2023 Judging Assignments #3

Arabian Ranch Riding ATR #1 Practice Class

Ranch Riding #1 Scoresheet

Ranch Riding Pattern 1

Arabian Ranch Riding ATH

Ranch Riding

In ranch riding, the horse is judged on its ability to work at a forward, working speed while performing required and optional maneuvers. The ranch riding horse should simulate a horse riding outside the confines of an arena and reflect the versatility, attitude and movement of a working horse.


Watch the following videos about Ranch Riding from a judges perspective before viewing and judging your ranch riding class. 

Ranch-Riding_Disciplines.pdf

Sample Ranch Riding Introductory Statement for your reasons. 


_____ presented the best blend of versatility, attitude and movement of a working horse.  _____ best possessed the ability to work at a forward, working speed while performing maneuvers

efficiently executing the requested pattern with the most promptness, smoothness and precision in the class.



If you have time the video at the left is an excellent video that covers both ranch riding and ranch rail classes used in the AHA Judges Seminars.  

Review Note Taking Options

Examples of how to set up your notes for organizing your reasons.  

Remember when taking notes to first divide your page into 4's horizontally as shown in the center below. As the horses enter the arena mark their number and any distinguishing descriptions such as color of horse, size, etc. Note your first impression.  Be sure to label the class at the top of the page before they enter the arena. Leave a place for placing. For each horse quickly note positive and negative points from front, both sides, rear & close inspection.  Be sure to note how they travel from front, rear and side.

When you get to slide 23, the last slide you may need to click on the slide to get it to fill in the information on scoring reasons.  

Presentation on theme: "Note Taking and Preparation for Oral Reasons Equine Science Spring 2010 Created by: Bryan Egan and Stacie Domer Penn State, 2006."— Presentation transcript: Click the arrow on the right to show the text. 

1 Note Taking and Preparation for Oral Reasons Equine Science Spring 2010 Created by: Bryan Egan and Stacie Domer Penn State, 2006

2 Oral Reasons Overview Integral Part of a horse judging contest Offer contestant the opportunity to defend their placing Must be concise, accurate, and under two minutes Contestants should work from a mental image of the horses from the class. Notes are just helpers Inorder to be successful, contestant must be organized! Organization begins with good notetaking

3 Note Taking Learn to use short hand for notes Each individual’s short hand is likely to be different and this is OK Use same organizational scheme for notes and reasons Be careful not to miss something while taking notes. Especially in performance!!

4 Note Taking Stenographers notebook works well for notes Notes Taking –Write down identifiers for each horse –Begin by taking notes on class Good and bad qualities of each horse –Convert to reason’s notes once class is placed Comparative notes within each pair

5 Set up Notebook Notes on Class

6 Set up Notebook Reasons Notes Write down placing Divide page into 9 boxes Include ID points Organize notes Include: –Connectors –Transitions

7 Starting Out on Reasons Accuracy is first and foremost Must be grammatically correct Try to avoid memorizing words instead think about class It is OK to start young people off writing their reasons out but they should relatively quickly work from just notes

8 Starting Out on Reasons Perhaps start out giving just a pair –Work hard on presentation, style, and organization Then move to giving two pair –Begin breaking down terms, transitions, etc. Then give complete sets –Once here, your on your way

9 Starting Out on Reasons Don’t forget to be positive, giving reasons is hard Try to make it as fun as is possible Don’t try to fix everything all at once Always find the good things about the pair, pairs, or set –Being too critical will discourage youth

10 Organization Develop a system that is easy to remember and easy to listen to –Talk around the horse in halter –Talk around the pattern in pattern classes –Talk the first direction and then the second in rail classes

11 Organization Opening Statement: simple or complex –Sir, I placed the Quarter Horse Mares 123 and 4. –Maam, Using quality, balance, and structural correctness as my determining factors, my preferred alignment of the Quarter Horse Mares is 123 and 4. –Sir, seeing the class to contain an easy top, easy bottom and relatively tight middle pair, my preferred alignment of the Aged Mares is 123 and 4.

12 Organization Top Pair –In my top pair, I placed 1 over 2 because she was the…… –In my initial pair, 1 easily rose to the top due to her superior combination of quality, balance, and structural correctness. She was…… Grant –I grant that 2 was heavier muscled. –I realize and fully appreciate the fact that 2 was heavier muscled. Criticism –However, she lacked the quality and balanced appearance of 1 to place higher today.

