Four of the top rated judges in the country will preside over performances as the 42nd edition of the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) National Championships return for the first time since 2007 to the Eastern States Exposition, April 30-May 3, in West Springfield, MA.
IHSA Championships providing challenges for student equestrians
Twenty-five teams will vie for AQHA High Point and Collegiate Cup High Point titles and join more than 400 college riders from coast-to-coast qualified for individual titles April 30-May 3, 2015.
© 2015 by IHSA
Twenty-five teams will vie for AQHA High Point and Collegiate Cup High Point titles and join more than 400 college riders from coast-to-coast qualified for individual titles including AQHA High Point Western Rider, NRHA Open Reining champion, and USEF/Cacchione Cup champion.
The four-day championships open Thursday, April 30, with hunt seat competition judged by Danny Robertshaw and Jimmy Toon.
Robertshaw, who owns and trains at Beaver River Farm, Inc. in Camden, SC, has judged Devon, Penn National, Washington International, the National at Madison Square Garden, Royal Winter Fair, ASPCA Finals and Regionals, as well as USHJA International Derby Finals and USHJA Pre-Green Championships.
His riding accomplishments include championships at Devon, Pennsylvania, Washington and New York, and he is the only hunter rider to earn Regular Working Hunter championships â in the same year -- at Devon, Penn National, Washington International, Madison Square Garden, and the Royal Winter Fair.
He is a recipient of the USEF Emerson Burr Trophy, and USHJA Lifetime Achievement and Chronicle of The Horse Horseman of the Year awards, and serves on the USEF Licensed Officials Committee. He is also co-founder of Danny & Ron's Rescue, a charitable organization dedicated to placing unwanted dogs and puppies with equestrian forever homes.
Toon owns and operates JT Farm in South Salem, NY and Wellington, FL. He has shown and trained top hunters and equitation horses for many years including In Disguise, I Toon, Spock, and Invincible.
Jimmy has judged many of the nation's best horse shows including Hampton Classic, WEF, Pony Finals, HITS, Middleburg, Pin Oak and Capital Challenge, and equitation finals including Maclay regionals, NEEC, Medal & Maclay Finals.
Always in demand as a judge, he has judged at shows from Florida to Oregon, California to Maine and Canada, including Medal Finals, ASPCA Maclay Finals, Zone 1 and Zone 2 Maclay Regionals, New England Medal Finals, Hampton Classic, Palm Beach, Indio and Ocala.
Judging the Western Horsemanship and Reining divisions that start on Friday, May 1, are Peter McAlister and Marilyn Randall.
McAlister and his wife, Sherri, own and operate Golden M Ranch in Mitchell, IN. He has trained and shown horses most of his life and has helped youth and amateur riders for over four decades.
He has judged such major shows as the AQHA Open and Youth Worlds, Buckskin, Appaloosa and Palomino Worlds, multiple NRHA Derbies and Futurities, circuits in Europe, South America and Japan, and the IEA Nationals in Oklahoma City.
Randall has judged shows for more than two decades including the AQHA World Show, All American Quarter Congress, and European Championships, and taught collegiate equine programs at Rocky Mountain College and Northwest College.
She has also trained horses and coached youth and amateur riders to the Top 10 at the AQHA World Show and All American Quarter Horse Congress.
An accredited judge with AQHA, NSBA, APHA, NRHA, NRCHA, and FEI Reining, in 2014 she was a reining steward for the World Equestrian Games-Normandy. She and her husband Ray live in Bridger, MT.
Follow complete results of the IHSA National Championships on IHSAinc.com.