Becoming a Judge

Do you love Arabian Horses ? 

Do you love attending horse shows ?

Would you like to help improve the quality of registered Arabian Horses ?

Would you like to be adjudicating at shows and ensuring that the best horses win in competition ?

Perhaps you would like to become an Arabian Horse Society of Australia Panel Judge ?

Perhaps you would like to become a licensed Arabian Horse Judge ?

All AHSA Panel Judges are accredited to the highest standard.  They have passed the AHSA written examination and practical assessment to gain their qualifilicence before being accepted by the AHSA board of directors and appointed to AHSA National judges list.  AHSA Panel Judges can be approved for inclusion on one of the following Panels: Level 1 Probationary Judge, Level 2 Judge, National Panel Judge, National Panel (Internationally Qualified) Judge.  

Your first step is to become a Judge Candidate.

Judge Candidate Mandatory Requirements
  • The candidate must be a financial member of the Arabian Horse Society of Australia Ltd. and must have been financial for the preceding year.
  • The candidate must agree to sign a statutory declaration stating that the candidate has no criminal convictions, in particular for child related offences or any form of animal cruelty. (refer below for links to the relevant state websites)
  • The candidate must agree to his/her contact details being public.
  • The candidate must nominate by completing the Judge Candidate Nomination Form & Statutory Declaration available on the website at http://www.ahsa.asn.au/judges-information-and-forms of this document and returning to the address listed with the nomination fee of $50.00.
  • The candidate must have attended online forums or face to face training as approved by the JOC at least twice. One of these must have been face to face. The more attended the better.
  • The candidate must have stewarded at least twice prior to sitting the assessment.
  • Please keep a diary of the dates and details of any stewarding, training either online or face to face, along with the name of any Judges you have either been mentored or shadow /sideline judged with, you must submit this information to the JOC prior to being assessed.
Judge Candidate Optional/Recommended Requirements:
  • It is most important to study the AHSA Standards of Excellence for Purebreds and Derivatives as well as the Study Notes and Rule Books. Read as much study information as possible and plan which Workshops the candidate will be attending. The Judge and Officials Committee can advise of seminars, workshops, clinics and training days in your area. It is strongly recommended that the candidate attend as many workshops and training days etc as possible. It is also strongly recommended that the candidate Steward at shows as often as possible prior to sitting the Assessment. Please keep a diary of the dates and details of any workshop, Judging appointments and stewarding appointments for future reference.
STEP 1 - Level 1 Judge Assessment

Please refer to the section on the website https://www.ahsa.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/JOC_Becoming_a_Judge_to_International_Panel_with_forms.pdf for up to date information

STEP 2 – Upgrading to Level 2 Judge
Prior to requesting an Upgrade to Level 2 Judge
  • The Level 1 Judge must attend a National Conference, Arabian Seminar or online Conference/Workshop as approved by the JOC at least once in the past 2 years.
  • The Level 1 Judge is required to have judged at least 6 shows with a minimum of 2 of those 6 shows judging Arabians.
  • The judge must have been on the judging panel for at least 2 years prior to requesting an upgrade. (In exceptional circumstances there may be a relaxation of the timeframes and the JOC would make a decision on a case by case situation.)
Process for upgrade

In addition to the requirements noted above, in order to upgrade to a Level 2 Judge, should refer to the section on the website https://www.ahsa.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/JOC_Becoming_a_Judge_to_International_Panel_with_forms.pdf for up to date information

STEP 3 – Upgrading to National Panel Judge
Prior to requesting an Upgrade to National Panel
  • The Level 2 Judge must attend a National Conference, Arabian Seminar or online Conference/Workshop as approved by the JOC at least once in every 2 years.
  • The Level 2 Judge is required to have judged at least 6 shows with a minimum of 2 of those 6 shows judging Arabians.
  • The judge must have been on the judging panel as a Level 2 Judge for at least 2 years prior to requesting an upgrade. (In exceptional circumstances there may be a relaxation of the timeframes and the JOC would make a decision on a case by case situation.)
Process for upgrade

In addition to the requirements noted above, in order to upgrade to a National Panel Judge, the Level 2 judge should refer to the section on the website https://www.ahsa.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/JOC_Becoming_a_Judge_to_International_Panel_with_forms.pdf for up to date information

STEP 4 – Accreditation of a National Panel Judge to be qualified to judge Internationally
  • The National Panel Judge is responsible for applying for such an upgrade and applicable forms are available http://www.ahsa.asn.au/judges-information-and-forms.
  • When applying for International Panel status, the judge should be mindful of the physical and emotional demands that will occur when undertaking judging at major overseas shows. Judges will be expected to be able to withstand considerable pressure from exhibitors and will be expected to be able to judge predominantly using the score card system in an efficient manner.
Prior to requesting an Upgrade to International Panel
  • The National Panel Judge must attend a National Conference, Arabian Seminar or online Conference/Workshop as approved by the JOC at least once in the past 2 years.
  • The judge must have been on the National Panel for a minimum of five (5) years.
  • The judge must have proficiency in the use of both the scoring and comparative methods of judging.
  • The National Panel Judge is required to have judged at least 6 shows with a minimum of 2 of those 6 shows judging Arabians.
Process for upgrade

In addition to the requirements noted above, in order to be considered for approval to judge Internationally, the National Panel judge  should refer to the section on the website https://www.ahsa.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/JOC_Becoming_a_Judge_to_International_Panel_with_forms.pdf for up to date information

Recommended Reading

The Arabian Horse Society of Australia Ltd Competition Rule Book – This book can be downloaded here.

The Arabian Standard of Excellence – This book can be downloaded here.

The Arabian Derivative Standard of Excellence – This book is temporarily unavailable as it is under review.

The Horse Conformation Handbook by Heather Smith Thomas – available from the AHSA for $40.00 plus postage, call the office to order.

Horse Anatomy – A Pictorial Approach to Equine Structure by Peter Goody – available from the AHSA for $50.00 plus postage, call the office to order.

Working With Children reference websites