13 Organization Top/Middle Pair transition –Moving to my middle pair –Moving to my more difficult intermediate decision –In spite of this she maintains a distinct advantage over 3 in my middle pair Middle Pair –2 was more feminine about her head, thinner in her throat and had a longer leaner neck which tied higher into a more ideally laid back shoulder….

14 Organization Continue through set using same organizational scheme for middle and bottom pair. Closing Statement: –Could simply just be “Thank You” when done –Could re-place the class: For these reasons, I placed the Aged Mares 123 and 4. Thank You. Using the nine box setup and this layout for every set of reasons helps people get unstuck when they forget what they want to say.

15 Terminology Must be comparative –Neck isn’t long it is longer, not heavy muscled but heavier muscled, not he was cadenced at the jog but he was more consistently cadenced at the jog, etc, etc Keep things simple at first –If you can’t pronounce it don’t use it –If you don’t know what the term means don’t use it.

16 Terminology Start off very simple –Just discuss the major judging criteria for the class –Fill in details as experience and confidence grows Once familiar with terminology, encourage judgers to experiment with terms they like. Add individuality to their reasons.

17 Connective Terms Aid in making reasons flow from one idea to another. Can increase score. Additionally However Furthermore Moreover And Nevertheless In addition Also

18 Grants Grants are used to tell something good about the horse placed below another. –Rarely is one horse more ideal in all areas, so grants are almost always used Correct grants can be extremely important to scoring well on a set of reasons Don’t make something up just to have a grant.

19 Grant Statements Really only need four grant statements in your arsenal. One for each pair and no obvious. I realize I Grant Yes, it is true I realize and Fully appreciate I concede I appreciate I readily admit It is obvious Seeing no obvious grants

20 Streamline Reasons Reasons become wordy –Maybe even go over 2 minutes Remember reasons listener has to listen to many sets on the same class Only discuss the RELEVANT facts used to place each pair. Don’t talk to hear yourself talk

21 Practicing Reasons Practice Out Loud Give reasons to many different people Practice from beginning to end each time Always give your reasons as if you are giving them to someone in a contest. Remember Perfect Practice Makes Perfect

22 Presentation and Stance Stance –Body position –Distance Eye Contact Presentation –Volume –Inflection –Enunciation

23 Reasons Scoring 0 = Student doesn’t show up 1-25 = Shows up but doesn’t put forth effort 26-30 = Beginning to show effort but doesn’t care 31-35 = Starting to sound like a set of reasons 36-40 = Complete set with grants and some presentation style 41-45 = The good set; complete set, good presentation, accurate description of class 46-50 = The great set; transitions, creativity, accuracy, great presentation and delivery

Presentation on theme: "Note Taking and Preparation for Oral Reasons Equine Science Spring 2010 Created by: Bryan Egan and Stacie Domer Penn State, 2006."— Presentation transcript: Click the arrow on the right to show the text. 

1 Note Taking and Preparation for Oral Reasons Equine Science Spring 2010 Created by: Bryan Egan and Stacie Domer Penn State, 2006

2 Oral Reasons Overview Integral Part of a horse judging contest Offer contestant the opportunity to defend their placing Must be concise, accurate, and under two minutes Contestants should work from a mental image of the horses from the class. Notes are just helpers Inorder to be successful, contestant must be organized! Organization begins with good notetaking

3 Note Taking Learn to use short hand for notes Each individual’s short hand is likely to be different and this is OK Use same organizational scheme for notes and reasons Be careful not to miss something while taking notes. Especially in performance!!

4 Note Taking Stenographers notebook works well for notes Notes Taking –Write down identifiers for each horse –Begin by taking notes on class Good and bad qualities of each horse –Convert to reason’s notes once class is placed Comparative notes within each pair

5 Set up Notebook Notes on Class

6 Set up Notebook Reasons Notes Write down placing Divide page into 9 boxes Include ID points Organize notes Include: –Connectors –Transitions

7 Starting Out on Reasons Accuracy is first and foremost Must be grammatically correct Try to avoid memorizing words instead think about class It is OK to start young people off writing their reasons out but they should relatively quickly work from just notes

8 Starting Out on Reasons Perhaps start out giving just a pair –Work hard on presentation, style, and organization Then move to giving two pair –Begin breaking down terms, transitions, etc. Then give complete sets –Once here, your on your way

