse if the horse were to be stood differently then they should ask the exhibitor to move the animal to their liking. Even if the judge has to return later to evaluate the horse, the exhibitor should be given a fair chance to present their horse to the best of their ability. Judges should keep in mind that it could be any one exhibitors first attempt at exhibiting a Horse. We should be trying to encourage, not discourage people from showing Horses.

Conformation horses are permitted the use of a single pad (either rim or full) made of leather, plastic, or aluminum. No combination of pad and shoe can be more than 3/4" thick measured at its thickest point.  The pad must be formed from one continuous unfused, unspliced piece and applied in a single layer. Any horse found to be in violation of these rules must be disqualified.

Class procedure: Horses are to enter arena one at a time, walk to the judge and trot past, exhibitor must then trot the horse across the arena (profile to the judge). We recommend using a marker so each horse uses the same pattern. At this time the judge has evaluated the horse on Soundness, Correctness of Travel and Way of Going. If found to be unsound the horse must be dismissed. If sound the judge then scores the horse on Correctness of Travel and Way of Going. The judge may ask for more movement if they so desire. If the judge cannot decide if the horse is unsound or sound the benefit should go to the
horse. The same procedure is used on the remaining horses entered in the class. Horses are then lined up head to tail. The judge inspects the first horse, after the scoring is completed, the judge then hands the score card to the ring steward for addition. After the card is handed to the ring steward no scores can be changed. The same procedure is used on the remaining horses. Announcer then calls out the placings and the horses line up in that order. After all classes in a sex division are completed, First and Second place horses in each class are to return.  Grand Champion and Reserve Champion is awarded to the highest point earning horses. This is determined using the individuals score from their respective class.

CONDITION

The debate over "Proper Halter Condition" has raged on for many years with as many opinions and variations as there are people willing to offer them.   Historically, we have gone through the "fat stock" era, the "racey" look, and the "in between" phase.  The condition of the halter horse will vary with the age groups you are judging. It is unreasonable to expect the same development of condition in an 8 month-old weanling or a 15-month-old yearling that we would expect to see in 4-, 5- or 6-year-old individuals.

Therefore, the age of the class being judged must be kept in mind as well as the age range, in months, of the individuals in the younger classes.   The common factor we can expect to see and should select for is the look of a "conditioned athlete" whose fitness training has enabled the individual to perform in motion to the best of their ability. The individual should give you a picture of radiant health with a toned body, fleshy enough to give a picture of beauty without looking "fat" or "racey." We expect to see an end product of expert feeding combined with proper fitness training to produce a well muscled for age, vigorous and vitally alive individual.

Avoid the "fat" and the "lean" horse concepts and select the fit athlete in good flesh that promotes health and beauty. 

HEIGHT

The STANDARD for size in a Horse is from 14.3 to 15.3 hands tall, with an occasional individual over or under. Obviously this relates to mature horses and should not be strictly enforced when evaluating younger horses who have not fully matured. Those horses who are over or under this STANDARD are allowable, but are not of the standard and should be noted accordingly when you determine your Overall Balance score.

As stated before, personal preferences must be set aside and you must judge the standard.

MATURITY

There is a tendency by many judges to place "maturity" in a class, especially with younger horses. The STANDARD does not address maturity as one of the criteria for evaluation. A horse should be judged as it stands, not as it is expected to be.

A young filly six-months-old in a weanling class will not display the same maturity as an eleven-month-old filly in the same class.

Additionally, maturity is frequently confused with substance, which does not necessarily fluctuate with age.  Judge a horse as it stands in front of you at that moment based upon its overall adherence to the STANDARD. Maturity should not be considered when comparing horses in the same class who may differ in age as much as three to eleven months.

III. CATEGORIES OF EVALUATION

SOUNDNESS (Horses are to be shown at a brisk trot, the judge may ask an exhibitor to retrack any horse to adequately evaluate them)

1) CORRECTNESS OF TRAVEL

2) WAY OF GOING

TESTICLES (Cryptorchid - meaning less than two visible testicles descending into the scrotum)  This is for 2 Year old and older
Stallions

TEETH (Parrot Mouth - either overshot or undershot and is defined by the American Association of Equine Practitioners as "no occlusal contact between the upper and lower central incisors.")

3) HEAD AND NECK (HEAD - Ear, Forehead, Face, Eye, Bridge, Nose, Nostril, Muzzle, Cheek; NECK - Poll, Crest, Throatlatch, Shape, Length, Tie in to Shoulder)

4) MIDSECTION (Withers, Shoulder, Girth, Barrel, Back, Loin, Flank, Abdomen)

5) HINDQUARTERS (Hip, Croup, Tail Set, Buttocks)

6) REAR VIEW (Top of Hips, Point of Hips, Stifle, Gaskin)

7) FRONT VIEW (Chest, V, Forearm)

8) LEGS (Front Legs, Hind Legs)

IV. USE OF THE CONFORMATION JUDGING SYSTEM

Objective:
The primary objective of The Conformation Judging System is to ensure that each horse is:

(1) evaluated one category at a time; and, (2) measured against the STANDARD. The main difference between the System and current predominant judging protocol is that the System requires a comparison of the individual horse to the STANDARD and not to other horses in the class.

