Training with the Industry’s Top Judges!
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by Liz Arnold
When the horse industry’s largest and most prestigious shows roll around, competitors look forward to showing their skills to the industry’s best judges. Yet, the horse world is arguably a small circle. Often, the professionals chosen to judge major events are also some of the industry’s top trainers.
Many amateur and youth competitors would likely agree that working with a trainer who holds a judges’ card offers many advantages, the first being that their coach is perpetually on top of the rules and trends. However, working with a successful judge also means that their time is divided between training responsibilities and traveling to and judging shows across the country. Many of those shows are events their clients would like to attend. So, how do competitors and their trainers find a balance that works for everyone involved?
Longtime competitor Sherrie Gultz of Stockton, New Jersey, has been riding with judge and trainer Pierre Briere for the past 28 years. “Usually, judges are asked a year in advance to do a major event,” Gultz says. “Pierre always talks the decision over with all of his clients. When a trainer knows what his clients’ goals are, it helps in the decision-making process.”
Gultz recently took home the top prize in Showmanship at the AQHA Select World Show with her mare, Invy of Me. She says that knowing her plans to show in Amarillo in advance made it easier to skip the 2015 Congress because Pierre would be judging. Even though Gultz knew that showing at the Congress would be out of the picture, she felt mixed emotions when watching what would have been her class. She said, “When I was sitting there, watching the Select Showmanship at the Congress, I did feel like I was missing out a bit. I was coming off winning the World Show and knew that I tied for first at the 2014 Congress. Plus, knowing that we’d be retiring my mare did give me a twinge of regret, not having one more shot at showing her.”
Amateur competitor Rosa Cyrnes-Warfsman also shows under Briere’s guidance. As a relatively new competitor, she and her partner, Hotrod For Sure, have been with Briere for five years. Cyrnes-Warfsman says the advantages associated with a having a trainer who also judges far outweigh any scheduling inconveniences. She says, “Pierre is very up to date on the rules, and that really translates into how he trains and coaches. He understands what’s allowed and not allowed in the show pen. But, he also knows what the other judges are looking for.”
While thinking like a judge is certainly helpful in scored classes such as Trail and Showmanship, Gultz and Cyrnes-Warfsman agree that a judge’s perspective is especially helpful in preparing for more subjective classes like Western Pleasure and Hunter Under Saddle. For example, Gultz says, “In Hunter Under Saddle, many judges have been asking exhibitors to show on the rail. Pierre tells us that with the size of today’s horses, when people show too far off the rail, all the judges see are legs. It makes their job very difficult and they simply want to do the best job they can.” Cyrnes-Warfsman adds, “It has been particularly helpful for me to have a judge’s advice in showing Western Pleasure. Proper rail positioning is really important for amateurs. Plus, there is so much change in that part of the industry. Knowing what judges are talking about makes it easier to keep your horse fresh and their movement correct.”
Yet, both women agree that knowing what judges prefer and being on top of trends doesn’t mean competitors should change their, or their horse’s, style to match the taste of the person in the center of the pen. “One style won’t fit every judge. They are individuals and preferences fluctuate. That’s why it’s so important that the horse be treated as an individual and that the exhibitor develop his or her own style that works with his or her horse,” Gultz says.
Youth competitor Olivia Tordoff competes under the guidance of trainer and judge Brent Tincher. Recently, she and her sister, Alexia, had a phenomenal Quarter Horse Congress, bringing home six titles in two different disciplines. The girls credit much of their success to the influence of their trainer and his coaching. Tordoff shares, “Brent is always telling us that it looks different from the middle of the pen. Different things jump out than when you’re sitting in the stands or on the rail. I think judging gives him a different perspective from which to evaluate us.” She adds, “I also like that, when he trains us, he often verbally scores us. It’s not unusual to hear him say, ‘That was a minus-one maneuver, Olivia.’ He really pushes us to know the AQHA rules and also to know how judges score and why.”
Tordoff says that just because Tincher may be judging a show, thus making her ineligible to compete according to AQHA rules, she doesn’t always elect to stay home. “I definitely like to attend big shows when Brent is judging. I think it gives you the opportunity to see your trainer as a judge, and I like watching how he places a class versus how I saw the class. I learn a lot from him when we can compare notes,” she says.