9 Starting Out on Reasons Don’t forget to be positive, giving reasons is hard Try to make it as fun as is possible Don’t try to fix everything all at once Always find the good things about the pair, pairs, or set –Being too critical will discourage youth

10 Organization Develop a system that is easy to remember and easy to listen to –Talk around the horse in halter –Talk around the pattern in pattern classes –Talk the first direction and then the second in rail classes

11 Organization Opening Statement: simple or complex –Sir, I placed the Quarter Horse Mares 123 and 4. –Maam, Using quality, balance, and structural correctness as my determining factors, my preferred alignment of the Quarter Horse Mares is 123 and 4. –Sir, seeing the class to contain an easy top, easy bottom and relatively tight middle pair, my preferred alignment of the Aged Mares is 123 and 4.

12 Organization Top Pair –In my top pair, I placed 1 over 2 because she was the…… –In my initial pair, 1 easily rose to the top due to her superior combination of quality, balance, and structural correctness. She was…… Grant –I grant that 2 was heavier muscled. –I realize and fully appreciate the fact that 2 was heavier muscled. Criticism –However, she lacked the quality and balanced appearance of 1 to place higher today.

13 Organization Top/Middle Pair transition –Moving to my middle pair –Moving to my more difficult intermediate decision –In spite of this she maintains a distinct advantage over 3 in my middle pair Middle Pair –2 was more feminine about her head, thinner in her throat and had a longer leaner neck which tied higher into a more ideally laid back shoulder….

14 Organization Continue through set using same organizational scheme for middle and bottom pair. Closing Statement: –Could simply just be “Thank You” when done –Could re-place the class: For these reasons, I placed the Aged Mares 123 and 4. Thank You. Using the nine box setup and this layout for every set of reasons helps people get unstuck when they forget what they want to say.

15 Terminology Must be comparative –Neck isn’t long it is longer, not heavy muscled but heavier muscled, not he was cadenced at the jog but he was more consistently cadenced at the jog, etc, etc Keep things simple at first –If you can’t pronounce it don’t use it –If you don’t know what the term means don’t use it.

16 Terminology Start off very simple –Just discuss the major judging criteria for the class –Fill in details as experience and confidence grows Once familiar with terminology, encourage judgers to experiment with terms they like. Add individuality to their reasons.

17 Connective Terms Aid in making reasons flow from one idea to another. Can increase score. Additionally However Furthermore Moreover And Nevertheless In addition Also

18 Grants Grants are used to tell something good about the horse placed below another. –Rarely is one horse more ideal in all areas, so grants are almost always used Correct grants can be extremely important to scoring well on a set of reasons Don’t make something up just to have a grant.

19 Grant Statements Really only need four grant statements in your arsenal. One for each pair and no obvious. I realize I Grant Yes, it is true I realize and Fully appreciate I concede I appreciate I readily admit It is obvious Seeing no obvious grants

20 Streamline Reasons Reasons become wordy –Maybe even go over 2 minutes Remember reasons listener has to listen to many sets on the same class Only discuss the RELEVANT facts used to place each pair. Don’t talk to hear yourself talk

21 Practicing Reasons Practice Out Loud Give reasons to many different people Practice from beginning to end each time Always give your reasons as if you are giving them to someone in a contest. Remember Perfect Practice Makes Perfect

22 Presentation and Stance Stance –Body position –Distance Eye Contact Presentation –Volume –Inflection –Enunciation

23 Reasons Scoring 0 = Student doesn’t show up 1-25 = Shows up but doesn’t put forth effort 26-30 = Beginning to show effort but doesn’t care 31-35 = Starting to sound like a set of reasons 36-40 = Complete set with grants and some presentation style 41-45 = The good set; complete set, good presentation, accurate description of class 46-50 = The great set; transitions, creativity, accuracy, great presentation and delivery

Purebred Arabian Geldings

Sample Arabian Gelding Halter Introductory Statement. 


_____ exhibited the nicest combination of structural correctness, type, quality, presence. _____ was shorter in the back, more comparatively horizontal over the croup, longer in the underline, and more prominent about the withers.  _____ had more scope through the neck to the poll, had a longer, more graceful neck, and was cleaner through the mitbah.  _____ was more classic about the head, and more pronounced through the jibbah, stood on straighter legs (column of bone) of cleaner, flatter bone, and therefore moved with a light, airy stride.  In addition, _____ more brilliant on the move and had a higher, more natural tail carriage.


