Rules & Regulations (Judges)
Last updated: October 28, 2009
STATEMENT TO JUDGES
There have been much comment regarding the lack of uniformity of type in all sections of the Riding Pony Stud Book Society of Australia.
It is hoped that all Judges and breeders will pay close attention to type.
1. Judges must be totally conversant with the description of Riding Pony type as laid down in the Stud Book.
2. Judges must not deviate from the description laid down in the Stud Book.
3. Judges must adhere to the printed heights as laid down in the Stud Book.
RULES FOR JUDGES
For the purpose of these rules, “immediate family” shall include the following: husband, wife, parent, step-parent, child, in-laws of the same relation stated above, grandparents, defacto relations, brother and sister, business partners, employers and employees.
1. Grounds for removal of an individual from the Society’s list of approved judges shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(a) Under suspension from the Riding Pony Society, or denial of any privilege there of, the individual will be removed automatically from the list of approved judges.
(b) Failure to comply with the Society’s Rules and Regulations.
(c) Removal under the two preceding paragraphs shall be absolute, with no provision for automatic reinstatement.
2. No one may show before a Judge, who boards, or rides, or trains (for show purposes), or agists any horse, under the said person’s ownership or lease, within a period of 6 months prior to the show. (Stud fees excluded).
3. No one may show before a Judge who has remunerated said person for the board or training of any horse for show purpose, within a period of 6 months prior to the show.
(a) No person who has been given tuition by a Judge may show within 6 months before this Judge or conversely, no Judge may adjudicate his tutor until a 6 month period has elapsed.
4. No horse may be shown before a Judge, which has been trained by the said Judge within the period of 6 months prior to the show.
5. No exhibitor or their family shall approach a Judge with regard to a decision, unless he first obtains permission from the show manager or ring steward, who may arrange an appointment with the Judge at a proper place and time. A member of the Society shall remain in attendance during this meeting. The Judge may refuse such a request.
6. Once a class has been judged, it shall not be re-judged.
7. A Judge may order any person, or horse from the competition, for bad conduct of one or both.
8. The Society may appoint any person, in absolute discretion, to the Panel of Judges, to adjudicate events at shows, where the objects and interests of the Society are promoted, and all persons who consent to be appointed to the Panel of Judges agree, as a condition of taking up their appointment, to be bound by these rules.
9. The Panel of judges shall be reviewed annually (date to de decided by the Committee) or other such date as the Committee may from time to time decide.
10. A member shall cease to be a Judge if the appointment is not reviewed at the annual review, or if the appointment is terminated as provided for in Rule 12.
11. A reviewed panel of Judges shall be published by the Committee annually.
12. Any Judge who shall fail in the observance of these Rules or whose conduct in any respect, shall be, in the opinion of the Committee, derogatory to the character, or prejudicial to the interests of the Society. May be removed from the Panel of Judges an any time, by the Committee.
13. Judges may only be accompanied in the ring by persons appointed by the Show Committee.
14. Judges on the Riding Pony Society Panel will exercise discretion in accepting invitations to judge the same type of class, in the same area in any one year.
15. The Committee reserves the right to amend, add to or subtract from these Rules, provided that no such amendment, addition or substraction from these Rules shall have a retrograde effect, nor shall be effective until published for the benefit of all members of the Society and members of the Judges Panel.
16. A Judge shall not adjudicate in any event in which a member of the family, or any horse owned by them, or trained, or agisted by them, or their family, is competing, within 6 months.
17. No horse should be shown before a Judge that has been sold or leased by that Judge, or his employer, employee or business partner, within a period of 6 months prior to the show, A horse shall be deemed to have been sold or leased when a contract of sale has been signed by both parties and the horse in question, domiciled under the control of the purchaser price and full transfer of the registration paper will not have been completed, provided that proof of intended payment or transfer has been supplied to the Riding Pony Society and/or Breed Society concerned.
18. A Judge shall not be an exhibitor in any Section in which they are officiating.
19. A Judge shall not, from the time of this judging appointment, be house guest of a person who is exhibiting/handling at said show.
20. A Judge may not contact, nor discuss the ponies or proposed exhibitors, owners, handlers, or any of their associates, prior to, or during the show.
21. The Judge reports to the Committee of the Riding Pony Stud Book Society if any contact is made, or attempted, in breach of these Rules.
22. A Judge should not judge a horse in which he/she has a share of ownership or from whom he/she can obtain any financial gain. (Stud fees excluded). Once a Judge has commenced judging a class, a pony may not be taken out of the ring without the permission of the Judge. Once a class has commenced, there shall be no change or order, except in a Championship Class when a competitor indicates that he has more than one exhibit eligible to compete. If no other rider available, the pony may be led into the ring, if permission is granted by the Judge.
23. The onus shall be on the exhibitor to ensure he/she is eligible for certain classes he/she enters. However, where a judge knowingly permits an eligible competitor to compete both parties will be held in breach of the judge’s rules.
24. Cruelty to horses - any alleged acts of cruelty are to be reported to the Riding Pony Society, in writing, supported by at least two other witnesses.
(a) If in the opinion of a Judge a pony entered in an event adjudicated, by the Judge is in an unsound condition, the Judge may at his/her discretion, ask the handler to escort the pony out of the ring. The Judges decision is final.
25. Competitors shall, at all times, behave in a respectful manner to Judges, Show Officials and their fellow competitors.
26. The Judge’s decision shall be considered final. A judge’s decision represents an individual preference, and is not protestable, unless held to be in violation of a rule.
PROTESTS
1. A Judge may lodge a protest against an exhibitor alleging infringement of the Rules.
(a) Protest must be lodged in writing with the Show Secretary or
(b) Lodged in writing to the Secretary, The Riding Pony Society.
2. An exhibitor or Show official may lodge a protest against a competitor/Judge alleging infringement of the Rules.
(a) Protests must be lodged in writing with the Show Secretary, accompanied by a deposit of
$50-00 which may be forfeited to the Secretary if the protest be unfounded or frivolous or
(b) Lodged in writing with the Secretary of the Riding Pony Society.
3. It is at the Committee’s discretion that further action be taken over a protest.
4. Any person who has a protest lodged against him/her has the right of reply and defence.
5. Any expense incurred by any parties to the said protests shall be borne by the person concerned.
There is only one quality that is absolutely essential in a Judge, and that is the quality of integrity. It is wholly incumbent upon him or her, to maintain a complete integrity in the judging of a class, putting up, for better or worse, the animal that he or she actually prefers on the day.
Never was it more important than it is today, to observe the rules and suggestions, both in and out of the ring. We live in an age of ever increasing competition and criticism; much of the latter is very often unjustified because the man in the centre sees more than the spectators outside.
But if Shows are to continue in a happy atmosphere, there must be confidence amongst competitors that the Judges are doing the right thing, in the right way.
A member of the Judges panel may judge at only one Qualifying Show (for National Riding Pony of the Year), in Victoria, in a season.
