Adaleen Griffith at Land Rover Horse of the Year 2024 – Photo by Kampic
This is Part 2 of our series spotlighting our brand new FEI Level 1 Judges that have recently upgraded and their journey to get to this point. After completing a 3 day course to become a National Level 3E Judge, which is the bridge between National Level 3 and FEI Level 1, they then were required to do many hours of online learning in the FEI system. After passing this, they had an in person interview online with two senior international FEI judges. On passing these steps, they were then upgraded to FEI Level 1 Judge.
We wanted to highlight the effort made by these Officials and their dedication to the sport of Show Jumping in New Zealand. These officials are unanimous in their satisfaction, and want to encourage more individuals to begin the process of becoming an Official and the benefits that this brings.
We asked them a few questions and thought you would love to hear their responses. There will be more coming over the next few days…….
Adaleen Griffith is based in Auckland and has been a Jumping Official since 2007. She is regularly out and about judging and is always friendly and approachable.
We hope you enjoy what “Addy” has to say………
- How long have you been an ESNZ Jumping Official and what attracted you to begin the pathway of becoming a Jumping Judge?
I first started on the show jump judging pathway back in 2007, driven by a shortage of qualified judges when trying to organise pony club events. Judy Styles was a great support and mentor in the early days, as was Audrey Cameron and many others that got me started – I won’t try to name them all because I’ll be sure to miss someone, but they know who they are.
- What are the things you enjoy about being a judge?
I really enjoy the variety of requirements of a judge. No two days are the same. Even within the same day you can be awarding a prized ribbon to an ecstatic rider one moment and then dealing with a serious fall the next.
- Are there any downsides and how do you manage these?
As with anything in life there are pros and cons. The worst part is serious injuries but thankfully they are rare.
Our most common challenge is never knowing what the weather is going to do so we learn to dress in layers and have a hat and scarf tucked away somewhere.
- What advice do you have for anyone thinking they would like become a Jumping Judge?
I think the best thing is to volunteer to do some writing for your local show and see how you like it. While it is a lot of fun and you get to see lots of gorgeous horses and ponies from a good vantage point, it’s not for everyone. Patience, concentration, willingness to admit your mistakes and learn from them, working well in a team, and a commitment to being fair at all times are super important.
- Tell us about the journey to become one of the first FEI L1 Judges appointed through the new L3E Judge programme. What did you have to do, what steps did you follow and how long did it take? Anything memorable along the way?
The journey has been a long one with a lot of ‘learning’ moments along the way. Fiona Bentley created an extensive and comprehensive training course for a group of us, which meant being locked in a classroom for several days, learning the intricacies of FEI rules, their similarities and differences to ESNZ and how to administer them. But the real gold was learning from each other and sharing the different experiences we’d each gained over the many years and shows. Learning from collective experience offers multiple perspectives and is so valuable. The final hurdle was an online interview with the FEI examiners in Europe. I was so nervous I might miss the time I planned to dial in 15 minutes early and ended up dialling in 24 hours and 15 minutes early as I mixed up the dateline.
- What are you looking forward to as an FEI Judge and what are your future aspirations?
I’m looking forward to learning more about the international standards and FEI show jumping requirements and how we can support our NZ riders to be competitive and successful on the world stage. I hope one day to be invited to judge overseas as well, to learn useful things from shows in other countries, and broaden my network of peers.