EXCA Judge's Study Guide

·         Past World Overall Champions are allowed to enter the World Finals without having to qualify.

·         An EXCA Professional may ride an unlimited number of horses in the Pro Division and may also compete in the Futurity Division.

·         A horse may be ridden one time in each Division with the exception of Young Guns and Youth, in which case the horse may be ridden a maximum of three (3) times.

·         The difference between taking a shortcut and skipping an obstacle: taking a shortcut receives a time penalty and lower horsemanship score, skipping an obstacle results in a 0 and 30 second time penalty, if they return to the skipped obstacle after beginning another obstacle it is a disqualification.

·         Tradition says two hands for a snaffle, one hand for a shank bit but alternating may be necessary depending on the horse or the obstacle.  It should not be a major deduction unless it happens because of loss of control.  The ability to maneuver the course using no hands, while maintaining control, should be scored higher.

·         As a judge you should be aware of horses that are unfit to compete; whether due to condition, extreme pregnancy, rough use, or lameness.  Use care when deciding lameness in gaited horses.

·         Completing an obstacle cleanly with decent speed should score higher than speed with mistakes.

·         Scoring an obstacle has 3 parts; approach - up to 1 point in increments of .25, the obstacle – up to 8 points with the average score being 5.5, departure – up to 1 point in increments of .25. This results in a possible 10 points for the entire obstacle.

·         Showboating should decrease the overall horsemanship score, it could also affect the departure of an obstacle or the approach to the next obstacle depending on where in the course the infraction occurs.

·         On obstacles such as jumps, be aware of proper height, distance between jumps and which divisions can maneuver which types of jumps.

·         Breeds of horses that compete in EXCA – all breeds are eligible. Be very careful not to judge all breeds the same.  They may move differently or have a different appearance from your preferred breed.  That should not affect the way you judge them.

·         Always remember SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY.

Shortened notes to help you & your scribe put notes on the judge’s sheet.

·         Use HH to represent - Heavy hands or high hands

·         Use TS represent - Too slow

·         Use OAC to represent - Out of control

·         Use TR to represent - Tight reins

·         Use OC to represents- Off course

·         Use GM to represent - Gaping mouth

·         Use WL to represent – Wrong lead

·         Use OB to represent – Off balance

·         Use SH to represent – Soft hands

·         Use RW to represent – Rates well

Craig Cameron's books will help enhance your EXCA Judging ability.