Karen and her mum jump judging at Berrima
Eventing would not exist if we didn’t have jump judges. They carry out what might appear to some outsiders to be the easiest of job on offer - ‘tick the box when the horse jumps over your fence’. However when you have been around eventing for a while you realise that jump judging can be one of the hardest jobs as well.
It seems to me that jump judges (JJ’s) fall into two categories:
The ‘I just want to enjoy the day’ JJ’s
Those in the first category usually ask for an easy fence, preferably in the middle part of the course (by this point horses will have either got going or have given up and gone home) where they can sit under the shade of a tree. Their judging area should also be suitable for a car to be parked in case of inclement weather. They have no desire to give anyone a refusal and will expect, and probably get, all the riders over their fence without penalties giving them the joy of putting a tick against the rider’s number. Their radio will keep them informed of what is happening around the rest of the course and they enjoy their little bag of goodies (provided to them by the event) throughout the day.
The “Give me a challenge” JJ’s
Those in the second category usually ask for a difficult fence, one that will undoubtedly have riders querying their 20 penalties. Although these judges would still prefer to have shade and/or a car they are equally happy to brave the elements because it makes the story of their day even more dramatic. These JJ’s expect to use their radios several times during the day to report that various riders have jumped the wrong element, carried on when eliminated, or have decided to call it a day. These JJ’s don’t panic if there is a fall, they simply radio it in, tell the rider to stay on the ground and catch the horse! The score sheet for these JJ’s will have ticks, crosses and explanations all over it and the day will be drawing to a close before they have had a chance to enjoy any of the goodies!
We caught up with Karen Nichols (I think she is in her own category!) and her mum who were jump judging at the recent Berrima Horse Trials. It would be fair to say that Karen is a seriously experienced JJ with over 30 years of jump judging under her belt. She doesn’t ride or have children who ride but she does love to watch horses jump and her mum comes along for the company. As I watched Karen during the day it was clear that here was a lady who knew her job and could report back to the TD as to what happened to various riders. She was polite to those riders who came to question their penalties and very clear about what she saw - Karen was one delightful and impressive jump judge!
Listen to what Karen had to say about her jump judging ‘career’ by clicking on the icon below
Enough chatting - Let's get back on the job!
