1. ‘If you holiday with a judge, you shouldn’t show under them’
Morals, scoring and social media were among the topics discussed at the British Show Pony Society (BSPS) 2023 judges’ conference on 11 February. Edward Young, BSPS council member and a show producer, delivered a presentation on the “morals of judging”, discussing how judges should behave and who should show under them.
“If you spend time socialising with competitors, you could be perceived as a crook even if you aren’t. Judges have to be very careful about the perception they give,” he told H&H. “Showing under friends is always going to be a bit of a thing, but the trouble is that the showing world is so small, it’s very difficult not to know everyone if you’ve been in it for any length of time. But if you go on holiday with someone a couple of times a year or speak to someone every day on the phone, you probably shouldn’t be showing under them.”
An equestrian photographer has introduced a charge to view his pictures as he “had to do something to survive”. William Evenden, of Kent-based IWill Photo, said he did not want to have to bring in the £2 charge to view images on his website, but had no choice. The fee will be deducted from the cost of any picture bought. William explained he has no proof anyone is illegally screen-grabbing the pictures from his website without buying, but he and his partner Clair Prime are aware it goes on. “I heard two girls at one venue who saw the trailer and the logo and one said ‘I never buy pictures, I just go online and screenshot them’,” Clair told H&H. “I called her out. I said that’s his living, how do you think he pays his bills?’” Users have been supportive of the change.
Whenever charming equestrian properties come on the market, H&H readers start getting ideas… Sutton Farm might not be for sale for much longer – the Georgian farmhouse, built in the 1850s and extended since, is located in the village of Bishop Sutton in the popular Chew Valley in Somerset. A wide range of outdoor pursuits are available nearby including sailing and walking at Blagdon and Chew Valley Lake, which is a site of special scientific interest as well as an area of outstanding natural beauty.
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Sarah has worked at an equestrian journalist and editor since 2004 and has held the position of Horse & Hound Editor-in-Chief since 2014. She has reported for Horse & Hound from major championships including Europeans and World Equestrian Games. She has co-written books on horses and horse sport including The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Horses & Ponies. She has owned and ridden horses since 1993, and worked for and trained with Olympic gold medallist event rider Leslie Law prior to going to university. While studying for a BSc at London School of Economics Sarah also worked for top British dressage rider Louise Spate.
