JUDGING JUMPS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1970, 29 January 1914, Page 8

JUDGING JUMPS.

SHOULD JUDGES BE STRANGERS? (By Teberaph.—Special OoiyespondentJ Palmerston North, Jauuary 28.

1 Mr. H. L. Collinson, a prominent member of tho Manawatu Hunt Club, and tho rider of Major Wobb in show jumps on many successful occasions, told a newspaper reprosentativo that he considered it urgently desirable that tho judges in tlio ring ovents at tlio various shows should bo strangers. No northerner should judge- a northern show. It is recognised, ho added, by exhibitors of cattlo that tlio winning cattlo arc usually quite familiar to tho judges, and, on that account, very strong.efforts are often made to got judges from a- distance —even from Australia. How much more must a judgo of ring events, particularly jumps, be aware of tho ownership of the competing horses when tho owners themselves aro probably riding them.

"On a recent occasion," said Mr. Collinson, "a judgo had to perform the delicate task- of awarding first prize to a huntsman to whom ho had sold tho horso ho rode.

"To some extent the judging of the jumps would bo freer from criticism if porformed on a scalo of points, in which each horso would be pointed for stylo and other qualities shown. Sometimes I liavo wondered how judges arrived at their decisions, nnd have 1 occasionally asked to see the judgo's notes, but have received only tho vague reply that they gave the prizes to tho best horses. What seems sometimes to happen 'is that a few horses catch the judge's eyt>, and tho others aro quite neglected. How they manage to come to an agreement when several judges are engaged puzzles me.

"An alternative to this system would be the method in vogue at home, where/ stylo in jumping is quite ignored, aim the decision based entirely on tlio effectiveness with .which obstacles art cleared. I watched an event at Olympia. wliero 0110 contest had 500 entries, and took three days to complete. The obstacles wero of the usual varied nature, but.all possessed features in common, and a series of laths wero placed at various heights. When a horso displaced a lath it was quite visible to tho spectators, who thus wero able to keep pace with tile judges in awarding points. Each lath possessed a fixed value, and nothing was awarded for style. I do not go so far as to advocate this for New Zealand, but it is certainly free from tho suspicion of favouritism which dur present vague system excites."