How I Judge Performance

I've judged performance at both live and photo shows and I find it both more complicated and more fun than judging breed or collectibility classes. There's so much more to look for in a performance entry and keeping it all straight takes a little work, so I adapted my own system (stealing heavily from suggestions by Jennifer Buxton - all hail her wonderful blog). I like to have a little notebook with me and write down my "scores" for each entry like a judge's card. Here's what my notes start out like:

Entry	Model	Doll	Saddle	Bridle	Props	Total

The Entry column gets filled out with the name of the entry or something else so I can remember which entry it was - sometimes in small classes something like "PS TB" will be fine, other times I need something more detailed. Then each column after that gets a score. I like to score from -3 to +3, where -3 is catastrophically bad and +3 is blowing my socks off. If an element doesn't apply to an entry, it gets a 0. I sum up the score from each column to get a total for that entry and my top score is my top placing, unless I need to apply tie breakers. 

Here's a breakdown of each column:

Model - Does the model (usually an equine, occasionally something else) look suitable for performing the task it is demonstrating? For example, in a pleasure class I don't expect to see a model that is galloping or rearing or performing a dramatic action like sharply turning a corner. I'm looking at the pose and biomechanics of the model here, not necessarily things like typical breed types for a class, unless the class or documentation has specified that.

An entry from the 2019 Region 2 Champ Show. This horse looks well suited for a western pleasure class. (My photo, not my entry.) (If I had realized I was going to blog about this, I would have taken at least tried to take better photos.)

Doll - If there's no doll used in the entry, this is a score of 0. It doesn't "hurt" the entry but it doesn't help the entry either. If there is a doll, it is positioned appropriately for the action? Is it dressed appropriately? Some positions are very hard to achieve with dolls, so I am more likely to give something a negative score if the doll is positioned in a way that is unsafe or impossible in real life. Smaller penalties are given for things riders can do in real life that would be frowned upon, for example heels up instead of down, hands carried too high, etc. An excellently dressed and positioned doll would earn positive points. 

An entry from the 2019 Region 2 Champ Show. This doll is correctly attired and posed for the task she is doing. (My photo, not my entry.)

Saddle - I'm first looking for safety or things that would injure the horse if the entry were real, for example loose girth, buckles not fastened, straps placed incorrectly, misplaced pad, etc. Those would incur negative points. An excellently fitted and properly tacked entry would get positive points. I'm also looking to make sure the tack here fits the event the horse is doing. A dressage saddle would not be appropriate for a AQHA hunter under saddle class, for example. In harness classes I score the harness in this category.

An entry from the 2019 Region 2 Champ Show. The saddle is fitted correctly and suitable for this dressage class. (My photo, not my entry.)

Bridle - I'm looking at similar things for the bridle and reins as I did with the saddle. Does it fit the horse? Is it safe? It is appropriate and allowed for the event the horse is doing? Excellence is rewarded with positive points. Mistakes, especially in safety and things that compromise reality (like having the bit falling out of the mouth, bridle touching the horse's eyeball, reins tangled, etc.) gets negative points.

An entry from the 2019 Region 2 Champ Show. The bridle on this horse is correct for the harness he is wearing. (My photo, not my entry.)

Props - Not every entry requires props or dioramas, so often this category scores a 0 - neither hurting nor helping the entry. If there are props or a scene, is it placed correctly in relation to the horse? Is it appropriate for the action the horse is doing? Some classes do require a prop, for example in an over fences class if there is no fence the entry is likely to receive a negative score here. 

An entry from the 2019 Region 2 Champ Show. I like the detail in the props which went beyond what was strictly necessary for this entry. (My photo, not my entry.)

After each category is scored for an entry, I sum up the score to get a total. Higher points is better. Sometimes I do get ties in which case I tend to look at the following as tie breakers:

• If the entry scored negatively, is it something that would be easily fixed? Or is the entry "the best it can be" with what is on the table? For example, if two entries score equally, but one entry has a saddle made with excellent workmanship that isn't quite fitted to the horse correctly, while another entry has a saddle that isn't top quality but is fitted excellently, I tend to pick the second entry, because I feel they did excellent work with inferior tools, while the first entry had the tools to be excellent but didn't live up to the potential of that entry. Some judges may pick the exact opposite, but this is how I choose. 
• Which entry was more ambitious? Which has more "wow" factor? Is one trying something new or something I haven't seen before? If two entries are tied in score but one of them really went out and took a risk on something new or difficult, I want to reward that in my placings. 

So here's what my notebook might look like at the end of a small class:

Entry	Model	Doll	Saddle	Bridle	Props	Total
Chestnut Wyatt	1	1	1.5	1	1	5.5 (1st Place)
Appaloosa	-0.5	1	1	-0.5	0.5	1.5 (3rd Place)
PS TB	0.5	0.5	0	1	0.5	2.5 (2nd Place)