This week’s episode of the Practical Horseman Podcast is with respected hunter and equitation judge, trainer and rider Geoff Teall. It is sponsored by sponsored by Sentinel. In the episode, Geoff shares his insights on what he looks for when judging hunter and equitation rounds. Additionally, he explains the qualities of both horse and rider that make a winning trip. “Judging from the positive” is a term he uses. It explains how he’s looking for the round that’s special to win. In other words, this is a trip that has a little something extra, as opposed to a round with no mistakes in it. “Extra,” for example, includes having a horse who looks like he’s enjoying jumping. Furthermore, Geoff also shares about how the industry may be scaring off judges, who increasingly face very public criticism and second-guessing on social media.
Geoff Teall’s Background
Geoff earned his U.S. Equestrian Federation big R judging license and has judged prestigious competitions. These include the Pessoa/USEF National Hunter Seat Medal Finals and several ASPCA Maclay National Championship Regional Finals. They also include the Washington International Horse Show Equitation Finals, the USEF Pony Finals and the New England Equitation Championships, to name a few. He’s based in Wellington, Florida. There he runs a riding, showing and boarding operation, training young riders and adults with Charlie Moorcroft.
A Word From This Episode’s Sponsor
Helping Practical Horseman celebrate its 50th anniversary is the sponsor of this podcast. Sentinel. No one knows your horse’s thoughts, emotions and moods as well as you. Just as in touch as you are with your horse’s personality, Sentinel’s expert nutritionists are in tune with your horse’s dietary needs. With feeds in the form of extruded nuggets to provide exceptional nutrition, and formulas made for every life stage and activity level, Sentinel’s wide choice of carefully crafted feeds makes it easy to find the perfect fit to better your horse’s health. Learn more at feedsentinel.com/english.
Feature photo by Amy K. Dragoo: Geoff Teall (left) and Bill Moroney judging at the 2012 Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg.
