05/24/2026
The First Time I Was Humbled in Center Ring
I’m honestly not sure why this story never made it into the book. Maybe I wanted to forget how inexperienced and overwhelmed I felt in that moment. Maybe because even now it is still a little humbling to admit. But the lesson matters more than my pride.
Looking back now, it taught me one of the most important lessons I’ve learned about judging, pressure and the little details that separate good from great.
More than a few years ago before I had my judge's licenses, I was learner judging at a fairly major show during a judges’ clinic. I had judged a few smaller non-rated shows before that and done some other learner judging, but I was still very new to judging and even newer to making tough decisions quickly under pressure.
One of the classes I learner judged was a Hunt Seat Walk and Trot Equitation class. There were 10 entries. Oddly enough, they were all boys and of course, they were all in dark coats with tan breeches, all on bay horses, and honestly, they were all pretty good. No major mistakes. No obvious winner. No obvious loser. Nobody was even on the wrong diagonal, which usually helps narrow things down in walk and trot equitation. 😅
By the time the actual judge called for the lineup, I was sweating bullets.
I had maybe three riders I thought could win, but I had no real conviction behind any of it. If you’ve read my book, you know that equitation lineups matter a lot and I’ve made major national-level equitation decisions from them. But back then? I did not yet have a clear idea of exactly what I should be prioritizing when things got that close.
I walked the lineup and noticed…nothing. 👀
I went back to the judges’ stand with what was basically a blank card and admitted to the judge that I only had a possible top three and nothing else.
She looked at me very confidently and said, “Well, the winner was easy out of those three.” Her winner was the only one whose reins were not twisted in the lineup.
I was mortified. 😵💫 She was absolutely right and I had completely missed it. And of course I knew reins should not be twisted. I had been fixing my own riders’ reins for years. But in that moment, under pressure, trying to sort through a very close class quickly, I completely overlooked something simple, correct and important.
Honestly, she probably left that class thinking I was clueless, unqualified or never going to survive center ring. Fair enough. 😅
At the time, I did not yet fully understand how much the little things mattered or how important it is as a judge to develop a system for making sound decisions quickly, efficiently, and under pressure, then standing behind them confidently.
She had mastered that skill and in our very short stint sharing center ring together, I learned a lot from her.
To this day, I am certain I have never missed twisted reins in an equitation lineup since. And honestly, I think about that judge and that day almost every time I walk a line in an equitation class.
There are a couple lessons to be learned here:
First: the “little things” are not little things in the show ring. Details matter. Don’t get beat over something easy and fixable. 📌
Second: when classes are close, judging often comes down to having a trained eye, a system for evaluating details efficiently, and the confidence to make a decision and stand behind it under pressure. That skill takes time, repetition, experience and humility.
Ironically, I’ve actually judged that judge (who is a very successful trainer) many times over the years at all levels, including national championships. 🏆
I sometimes wonder if she remembers any of this story and if she knows that I was that nervous, somewhat clueless learner judge from all those years ago.
I’ve intentionally never asked her and I am not sure I want to know either way. 😂
