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JUDGING

Margaret is not only a well respected breeder but also a judge with an excellent – world wide - reputation. She judged Shelties at her debut Championship show at the age of 24, and has judged the breed at many countries around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Scandinavia, Kenya, Italy, Holland, Belgium and Eire.

Margaret:
"Funnily enough I remember my first judging appointment as if it was yesterday. It was Hastings Open Show. I must have been over 17 as I drove there and one of my sisters came to give me courage. More open show appointments followed and I judged my first championship shows in 1963. For a long time I was the youngest judge in our breed – but have had to relinquish this crown to Debbie Pearson who beat my qualifying age by a few months."

I asked Margaret about the status a judge has in the U.K.

Margaret: "Judges in the U.K. have to earn their reputation – it must be one of the longest apprenticeships in any business, as I see it you need to ‘qualify’ yourself by showing good dogs, then you will be asked to judge some of the branch matches."

If you do OK, an Open Show appointment will follow, do OK on that and more Open Shows follow. Then you may feel like sitting the judge's assessment that several of the breed clubs are running. Pass this and you automatically go on the appropriate judges’ list.
Margaret was first nominated as a committee member to the English Shetland Sheepdog Club at the age of 20, and she is currently the longest serving committee member of the club.	Usually to achieve a championship appointment you will need to have judged a breed club open show. All this takes a long time, possibly ten years. You can see that a U.K. judge is thoroughly experienced and used to judging large entries." "Most of us are exhibitors as well as judges. Speaking personally, I will now only accept a championship show appointment every other year – my next will be at Crufts in 2006, an honour in itself to judge the one breed at Crufts twice in a lifetime, my previous appointment at Crufts was 1974. Of course, the show you are judging at you can not exhibit! I almost always show my own dogs, they are my babies and respond best to Mother!"
I asked Margaret how she thinks about the difference between all breed judges and specialists. MARGARET: "There are good and not so good in both all-breeds or specialist judges. An all-breeds judge should have studied the breed standard, just as you suppose the specialist has. Personally I like to exhibit under an all-breeds judge just as I enjoy showing under a specialist. Perhaps a specialist might be nit-picking on a certain point, though it is up to all of us specialists to adhere to the standard and judge accordingly."

And what about the funniest thing ever happened while she was judging? Margaret: "Actually, when people show me early photos of myself judging I cringe! Did we girls really wear ‘Bee-Hive’ hair do’s. What about those mini-shirts!!
Perhaps one funny thing that happened was sending one of our then senior breeders to move and see her petticoat drop lower and lower, until it fluttered to the ground. It speaks highly of the British character that she stopped, stepped out of the garment and put it in her pocket, and then carried on as if nothing had happened."