Many youth competitors can probably relate to the desire to get in as many major shows as possible during their youth career. Showing at the AQHA Youth World Show or the Quarter Horse Congress is often the culmination of a year’s worth of effort. Tordoff says, “There have been times Brent may be judging a show where I wanted to compete, or it may be during the same weekend as a show we want to attend. But, I recognize that, in the big picture, it’s good for all of us if Brent judges. It forces him to keep his eye and his skills sharp. I don’t ever want to miss the AQHA Youth World Show or the Congress, but if I have to skip it one year, I will just have to deal with it.”
Jason Wanderer of Los Angeles, California, competes in Amateur Western Riding with his horse, Zippos Petite Prince, under trainer and judge Nancy Renfro’s guidance. For Wanderer, successfully working with a trainer who is also a judge is all about communication. He says that knowing your trainer’s priorities and comparing them with your own goals for success are paramount to a good working relationship. He says, “You need to ask yourself, would he or she put your goals and interests to show at specific shows and times of the year over his or her desire to judge a show or make additional income?”
Others agree that being honest with your trainer about the goals and aspirations you have for your horse proves essential to a successful relationship.
For Gultz, maintaining a good rapport with one’s trainer makes the showing and judging scheduling process less stressful. According to Gultz, “So much depends on what you want for your horse. If you recently bought a two-year-old and your trainer has been asked to judge the next year’s Congress, then it might not be the right time for them to take on that show. If you have a good rapport, you could ask if they please wouldn’t do that show. It does play a big part in planning.”
Though many competitors choose to sit out a major show where their trainer is judging, others decide to work with someone else for a period of time in order to remain eligible to show. AQHA rules dictate that an owner or competitor may not have had any business dealings for three months prior to the event. Events like the Congress typically want to know what conflicts a judge may have well in advance so they may be excused from judging that event.
Wanderer shares, “From the beginning, Nancy indicated that if I wanted to show at the Congress that she would connect me with a mutually agreeable trainer and that she would call herself out of my event. That was originally my plan. However, when I set my goal of winning the High Point Amateur Western Riding for 2015, I attended a lot more shows than I typically would. After a very busy summer of showing, I decided to give my horse a break and skipped showing at the Congress.”
Twylla Lynn Brown of Perry, Missouri, owns and shows Snap Krackle Pop, who was recently crowned the 2015 AQHA Farnam Superhorse after winning both Junior Western Riding and Junior Trail at the World Show. The 2010 gray mare also placed eighth in Junior Western Riding and tenth in Performance Halter Mares to claim the title. The horse competes under the guidance of Kendra and her son, Blake Weis.
Brown feels that having Kendra’s trained eye has helped in preparing the mare for the show pen. “I believe Kendra’s position as a judge has been of great benefit. She knows exactly what’s expected of us in the show pen. She also keeps her customers up to date on the AQHA rules. In my view, working with a trainer who judges is a great asset,” she says.
Brown concurs with many other owners and exhibitors concerning the question of judging and showing conflicts. “If Kendra is judging a show, we skip it altogether,” she says. For her, the horse’s comfort and welfare must always come first. “I always feel my horse is safe with my trainers, and I would never want to risk changing anything with her care or training. The well-being of my horse is always most important to me,” she says.
Tordoff agrees that the risks involved with changing training, care, and coaching routines are too big to take, especially before a major event, to justify changing trainers. Tordoff believes, “Brent knows how to have Sterling and I peak at exactly the right time for major shows. All year long, we break apart different things and work on them with the goal of peaking at the World Show and the Congress. That means a year of tweaks and little changes to our training. No one understands those details like my trainer.”
Cyrnes-Warfsman also believes the potential rewards aren’t worth the risks. “It’s important to keep in mind that there will always be another big show. If you’re happy with how your horse is performing and the way you’re being coached, then it’s probably not worth jeopardizing that connection for one show,” she says.
Taking into account all of the potential pitfalls and benefits of working with a trainer who is also one of the industry’s top judges, competitors agree that the decision of who to entrust with your horse’s training comes down to fit, not card status. “I don’t think someone should look at potential trainers in terms of their status as judges,” Gultz says. “In my opinion, people should choose the trainer who best suits their horse, their style, and their goals. Most trainers are so well-educated and up to date on today’s trends that I don’t see an exponential benefit in working with a judge. Send your horse to who you are most compatible with,” she concludes.
Serious competitors know that success in this industry is often a fickle and fleeting thing. Those who make it to the top do so because of commitment, hard work, effective training, great coaching, a little luck, and the most important factor of all—the willingness of great horses.
