YOUTH

How the Judging Contest Works:

Teams participate in one of three divisions: 4-H/FFA, Junior AHA and Senior Collegiate or AHA teams. Each team is made up of four or five people and overseen by a coach.

• Contestants judge: four in-hand and six performance classes. The horses used in the contest are donated by U.S. Nationals competitors who exhibit these horses at the show.
• In each class, four horses are evaluated, compared, and placed. These placings are then scored against an ideal placing determined by a panel of respected guest judges.
• Each class has a maximum of 50 points. Points are deducted from the contestants' scores if they place the class differently than the judges.

• Contestants must also give a well-articulated defense for their placement of two halter classes and two performance classes. To give these oral reasons the young judges must learn to think, organize and speak in a structured environment. They are judged on organization, relevancy, accuracy, terminology and presentation.
• The maximum score for oral reasons is 50 points.

• The overall winners of this national contest are those teams and individuals who have the highest combined scores for the class placings and the oral reasons. Other winners are teams and individuals who have the highest scores for performance, halter, and oral reasons respectively.

• Winners are awarded over $10,000 in scholarships, saddles, plaques, trophies, and ribbons.
• This competition offers more than just prizes. Placing classes and defending one's judgment teaches objectivity, honesty and fairness, and it encourages the development of skills that can be carried proudly through an individual's life.