Arabian Horse Show Judging Explained: Inside Saudi Arabia's Hail Show

Arabian horse show judging, this week in Hail

Arabian horse show judging is a beauty contest with a scorecard: horses are led in hand, without a rider, and a panel of judges scores how closely each one matches the ideal Arabian. At the biggest shows, each judge marks five areas (type, head and neck, body, legs and movement) out of 20 points, and the averaged total out of 100 decides who wins.

That is exactly what's happening this week in Saudi Arabia. The fifth Hail International Arabian Horse Show opened Wednesday, Oct. 28, at Al Maghwat Park in Hail and runs through Oct. 31, per Saudi organizers, under the supervision of the King Abdulaziz Arabian Horse Center. (ECAHO's own calendar lists Oct. 29-31, but the first classes were judged on the 28th.)

• 281 purebred Arabians from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, Egypt and the United States
• ECAHO "B International" status for the first time, per the organizers, a step up ECAHO's show ladder
• A new championship for young foals, which organizers say supports Saudi horse breeding

Day one was all about young females: yearling, 2-year-old and 3-year-old fillies. In Yearling Fillies (A), Ghazlan Al Arab (spelled Ghozlan Al Arab in the official scores) won with 91.70 points, just 0.10 ahead of Shomoukh Al Arab from the same stud. Lateefa Al Ameriya won 3-Year-Old Fillies (A), local outlet Ajel reported.

How an Arabian halter class works

These are usually called halter classes, because the horse wears a fine show halter and is led by a handler. There's no jumping, no speed and no rider. The handler stands the horse up to show off its outline, then walks and trots it so the judges can see how it moves.

Step 1: classes by age and sex

ECAHO's rules recognize these groups:

• Foals (shown with their mothers if under 6 months)
• Fillies: young females, 1 to 3 years old
• Colts: young males, 1 to 3 years old
• Mares: females 4 and older
• Stallions: males 4 and older
• Geldings, at shows that offer them

Big classes are split into sections, which is why Hail has Yearling Fillies (A) and (B). ECAHO allows no more than 100 horses shown per day, so a 281-horse show needs at least three days of classes; Hail uses three, plus a championship day.

Step 2: the championships

The best horses from each class come back for a championship in their category, such as junior fillies or senior stallions. Judges award a Gold, Silver and Bronze medal. Under ECAHO's optional "Top Five" system, they then pick two more horses to complete a top five.

Hail's championship day is Saturday, Oct. 31. The schedule lists eight titles: filly foals, colt foals, yearling fillies, yearling colts, junior fillies, junior colts, senior mares and senior stallions.

ECAHO show categories: the 5 scores and the A, B, C grades

ECAHO (the European Conference of Arab Horse Organizations) writes the rulebook, called the Blue Book, used at affiliated shows from Europe to the Gulf. Its scorecard is simple to follow once you know the five boxes.

Half points are allowed. Add the five boxes and one judge can give a maximum of 100. The judges' totals are then averaged, which is how Ghazlan Al Arab ended up on 91.70. In that Hail class, five judges from a six-person international panel (from Egypt, Morocco, Spain, the Netherlands and Palestine) did the scoring.

Close calls can come down to type. Each show's schedule spells out its tie rules. In the same yearling class, two fillies both finished on 87.90, and the official results show ninth place was decided on the type score.

What A, B and C show grades mean

ECAHO ranks its shows in a pyramid. Simplified, from the top down, it goes:

1. World Championship (one per year, at least 8 judges)
2. Title shows (only eight approved, at least 5 judges)
3. A shows (at least 4 judges, 20-point scoring compulsory)
4. B International and B National shows (at least 3 judges, points scoring recommended)
5. National championships, then C International and C National shows, where any judging system can be used, even one judge ranking horses side by side
6. Smaller breeders', regional and amateur shows

A B International show like Hail is open to Arabians from any studbook recognized by WAHO, the World Arabian Horse Organization. To get that grade, an organizer must already have run two C International or European shows by ECAHO rules.

B shows are also meant for rising horses, not repeat superstars. Gold and silver champions from the World Championship, Title, A or GCAT shows are barred from B shows for the rest of that year and the next two, unless they've moved up an age group. A top-five class placing at a B show can help qualify a horse for the World Championship.

What makes an Arabian horse beautiful: a spotter's checklist

Type is the first score for a reason: judges want a horse that could only be an Arabian. The Arabian Horse Association's breed description is a handy cheat sheet for families at a show, or watching a livestream.

Head and face

• A small head with a dished, slightly concave profile below the eyes (some horses show more dish than others)
• Large, round, dark eyes set well apart, with a short distance from eye to muzzle
• A small muzzle with large nostrils
• Deep, wide jowls and small, thin ears with tips that curve slightly inward

Neck and body

• A long, arched neck set high on the shoulders
• A short back: Arabians usually have one fewer vertebra than other breeds
• A comparatively flat, horizontal croup

Tail

• Naturally high tail carriage, carried straight when you look from behind. Watch the trot; that's when it shows best.

Most Arabians are on the small side for a riding horse, with traditional strains described at roughly 14.2 to 15.2 hands. Gray, bay and chestnut are the classic colors, which you can explore on our coat colors and markings page. For the body parts named here, see our horse anatomy guide.

How Arabian judging compares with PRE morphology shows

If you've read our guide to PRE morphology shows, you'll recognize the basic idea. Both judge a horse's build and in-hand movement against a breed ideal, and both average several judges' marks.

The differences are worth knowing:

• The scale. ECAHO uses five big boxes scored up to 20. PRE judges under ANCCE score more individual areas, each out of 10 (ANCCE's rulebook labels the marks from 0, "null," to 10, "extraordinary"), and some areas count more than others.
• Riding. Arabian halter classes never involve a rider. PRE stallions 4 and older also do a ridden functionality test that counts for part of their final score.
• The ideal. The Arabian look is about refinement: dished face, high tail, light build. The Pura Raza Española ideal is a more compact, powerful horse.

Other Arab-blooded breeds have their own standards too. The Anglo-Arab mixes Arabian and Thoroughbred lines, while the Akhal-Teke is a separate desert breed with its own famous shine.

What to watch next at Hail (Oct. 29-31)

The rest of the schedule, per the official show listing. Results for these days weren't in when this was published.

• Thursday, Oct. 29: 3-year-old fillies (B), mares 4 and older (three sections), yearling colts and 2-year-old colts (A)
• Friday, Oct. 30: 2-year-old colts (B), 3-year-old colts and stallions 4 and older (three sections)
• Saturday, Oct. 31: championship day, including the first foal championships

How to watch like a judge

1. Start with the profile. Look at the head from the side: dish, eye placement, small muzzle.
2. Check the outline when the horse is stood up. Is the neck arched and the back short?
3. Watch the trot. Look for free, even steps and a tail that lifts on its own.
4. Read the score sheet. Live-scoring sites show each judge's marks, so you can see where a horse won or lost points.
5. Watch the type column in close classes. At Hail, it settled a tie on day one.

Want to learn more about breeds before your next show? Browse our breeds hub, get ring-ready with show prep, or share it with young fans in Kids.