Sports officiating is a grand topic that is not discussed much by the general market in horse sports other than our opinion of how poorly it was done in any given circumstance.
Sports officiating is a complex topic in any sport:
We never discuss, praise or respect officiating when it is done well….
Hmm, what does that say?
What are the facts; can excellence in officiating be achieved?
Can officiating perform at an excellent level?
Can it be more accurate and a more true reflection of competition?
When does officiating become a silent partner in the sport?
How much do we know about officiating and what role will technology play in sports officiating as we ride forward, specifically in the sport of reining?
In any sport, the loser and the fan/spectator always want perfection, and reining is no different. They can’t accept the human element. Mistakes will be made, but no losing competitor wants it on their time!
There are two essential elements in all sports;
As the integrity, depth of competition and economics raise the interest in any given sport a third element rises, the fan or spectator!
Hello horse world and hello reining world; it’s time to wake up. We have lots of work to do here as our officiating needs to advance to elevate performance and integrity of sport competition.
In 1966, the sport of reining officially rode out of the horse show format which had evolved from the State Fairs and Breed shows. The formation of an association in 1966, in Ohio, called the National Reining Horse Association, now incorporated in Oklahoma. The sole purpose of the association was to create and produce a reining futurity for 3-year old’s that would pay a purse for the success of competition and promote the sport of reining. (NRHA Handbook Foreword, 2024, www.nrha.com)
This philosophy is quite simple and straightforward. Our founders had great vision and focus that paved the way for us then, and remains a compass for us now.
Here we are underway in 2024; 2023 produced a list of top twenty professional reining riders all earning 6 figures each from purse money payouts at events annually.
In 1985 the NRHA (National Reining Horse Association) revolutionized officiating for the horse show industry as the creation of the greatest officiating program hit the market and was implemented. The NRHA futurity guaranteed a $100,000 in 1983 as a pay check to the winner, one individual annually. Craig Johnson riding Lucky Bay Glo, owned by Barbara Gerken from Florida (NRHA) won the first $100,000 in 1983. This represented change at its best, Now, looking back, what a great case study it is in managing change!
Through the lens of officiating, the system has not changed since it was implemented in 1985. There have been minor rule additions and modifications along the way for judging according to the NRHA rule book (NRHA Handbook).
For example, reining now identifies that most two point, all five point, and zero scores are “major” score-changing penalties, and the rule books allows judges to review those and by discussion or video replay, and change them on their scorecard.
Each year any rule change will show up in grey shaded text to denote a new rule change that is currently in effect.
The rule book itself is approximately 175 pages long with 30 pages allocated for approved patterns and 6 pages for the “Rules for Judging” (2024-2025 NRHA handbook). Pretty simple and straightforward.
There isn’t an equine discipline out there today that has not adopted some portion of the reining officiating system in order to shift from subjective analysis to objective analysis using accountability through a numerical application. The biggest shift that 1985 brought was to redefine the role of a reining official; it moved from a judge’s opinion to an informed expert reporter.
The role of the reining official is
Yes – this definition was revolutionary indeed. For more background on this, check out Cowboy Office podcast titled 1985, episode #25. The guest on this episode was one of the great minds behind the reining scoring system, John Snobelen, Hall of Fame member.
Other than slight rule modifications, a few new patterns and more refined definitions; as an example, a 5pt penalty for a horse dropping to his knees or hocks (commonly called the camel squat) which is distinguished from a fall; shoulder, or hip, or underline touching the ground which results in a penalty score of 0 (NRHA rules for judging, 2024). Basically the system has not changed since its inception in 1985.
Now we find the sport in 2024 increasing in volume of entries and increasing in depth of competition. Volume is growing nationally and internationally as more rider and horse eligibility levels are being created and offered.
Breeding has elevated the athleticism of the horses, and the need to advance the system to meet and stay in line with the level of competition is now grossly obvious… probably 10 years behind.
Many in leadership are resting on their laurels, with claims that since the sport keeps “growing” nationally and internationally through volume of entries and purses offered, it “must still be working.”
In 2023 at the new 100X event in Tulsa OK., reining saw an aged event that had over 100 entries and more than 48 of them marked (or were capable of marking) 220.5 or higher, which is a 73.5 average per official.
This exemplifies the depth and volume of high-quality competition that confronts the reining sport. This is now becoming more and more common as more professionals compete, as better horses are bred and trained, and more owners are taking the long view to develop great horses and riders.
There are several weaknesses in the reining system that the exhibitors and fans/spectators can easily identify.
The biggest issue lies in the records – and the dilution of the records over time – with the advancement of purses available annually.
We witnessed a tie for the 2023 Reining Futurity in OKC and after a long unorganized ordeal with two scores of 225.5 which is 75.2 average per official and producing a run-off.
The Champion after the run-off was Brian Bell from Texas, winning the futurity for the first time. He was riding a great mare, Crystalized Whiskey, and marked a 224.5 in the run-off which is 74.8 average per official.
The rule for “co-champions” is another topic for another time and has little to do with the officiating system other than the system commonly produces ties and illustrates one of the major weaknesses.
