The annual Illinois State Horse Judges Seminar has been scheduled for March 28, 2009 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the University of Illinois. Registration and classroom instruction will begin in room 150, Animal Science Lab, 1207 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL.  Live classes will later be held in the UI Stock Pavilion a few blocks south of the Animal Science Lab.

This seminar is open to all youth and open horse show judges, potential judges, exhibitors and spectators of horse events. It is designed to encourage uniform standards for judging and exhibiting horses at Illinois youth and open shows, and to yield a directory of judges for show committees. It will cover criteria for judging Arabian horses, halter, showmanship, horsemanship, saddle seat classes, equitation, Western pleasure and helpful tips for judging 4-H shows. Fees for this seminar are $20 for youth (under 18 years), $30 for adults and $50 for adults wishing to take the written and live judging exam for listing in the Illinois Horse Judge’s Directory.

The primary clinician is Brian Scoggins of Tuscola, IL. Scoggins has been a United States Equestrian Federation approved judge for the past 10 years. He has judged more than 60 Arabian shows in recent years, including eight regional shows, the Canadian Nationals and the U.S. Nationals in 2008. Brian has been involved in the horse industry his entire life through his family, especially his father, the late highly-respected equine veterinarian, R. Dean Scoggins, DVM.  He has also been a professional horse trainer for the past 25 years, showing locally, regionally and nationally, earning several regional and national championships.

Also presenting at the IL State Horse Judges Seminar will be Jennifer McCormick-Lindgren of Grant Park, IL. She is a popular columnist for various horse publications and is a sought-after judge for youth and open horse shows. Jennifer grew up showing horses in 4-H shows and was a National 4-H Horse Judging Contest award winner during her 4-H career. She has been a frequent clinician and judge for 4-H horse events in the Midwest including the Wisconsin State 4-H Horse Show and has shown her own Arabian horses to several top 10 National awards.

The Illinois State Horse Judges Seminar is sponsored by University of Illinois Extension and the UI Department of Animal Sciences. Registration materials may be obtained from Kevin H. Kline, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 388 Animal Sciences Lab, 1207 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801, E-mail: kkline@illinois.edu.