A Judge's Perspective, John Rannenberg, printed in Arabian Horse Times

Featured in February 2016

A JUDGE’S PERSPECTI V CLICK TO VIEW

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Ar abia n Hor se Tim es | 46 | Vol ume 46, No. 9A

A Judge's Perspective—John Rannenberg

A JUDGE’S PERSPECTIVE

John Rannenberg

Ar abian Horse Times | 46 | Volume 46, No. 9A

A J u d g e ’s P e r s p e c t i v e

Share with us how long you have you been in the Arabian horse business and an Arabian horse judge.

Is there a show that you have never judged, but have always wanted too?

I started riding horses when I was 6 years old and was introduced to Arabians when I was 15. At 18, I became a professional trainer and have held my judges card for 16 years.

This year I will be judging Scottsdale in February for the first time and I’m very excited! I first competed there in 1979 and have not missed a year competing since. To have the opportunity to stand in center ring and see the best horses in the world compete will be both an honor and a thrill.

You are one of few horsemen that show in both halter and performance (Western, Hunt, English). How does this help you when judging these divisions?

Being a well-rounded horseman and one that competes in multiple divisions does help me as a judge. I’ve had the opportunity to train and show a wide variety of disciplines. It’s allowed me to develop my craft and truly understand the mechanics and importance of each. To be a good judge, one must possess knowledge, integrity and be confident in making their decisions.

Does one show stand out to you as a favorite to judge?

I’ve had the honor of judging many great shows in numerous countries and have witnessed some amazing performances. Youth Nationals is a favorite; we have some very smart, talented and dedicated young horsemen that will ensure our longevity as a breed. And just recently, I had the honor and privilege of judging the 24th Annual Challenged Rider Horse Show in Weirsdale, FL. I had an idea of what I was about to experience, but was totally blown away, and frankly a bit emotional, as to what I witnessed. The range of “challenge” varied greatly from slight to severe mental and emotional, to different degrees of physical handicapped riders. All were thrilled to receive a ribbon, no matter the placing, with the biggest smiles and excitement over what they had just achieved. I left feeling completely humbled and grateful for all the things I take for granted.

You will be judging halter at the Scottsdale Show, which uses the comparative system vs. the score card. Is there one system you prefer to use?

When many of us began judging, we were taught to judge halter horses with the comparative system.

It takes time to develop your skills in evaluating conformation, making choices and decisions, along with good bookkeeping skills to allow one to be clear and efficient. Then the scorecard came along and we were asked to give a numerical score that represents the different parts of the horse with a computer doing the sorting and placing process. Once again, it takes time to develop your numerical system to be consistent and confident in your assessment of correct conformation and type. I feel the score card does tell a story from the judge and allows everyone to really understand how that judge sees that individual. Is one better than the other? That still remains to be a hot topic of discussion. For me the comparative system seems the most natural.

“...just recently, I had the honor and privilege of judging the 24th Annual Challenged Rider Horse Show in Weirsdale, FL. I had an idea of what I was about to experience, but was totally blown away, and frankly a bit emotional, as to what I witnessed.”

Ar abian Horse Times | 47 | Volume 46, No. 9A

“This year I will be judging Scottsdale in February for the first time and I’m very excited!

I first competed there in 1979 and have not missed a year competing since. To have the opportunity to stand in center ring and see the best horses in the world compete will be both an honor and a thrill.”

The style of halter horse has changed tremendously over the years in the U.S. To you, what is the ideal breeding horse?

Sure, the halter horse styles have changed over the years, but I think as a whole, Arabian breeders are very passionate and dedicated to creating beautiful, sound and useful horses. The reality is yes, the Arabian is the most versatile breed, but we have created a very specialized horse. Years ago the same horse might compete in three or four divisions at the same show. Today, our horses show in one or two, generally speaking. We as a breed have raised the bar so high in training and competition, that it has become very difficult to do multiple disciplines.

In regard to halter horses, my ideal breeding horse is one that exudes Arabian type. Type is way more than pretty face, however, it’s the combination of the Arabian characteristics that make up the correct balance and structure along with the beauty, scope, refinement, carriage, and athleticism.

When you hear the words ‘form to function,’ what does this mean to you and particularly to an Arabian that is competing in halter?

Form to function is understanding good and correct conformation and the possibilities of what that animal might be useful for. Starting from the ground up, back to front, determining how this horse is designed and is its conformation going to allow him to excel as an athlete and as a top halter horse.