There are many weaknesses within the system that our team at Cowboy Office have extensively researched, such as
While this article isn’t meant to elaborate on a total list of weaknesses, we summarize these to highlight that gap that exists. Competition demands a winner, including the trophies, payouts and titles that go with it; yet, the current status of reining often fails to produce a singular champion, meaning that purse payouts are diluted and records are skewed.
Jim McKay, sports broadcaster from ABC’s Wide World of Sports, has a famous quote: “the thrill of victory… and agony of defeat.”
Indeed, sports are all about competition and the pursuit to win, the pursuit to be the best. First place is different than second place and definitely different than a tie for first place (or as we call it in reining, co-champions).
The reining officiating system created an official reporter that will determine the thrill of victory. The goal, each and every time a competition is held, is for the officials to record and report what the competitor displays. The pressure to get it right is upon officials now more than ever and if economics continues to mature this sport, this demand will continue exponentially.
The competitors, owners, breeders, show producers push to minimize subjective analysis and expand objective analysis. Judges must use individual expertise to sort the degree of difficulty for determining fine distinctions, the difference between +1 and +1.5, all while an emotional reaction occurs.
At our highest paying and most competitive shows, the need to eliminate and remove all conflicts is now upon the sport, and needs to be addressed.
In today’s culture we hear discussions around “conflict of interest,“ “vested interest,” and “individual interest“ more and more. These topics are present in our sport as well and are slowing our maturation as an industry.
In all professional sports there is a clear wall of separation between officiating and exhibitors. Our sport needs to address this soon. There is plenty of room to develop officials and competitors and horses over time across the multiple levels of competition. However, as we reach the pinnacle of the sport, the clear wall between the two main components (the official and the competitor) is mandatory and necessary for integrity of scoring which ensures the thrill of victory is open to all that put in the hard work to achieve it.
The time is now to get this right. Research on objective analysis is much more readily available and knowledge already gained in this area from many other sports can be used to bring integrity to reining.
The most interesting ideas for advancing the system come from casual discussions with vested individuals from the sport.
Does the governing body that licenses officials, educates officials and manages the program put the effort into research and development of these experts? Is there an investment into R&D to address the weaknesses and advance the officiating to align with the depth of competition?
Not yet, and probably not in our lifetime.
Currently, there is no measurement for officials’ performance and there is no development of great officials in place.
Skills need to be developed in officials to perform at an excellent level when needed for competition. This does not occur in today’s time.
The Cowboy Office now has researched and analyzed 2022 and 2023 open aged event data and defined officiating performance rates, and identified error rates, which means we now know where the current officials’ program for the sport is performing.
In the sport of reining, the officiating performance does not peak for any finals.
A quick case study
Let’s look quick at officiating for the NFL (National Football League) across the last season (fall of 2023), there were several games throughout the regular season that had major flaws in officiating performance. Then compare it to the officiating at the Super Bowl, San Francisco against Kansas City, held in Las Vegas, February 2024. Very interesting case study. So, the media says the highest watched Super Bowl ever. A quality sport product presented to a high volume educated consumer (fan/spectator) at the pinnacle of the sport competition. At the conclusion of this Super Bowl, the sport was quiet in regards to the officiating performance! It means the officiating performed at an excellent level.
In a multiple judge system, each score is unique and contributes to a cumulative final score that determines the competition outcome. As the number of judges increases, individual decisions become less significant, with a 5-judge system providing a comprehensive 360-degree assessment. The practice of dropping the high and low scores in a 5-judge system enhances accuracy by minimizing outliers or mistakes of individual judges.
There are many options available for advancement of the system and performance of the officials. The reining industry is now just maturing as purses are being developed and until the final product becomes more economically viable and attracts and develops a fan/spectator, our assumption is that the non-profit association will not allocate the resources and intelligence to advance the system and ultimate elevation of the official’s performance. Ultimately this will continue to hold this sport back as a club activity. The other alternative appears that the market may saddle up and fill this role in some new form soon. The international market is now a free market and there are many ideas that are being explored, tested and may be brought to implementation. We here at Cowboy Office do have over 15 years of research and direct experience along with testing of what we believe is the best advancement options available. These details and options are being tested as this research belongs to the private sector and are being tested further routinely.
Until next time, keep riding, and remember: horses are good for people.
Cowboy Office, 2024
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Images:
– Featured Image: Gabriel Diano in Waco Texas, 2024. Image copyright Cody Parmenter Photography.
– Pexels.com
NFL controversial and horrible calls of the 2023 season, week 12
Interested in learning more about the rules, rule change process, competition, or history
After the submission of an anonymous question about improving the reining judging system, past judges and NRHA monitors outline necessary steps and 3 practical ways advancement to officiating could happen.
A compelling year of reining concluded in Oklahoma City at the 2023 NRHA Futurity with a tie for Champion. In an epic scoring analysis, Brian and Jody break down whether there should have been a tie to begin with.
Reining judges analyze competition, covering NRHA Rules, judging systems, variable scores, and the acceptable range of score spreads and variances, emphasizing the importance of managing mistakes for a fair judging assessment.
The 2022 Open NRHA Reining Futurity episode unfolds as Andiamoe, ridden by Shawn Flarida, claims victory with a 0.5-point edge over Customize My Dream, analyzed through a comprehensive officiating breakdown by the Cowboy Office.
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