The Judge’s Perspective – Reflections of a Horse Show Judge

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60 – November/December, 2026

By Bonnie Miller

When I first became a recognized judge, the norm was single-judged events. Most horse shows were completed in a day with one judge on Saturday and another judge on Sunday – a total of two complete shows in a weekend.

The very first recognized breed show I judged was in Iowa, and it was on a Sunday following the Saturday that Roger Johnson had judged it. I remember having breakfast with Roger, and he told me to phone him when I was finished with the show so we could go over some of my placings.

I called Roger afterward, and if you know Roger you will understand why I said it this way: “Roger, I am so happy that I got to judge my first Paint show the day after you!”

He said, “Why?”

And I said, “Because you made me look soooooo good!” Well, we laughed about that for years.

I bring up that little story because my judging career began primarily with me working by myself. So how did an inexperienced judge get feedback? How did you get better? How did you find out whether you handled an unusual situation correctly when you were the only judge in the arena?

I had a group of mentors I could call on after a horse show when questions came up. I utilized Darrell Bilke a lot because, at the time, Darrell judged more shows a year than anyone else, with the possible exception of Tom Gibbs! If I encountered a situation and wasn’t sure whether I had handled it correctly, I would make a phone call to Darrell.

During those early years of judging, I handled situations the best I could based on my experience and my knowledge of the rulebook. But I also relied heavily on the wisdom of judges who had more experience than I did.

That was an important part of my education as a judge.

When Multiple Judges Arrived

Click here to read the complete article
60 – November/December, 2026