Reinaldo da Rocha Leão Arabian Horse Breeder and International Judge

Professional Experience

With over 30 years of experience, I am an international judge and instructor for training judges of Arabian horse shows, having judged more than 130 shows throughout my career

Works

International Judge of Arabians Horse

For more than 25 years, announcer and advisor at endurance races and the most important open houses and auctions of Arabian Horses in Brazil.

Experience in Shows

Columnist at Arabian Horse Magazine in Brazil

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More than 130 shows judged around the world

More than 20 articles published

Advisor

Graduated in Biology at USP, I work as an international Arabian Horse Judge and instructor of new Judges.

International Judge of Arabian Horse

Biologist graduated at USP and an international judge with over 30 years of experience in Arabian Horse Shows. Trainer of judges and a passionate breeder.

Experience and Passion

Commitment to Excellence

With over 130 judged shows, my work is dedicated to the appreciation and improvement of the Arabian breed, always seeking excellence and quality in each event.

Arabian Horse Trial

Making an overview of the VI Judge Training Course, held in 2010 and taught by Johnny Downing and myself, as well as seeking complementation in the "Arabian Youth Judging Guide" for training young American Judges and also the latest review of AHA trial procedures, I present below my impressions on the subject of this work.

It should be very clear to us judges the standard of the Arabian breed, below I present the famous painting by Gladys Brown Edwards, universally considered as the paradigm of the good and correct Arabian Horse in a static position:

Experience and Passion

We must always have this image as a reference, every time we search, whether in comparative judgment or in the "points" system, for the ideal animal.

I highlight the main points that differentiate the Arab breed from the others, the so-called "ARAB TYPE":

1. Small, beveled head

2. Long, arched neck

3. Short back

4. Rump close to horizontal

5. High tail loading

It should be noted that the breeding of the Arabian horse, like everything else in the world, evolves and therefore some characteristics are highly appreciated today, with emphasis on the implantation and size of the eyes (large, round, dark and distant, both horizontally and vertically), the concave profile preferably straight, small muzzle and large nostrils, which give the impression of being at right angles to the tip of it. Below is a photo of heads that I consider as extreme, for the purpose of example:

Movement (dynamic judgment) is also of great interest at this moment of world creation, and should be, when trotting, free, with great extension, cadenced and balanced. Natural tail flagging is very desirable and more visible when the animal is in motion than when static. At this moment, the famous noble attitude of the Arabian Horse, its presence and what the American calls with great propriety the "look at me look" are also evaluated, which in a free translation means that the horse likes to be shown and admired, that is, it is proud of its beauty. It is considered a fault the fact that an animal carries its tail in movement always to one side. Below is a photo to exemplify movement:

In conformation, which in the scale of values is the second most important item, the judge must look for the balanced animal, having as "short" parts, comparatively, the head, the back, the shin and quarters. "Long" parts, the neck, rump (close to horizontal), the shoulder and the forearm. Angulation of the head, with bias to the horizontal, which naturally "lifts" the neck exit and brings the desired mobility in the Arabic type. The neck should also have an upward curve, and the presence of the nuchal angle that forms the mitbah is desirable, that is, the parallelism of the upper and lower lines of the throat, which should be narrow in the insertion with the head. In my personal opinion, the so-called inverted neck should be greatly penalized, since it brings with it the non-existence of the mitbah and therefore a short and thick throat. Below pictures examples of good conformation:

With regard to upright, I highlight as a very serious item that should be severely penalized, the fact that the animal is transcurved in the forelimbs.

Encased or flattened hulls should also be penalized. It is very common to have joint defects, such as an animal with a skeletonized hoof being transcurved in the forelimbs and a kneeling horse having encased hooves. Defects of the forelimbs should be considered with a greater weight than in the hind limbs.

The horse must have a compact and haughty appearance, never giving the impression of 2 in 1, that is, that the front is heavier than the rear or vice versa and / or "off".

In the substance item, I highlight the depth of the animal, which should not be exaggerated so as not to leave the impression that the animal is "close to the ground" and should also not be tapered to the point of not allowing a large lung capacity. Finally, in the item quality, sculpted head and refined ears, are quite desirable items.

I believe that we must be very strict and emphatic with regard to the physical integrity and well-being of animals, remembering however that it is a functional animal and not a "pet".

Whip marks, whipping inside the track, horse with excessive sweating, presence of live blood, jerks with excessive force and use of ginger (in my opinion we should collect a sample at the paddok, for a subsequent examination of the first and second places and or some animal that the judge chooses, to detect the presence of this substance, the positive test would be disqualifying, as well as the anti-doping test) must be eliminatory with the removal of the animal from the track, without prejudice to a fine to the coach.

Physical or verbal aggression between coaches on the track, as well as physical or verbal aggression to the judges or officials during the trial shall also be subject to suspension, elimination and fine to the person responsible/is.

Return to the use of Ring-Masters in class A exhibitions and/or whenever feasible.

With reference to the "Trial by Points" I would suggest that judges who have not yet judged in this system, participate as an observer Judge, following the trial, at least once, before judging effectively.

Still on this same topic, I would suggest a change in the spreadsheet used in Brazil, which is the separation of the item "head" from the item "neck", which could be placed together with the shoulder or shoulder, as used in the American spreadsheet that I attach below. It is very common to have a beautiful head, combined with a short and thick or inverted neck, which would lead to a score medíocre, já o pescoço e a paleta, guardam estreita relação entre si e dificilmente vamos encontrar um pescoço de baixa qualidade a uma boa paleta e vice-versa. Com referência aos outros itens da planilha brasileira, manteria inalterados, Putting perhaps the picture of the pattern horse engraving in the header, as it also exists in the American spreadsheet below.

Horse Shows

Photo Gallery

Explore a selection of photos from the shows and the magnificent Arabian horses that participated there. Each image captures the beauty and elegance of these impressive animals.

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The Judge of the Arabian horse has a noble and high responsibility function, that is, to preserve the breed in its best attributes and guide the course of breeding. To this end, it must always be guided by the greatest integrity and ethics in all its actions, as well as impartiality. He must always be up to date and following exhibitions in Brazil and around the world whenever possible. I also consider it extremely important that the Judge is able to communicate in English, which is the universally used language, so that he can interact with other foreign judges and be informed through international literature.

From my consideration I think that the Arabian Horse Judge is an ambassador of our Association and Breeding in foreign lands and for that he must behave as such.

I suggest to my colleagues that they follow something that has always guided me in judging exhibitions, that is, we know that when judging the horses of an exhibition, we will displease a majority, please a minority, but we must always seek to deserve the respect of all.

Pedreira, September 2023

REINALDO DA ROCHA LEÃO

OFFICIAL ABCCA JUDGE