In many parts of the country, the number of horse owning field trial judges is down dramatically.  Wranglers are non-existent, and the expense of trailering horses hundreds of miles prohibits inviting out of area judges.  When the first criterion of judge selection is horse ownership, the best judges are burning out, and the Clubs are faced with a drastically reduced selection.  Some Clubs are simply no longer offering the number of walking field trials as in the past due to the difficulty in finding suitable judges.  

So how do we keep AKC Walking Field Trials alive? By giving Clubs the option of having the event judged from carts/ATVs.  There is already a precedent for this option: AKC Hunt Tests have been judged from carts/ATVs for several years, with no adverse effect on the events or the contestants. If anything, those who were most opposed to this option are now staunch supporters. This will provide the following advantages:

1.     Reduce the number of judges injured by horses. 

2.     Retain experienced judges who no longer can ride. 

3.     Expand the pool of eligible judges to include those who do not own horses or want to ride.

4.     Encourage participation by increasing the quality of judging and the variety of judges.

5.     Improve relations with landowners who increasingly do not want horses on their property.

If you are concerned about the long term viability of our sport, please sign our petition to permit Clubs the option of judging from carts/ATVs.