Since all horses being judged are compared to the STANDARD, the horse that most closely resembles the ideal qualities of the STANDARD in the nine categories should be the best horse in the class and should win, with the horse who next most closely reflects the STANDARD placing second, and so forth.

CATEGORIES OF EVALUATION

Each horse shall be evaluated in the categories of Correctness of Travel, Way of Going, Head and Neck, Midsection, Hindquarters, Rear View, Front View, Legs, the score for Correctness of Travel factored by 5, the score for Way of Going factored by 4, the score for Legs factored by 3. Each category shall be evaluated individually and independently of the other. A horse could receive a low score in one category and a high score in another. Only one category shall be judged at a time.

SELECTING RANGE AND SCORE

Judging a horse requires the subjective interpretation of what is seen compared to what is understood to be the ideal - the STANDARD, a perfect Horse - and rating that individual accordingly. In your opinion, does this horse appear to be below average, average or above average for the breed in each category, keeping in mind that the STANDARD is the ideal horse, perfect and meeting no improvement? 

You are calling upon your knowledge and experience to quickly determine if this horse would be below average, average or above average compared to all other horses you have seen in this category and your vision of the STANDARD.

RANGES AND SCORES

The score for each category will be scored from 0.0 to 10.0 in 0.5 increments, (i.e. 8.0, 8.5, 9.0, etc.)  The range of the scores assigned shall reflect the following assessment for each category as compared to the STANDARD:

Range Evaluation
Excellent or the STANDARD Score
(could be no improvement- ideal, perfect)
Above Average 7.0 through 9.5 points
(very, very nice, but room for slight improvement)
Average 4.0 through 6.5 points
(average, with obvious need for improvement)
Below Average 0.0 through 3.5 points
(poor, with very obvious need for improvement)

USE OF THE STANDARD
Utilization of the STANDARD supersedes personal preferences. For example, although you may personally like a horse with a set to their hocks, the STANDARD for hocks calls for "A straight line drawn from the point of the buttock to the point of the hock continues down the back of the cannon bone." Therefore, you must set aside your personal preference and judge with only the STANDARD in mind.  Again, the system requires that you use only the STANDARD in comparative assessment of each aspect of the horse in question. Consider how this horse compares to the STANDARD in relation to how all other Horses you have seen compare to the STANDARD.

CONFLICTS OR OVERLAPS WITHIN CATEGORIES
You are required to evaluate only one category at a time and then record that score.

For example you are required to evaluate the Head and Neck in one category. You must evaluate them together, not separately. Take into consideration all aspects of the Head and Neck, how they fit together and compare them to the STANDARD and place a score on them as a whole.

You as a judge are responsible for knowing exactly what is to be judged and when to bring it into consideration in each of the 10 categories to be scored.

You must insure that these distinctions remain clear and separate.

CLASS # CONFORMATION JUDGING SYSTEM ENTRY #SCORE CARD

CATEGORY SCORES

SOUNDNESS Y N
TESTICLES Y N
TEETH Y N

1) CORRECTNESS OF TRAVEL ______ X 5 =

2) WAY OF GOING ______ X 4 =

3) HEAD NECK (HEAD - Ear, Forehead, Face, Eye, Bridge, Nose, Nostril, Muzzle, Cheek; NECK - Poll, Crest, Throatlatch, Shape, Length, Tie in to Shoulder)

4) MIDSECTION (Withers, Shoulder, Girth, Barrel, Back, Loin, Flank, Abdomen)

5) HINDQUARTERS (Hip, Croup, Tail Set, Buttocks)

6) REAR VIEW (Top of Hips, Point of Hips, Stifle, Gaskin)

7) FRONT VIEW (Chest, V, Forearm)

8) LEGS (Front and Rear) ______ X 3 =

TIE BREAKERS - in this order -1-2-8-4-5-3-6-7 TOTAL
RANGES:  Standard 10 PLACING
Above average 7.0 through 9.5
Average 4.0 through 6.5
Below average 0.0 through 3.5

JUDGE:

V. CONCLUSION

Thank you for taking the time to thoroughly review the concepts of judging presented in these pages.

Effective judging is achieved through the knowledgeable observation and assessment of each individual as measured against the STANDARD OF PERFECTION for the breed.

It is a positive function where each individual is evaluated on its good qualities in relation to the perfect individual for the breed. It is our intent that good judging be based on merit, not just faults.

Excellence in judging can be achieved only by strict adherence to the STANDARD OF PERFECTION and compliance with the rules. When personal preference comes into conflict with the STANDARD for the breed, the resulting decisions are a discredit to the judge, the exhibitor, the spectator, and the breed. When judging is performed as described herein, the scoring of each individual horse, be it the first, middle, or the last one to be judged, will be consistent and in harmony with its true merits.

As a recognized judge of Horses, your views are valued and weighed by the membership. By participating with us in a competitive exhibition of horses owned and exhibited by the dedicated members of the association, you have a unique opportunity to make a positive impact on the direction of the Horse breeds. We ask, simply, that you give your very best effort and judge each Conformation horse to the STANDARD OF PERFECTION to which we all adhere.

We believe that if all Horses were judged by their merits according to the STANDARD OF PERFECTION of the breed, and not subjected to the influences of personnel preferences, industry politics, or other subjective diversionary criteria, the Horse industry, as a whole, would be a much better place to live, work, and express that creative spirit within each horse lover.

Thank you for your cooperation.