Purebred Hunter Pleasure

Sample Hunter Pleasure introduction 

I placed _____ at the top of this class as _____ showed the nicest combination of  movement and manners.  _____ accepted the bit and went on light contact with a  relaxed head carriage.  Most importantly, _____ moved with a longer, lower stride at  the walk, had a free, sweeping, efficient trot, and was balanced and cadenced at the  canter.   _____ lengthened stride, increased speed, and remained under control at the  hand gallop.  In addition, _____ was a horizontal mover that moved with energy and  direct purpose.  Furthermore, _____ executed the rider’s commands with precision  and positive attitude, therefore, requiring less aid from the rider.   


Chart_HunterPleasure.pdf
Hunter-Pleasure_Disciplines.pdf

Half-Arabian Reining

Sample Reining Introduction

I marked _____ at the top of the class because _____ had the nicest combination of  calmness, speed, ease, and dispatch.  _____ ran harder, stopped squarer, and  backed straighter.  _____ was more precise and accurate, cut a neater pattern,  required less rein and was more fluid in lead changes.  Furthermore,  _____ had more  distinction in the size and speed through circles, rolled back harder over the hocks,  and was sharper about the spins.  


(NOTE: vary terms per pattern)

Half-Arabian Reining Pattern #5

Reining_Disciplines.pdf

Horses may walk or jog to the center of arena. Horses must walk or stop prior to starting pattern. Beginning at the center of the arena facing the left wall or fence.

1. Beginning on the left lead, complete three circles to the left: the first two circles large and fast; the third circle small and slow. Stop at the center of the arena. Hesitate.
2. Complete four spins to the left. Hesitate.
3. Beginning on the right lead, complete three circles to the right: the first two circles large and fast; the third circle small and slow. Stop at the center of the arena. Hesitate.
4. Complete four spins to the right. Hesitate.
5. Beginning on the left lead, run a large fast circle to the left, change leads at the center of the arena, run a large fast circle to the right, and change leads at the center of the arena. (Figure 8)
6. Continue around previous circle to the left but do not close this circle. Run up the right side of the arena past the center marker and do a right rollback at least twenty feet (six meters) from the wall or fence—no hesitation.  7. Continue around previous circle but do not close this circle. Run up the left side of the arena past the center marker and do a left rollback at least twenty feet (six meters) from the wall or fence—no hesitation.
8. Continue back around previous circle but do not close this circle. Run up the right side of the arena past the center marker and do a sliding stop at least twenty feet (six meters) from the wall or fence. Back up at least ten feet (three meters). Hesitate to demonstrate completion of the pattern.

Do not go beyond this point on the page.  I will update as soon as I can. 




























Horse Judging Sample Reasons Introductions.pdf

Stallion Halter Practice #1

Judging practice Arabian stallions 1.pdf
Breeding-In-Hand_Disciplines.pdf

Arabian Stallions #1

Sample Arabian Halter Introductory Statement. 


_____ exhibited the nicest combination of type, quality, presence, and structural correctness. _____ was shorter in the back, more comparatively horizontal over the croup, longer in the underline, and more prominent about the withers.  _____ had more scope through the neck to the poll, had a longer, more graceful neck, and was cleaner through the mitbah.  _____ was more classic about the head, and more pronounced through the jibbah, stood on straighter legs (column of bone) of cleaner, flatter bone, and therefore moved with a light, airy stride.  In addition, _____ more brilliant on the move and had a higher, more natural tail carriage.


Half-Arabian Gelding Halter Practice #1

Sample Half-Arabian Halter Introductory Statement. 


_____ exhibited the nicest blend of structural correctness (conformation), quality, substance, Arabian type.  _____ was shorter in the back, more comparatively horizontal over the croup, longer in the underline, and more prominent about the withers.  _____ had more scope through the neck to the poll, had a longer, more graceful neck, and was cleaner through the throat.  _____ stood on straighter legs (column of bone) of cleaner, flatter bone, and therefore moved with a light, airy stride.  In addition, _____ was more brilliant on the move and had a more natural tail carriage.

Judging practice HalfArabGeldingsSH 1.pdf

Half-Arabian Geldings #1