I'm Dizzy, Where's My Box of Wine?

 I had to let this one out!! I went to judge a small open hunter show which was a fundraising event for a 4-H club. The kids of the club were left to run the entire show. I was told it was to give them experience and it was their club's money to use towards going to their district show next year. Well, that's all well and good but really kids cannot learn things unless they are taught. No adults stepped in during the many flusters and clusters of the day but I was all too busy on the walkie talkie. I even passed out ribbons at one point. I don't mind helping out but you cannot expect your judge to take on extra duties at your show.

So anyway, the beginner classes were all morning and then I noticed this course was posted for the crossrails and up to 2'6" hunter division. You were supposed to ride this same course for both rounds over fences and then ride the course again for the equitation rounds. HUH???? They said that was so people could improve each round because they already knew the course. HUH???? This wasn't a course. The jumps were nothing but post and rail so a 2'6" fence looked like 4' and even the crossrails looked lonely and unattractive. Please, some branches off a tree, some fake flowers stuck in them and poof, you have fill! Buy a few pickets and 2x4 and make some wings for your jumps.Trim your shrubbery at home and bring the clippings to the show if you have no other fill. I mean really? Really!!

There is no change of direction in this course to start with and I would think a horse would get dizzy!! Then there's the "jump it twice in each round" fence. What happens when someone knocks a rail on fence 3 and then has to come back to it (from a horrifically sharp angle) to jump fence 6 and there is no rail? There were plenty of those rounds and they told me that if it wasn't reset before the rider came back around again, just score it as if it were a ground pole. Well, that isn't quite fair to those that had come off that sharp angle and it was reset so they had to jump it again.

The classes were only $7 and I had given them a 50% discount because they were 4H. Those associated with the club thought it was great.....why? No flying changes? HUH????? I tried to refuse the course and was going to reset a few angles on the inside and then give it at least a decent chance but the one time the adults stepped in was when the club kids got grouchy about my idea. Okay, I let it go but if anyone was having unsafe rounds due to the course, I was changing it!  Unsafe, due to ponies and horse not ready to even trot poles on the ground, which they left alot of, was not of my concern.

 I'm booked for one more of their shows in a few months.....I may either send them my courses with some fill in ideas or find an excuse to cancel and refer them to someone trying to build some hours for their judging resume. Here's the course in question.......I wouldn't have ridden it and I can tell you watching every entry ride it three times, really tried my patience. I think I was just so damn dizzy, after the 32nd round, I couldn't see straight anyhow!

I think if you click on the course, it'll come up in all it's hideous glory. And yes, the ring was narrow and oval. I bet it wasn't 125 feet across and maybe 200 feet long......HUH????? The outside lines had no rhyme or reason as for distance so some got lucky with it and most didn't. Now, you be the judge........where's my box of wine!!!