A Blinding Distraction In The Show Ring

For anyone who has ever been in the show ring, I am sure that you can relate to this story in some form or fashion. We have all had an experience while showing that makes us stop and wonder… “Why are we doing this? Why do we put ourselves at the mercy of a judge?” I am sure there are plenty of stories we could all share about a time when a judge has caused us to become angry or confused, but here is a story of my own that I will always remember and debate.

Nearly five years ago my younger sister was showing her pony in an open western halter class. Now it is important to understand that this was a show full of young kids who were just beginning to learn the ins-and-outs of the horse showing world. Anyway, this pony that my sister was showing is what many of us would refer to as “a confidence booster”. Molly was a trusty, reliable, sweetheart of a pony that taught my sister how to ride and show. She was not a horse registered and purely bred to compete in the showing industry; she was a lovable animal that had a heart the size of Texas. The only visible problem that tended to catch the attention of many people was that Molly was blind in one eye.

As the judge made her way across the arena inspecting each of the horses present in the class, she came upon my sister and Molly. She seemed to be spending a little more time observing and evaluating the confirmation and structure of Molly when we noticed her begin to wave a clipboard back and forth in front of Molly’s bad eye. After thirty or so seconds, she glanced at my sister and moved on to the next horse without even a slight glimpse back in Molly’s direction. When the placings for the class were finally announced, my sister and Molly were left standing without a placing or viable reason as to why, other than the obvious… the judge had held it against Molly that she was legally blind in her one eye.

Was the judge fair in dismissing that pony as a competitor because of her blind eye? Did the judge have the right to wave her clipboard in front of the bad eye in order to discover a flaw that was not apparent enough for her to evidently be able to see on her own? Every judge has there characteristics, colorings, markings, body conformations, even breeds that they favor. However, where is a line to be drawn that a judge should not cross over? Let me know what ya’ll think. Later Partner!