Recognizing and understanding conformational faults and defects and their ramifications is just as important. Example, club feet, off-set cannon bones, low set, short, under slung necks, long backs, weak loins etc.

How important to you is the loose lead walk?

In halter classes, most horses sort themselves out at the loose lead walk. It’s one of the few times in a class where the judge can see the horse for what he truly is at a natural and relaxed gait. Most other times, a good handler who knows his horse works very hard to showcase its best features, or in some cases, tries to conceal the less fortunate ones. With that said, I do understand it’s a “horse show” and I’ve made my living showing horses. As a judge it’s my job and responsibility to find and award the best horse on that given day.

If I feel a handler is interfering with the process of the loose lead walk, I will simply ask the handler to please relax and lower his hand and the contact on the horses lead as they pass by me. If the handler refuses to follow my request, I will take that action into consideration when I make my decision and placements.

When doing your final walk-through at the end to mark your card, how do you use this time?

The final walk-through is when I’m doing a last overview of the class and checking my notes and placements before I mark my card. There could be some instances where I have several horses that are somewhat tied and I need to compare to reach my final decision. It’s important to be organized and be able to make your choices and mark your cards in a timely manner.

“Horse showing is not for the faint of heart, there’s always going to be ups and downs.

Horses have good days and bad days just like us. There’s so many factors that are involved in having a successful show and it’s important to do everything in your power so your horse is prepared and ready to compete to the best of its ability.”

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A J u d g e ’s P e r s p e c t i v e

JOHN RANNENBERG For an owner that is competing at Scottsdale for the first time, what advice could you give them in case the outcome is not what they had projected?

Horse showing is not for the faint of heart, there’s always going to be ups and downs. Horses have good days and bad days just like us. There’s so many factors that are involved in having a successful show and it’s important to do everything in your power so your horse is prepared and ready to compete to the best of its ability. If it doesn’t go well, learn from what happened and try to make it more successful the next time. The journey and experience is really what it’s all about. When everything falls into place as it should and you come out victorious, there’s no other high like it.

Do you evaluate younger halter horses different than an aged one?

For me, the evaluation process is similar when judging young horses and older ones. They seldom compete together so again, I’m trying to find the best individual in the class. Things that are different between the two are development, substance, balance, maturity, conditioning, level of training etc.

When you say to someone that a horse has good halter movement, what does that mean?

Good movement or a high score in movement doesn’t necessarily mean that the horse will make a good English pleasure horse. In halter there’s a huge variety of movement styles, and horses that have more of a lower type movement can still score well. Ask yourself, does the horse engage from the hindquarters and propel himself from the rear? Does he have the ability to have a round and ground covering trot with length of stride and a softness that is beautiful to watch? Horses that are stiff in their hocks, have poor flexion, and lack drive from the rear along with short, quick and choppy movement up front should be penalized.

There is concern in regards to shanking in the halter arena; what are your thoughts on this?

As trainers we’ve been warned and advised that we as a breed are being watched. It’s important that our “perception” of horsemanship is not tarnished by improper handling. There is a difference of proper discipline if a horse becomes unruly and needs to be corrected. As judges, it’s our responsibility to not allow or tolerate aggressive handling in the arena in order to get the “show” or “hard standup.” Judges need to take charge of the show arena; if they feel someone is pushing the limit, stop the class and say something to the handler. Unfortunately, we are at a point that we will need to penalize accordingly and make it clear that this is not acceptable.

And extreme show clipping and oil being used on a horse ... what do you prefer to see when a horse is presented to you?

I think where the idea of extreme show clipping has evolved is from wanting to achieve the look of summer time when horses naturally shed a lot of the facial hair around the eyes and muzzle area. The skin is black and with the use of oils you can really highlight the features and get a dramatic look.

Because we have rules regarding balding, we as a breed have made clipping an art form. People spend hours clipping and blending the hair to get that extreme contrast, but the trick is to make it look natural.

Seeing a horse that looks like he dipped his nose in a bucket of black paint to me is offensive. The over use of oil where it’s running off the horse’s face or body, in my opinion, is not attractive. Think of it as a woman putting on her makeup to bring out her good features and skin tone that also complements her style. Show grooming starts at home with proper diet, exercise and daily grooming. My suggestion is, if you are going to “extreme clip” your horse, practice at home and see what looks best for your horse. Clip a couple of days before the event and allow it to soften a bit. Some hair will start to grow back and you can always touch up and blend the hair before your class.

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