Judges of the Future Compete at 2nd Annual Reichert Celebration Multi-breed Horse Judging Contest
Today’s focus at the Reichert Celebration is centered on the high school and collegiate horse judging teams that have traveled to Fort Worth for the second annual Reichert Equine Foundation Multi-breed Horse Judging Contest. Despite the fact that this program was just initiated last year, there has been quite a turnout including 14 teams from states like North Carolina, Illinois, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas. New for this year’s competition is the split of the non-collegiate division into separate Junior 13 and under and Senior 14-18 sections.
Wendy Dunsmore, a judging coordinator aide, estimates that some 53 non-collegiate and 70 collegiate competitors are participating in the contest this year. We caught up with Dunsmore, who was busily marking off numbers as contestants went in front of a judge to complete the oral reasons portion of the competition. Dunsmore’s daughter, Caitlin, is a member of the Northeastern Oklahoma A&M horse judging team.
“Caitlin is a member of the judging team, and she is on the equestrian team.” Dunsmore says. “She has a dual scholarship, so it covers everything for her. She also shows Paints and Quarter Horses. She doesn’t have a horse trainer, and she doesn’t want a horse trainer. She wants to learn to be a horse trainer. Also, we have six kids, so I can’t afford a full-time trainer.”
“She started horse judging so I could videotape her and she could look at the videotape and see technically what she needed to work on to advance. To date she’s won ten World Championships, started three futurity horses, and won tons of scholarship money.”
In addition to the thousands of dollars in collegiate scholarship money available at these types of horse judging competitions, Dunsmore has witnessed a change in her daughter’s demeanor with an increase in poise and confidence.
“Caitlin was a very quiet, shy individual when she started this, and now she is a leader,” she says. “She can stand up in front of anyone and say what’s on her mind and say it effectively without hurting anyone’s feelings. It also depends on the child’s drive, but do I think it pays off? Yes.”
Like many others in the Watt arena today, Caitlin is busily perfecting her oral reasons explanation with whispered recitation and a look of determined concentration. The horse judging portion of the competition has already taken place, and now it’s time for what many competitors consider to be the most difficult part.
“They judged snaffle bit western pleasure, senior western pleasure, western riding, hunter under saddle, horsemanship, trail, performance halter geldings and open geldings,” she says. “The collegiate [division] has to give reasons on five of the classes. The senior high school teams have to give reasons on four classes, and the junior kids give reasons on two. We try to ease them into it.”
“There is one team of juniors this year, so it’s a start. The collegiate teams and one of the senior teams from Denton will be going on to the Quarter Horse Congress in October.”
Dunsmore volunteered her time as a Reichert Celebration staff member, not only to watch her daughter compete, but also because she believes in the Celebration’s goal of promoting youth involvement in the industry. Horse judging contests like this one are an investment in the future, because the youth of today will become the judges, trainers, and exhibitors of tomorrow.
“The wonderful thing with the Reichert is that they really support the youth,” she says. “They give scholarships and prizes, and they are wonderful that way. They really do recognize that these are kids of the future, not only in judging but in showing.”
The Judging Contest Awards Ceremony will take place later this afternoon as soon as the final results are tabulated. Stay tuned to see which teams and individuals will receive the coveted High Point designations, scholarship money, awards jackets, and medallions.
