Each year, AMHA exhibitors anxiously await the announcement of the judges who have been selected to judge the next World Show. Even though a brief description of the procedure for selecting the World Show judges is outlined in the AMHA Show Rules, most exhibitors fail to fully understand the procedure or how much time, effort and review is put into this process.

The AMHA is blessed with an outstanding Licensed Officials Committee (LOC), comprised of AMHA members who are dedicated to providing only the best licensed officials to serve the AMHA membership. Just one of the many important and varied duties of the LOC is the selection of the World Show Judges. The LOC devotes considerable time to this process working approximately one and a half years before judges are needed for a future, scheduled World Show.

The Selection process for World Show Judges begins each year about May 1, when LOC members are provided a list of all AMHA judges who are eligible to be considered for judging the World Show the following year. This list includes all AMHA Carded judges who meet the criteria outlined in the AMHA LOC Rules (LO-039). All World Show Judges must be senior judges or judges who have judged at least four AMHA approved shows. Judges who have judged at either of the two World Shows immediately preceding the World Show being planned are not eligible for consideration and are removed from the potential judges. Once this list is compiled, it is sent to members of the LOC for their use.

The LOC members are asked to select ten names from the list of those eligible to judge the World Show. Their list of ten judges should be their individual selections, selected independently and placed in order to preference, one through ten. The individual lists from each of the eight LOC members are completed and returned to the AMHA office. Upon receiving these lists, the top thirty judges' scores are computed. The computation of the top thirty is strictly mathematical. There are always several judges' names who appear on more than one list, which means that out of a potential poll out of 80 judges names, the list usually reflects about 50 to 55 different judges.

At the June LOC meeting, in closed session, the list of the top 30 names is disclosed. This list is in alphabetical order only and the LOC is not advised as to the individual ranking of the top 30 judges. During a closed session committee meeting, they review this list and check the judges files if needed. Upon compilation, this final LOC list becomes the list of approved judge from which the World Show judges are contracted for the following year.

At this point in time, the judge with the highest total rating from is contacted and asked to judge the World Show. The number two judge is contacted, and so on until ten judges and one alternate is contracted. Another rule which is taken into consideration during the selection process in LO-039-C which limits World Show judges to no more than two from any one state of province.

As soon as all World Show judge contracts are signed, the judges will be announced and published on the AMHA website. Even the LOC members do not know who has been contracted for the World Show until the list is announced.

The World Show judge selection process is very organized and thanks to the dedicated and unselfish work of the LOC, this process works well and World Show Judges are selected annually. These judges represent all breed types and all regions of AMHA and bring a multitude of talent and credentials to their judging assignments at the AMHA World Show.

Note: The Licensed Official Committee has submitted a rule amendment to the Show Rules Committee to change the 5 judge team system currently in place to a 4 judge rotating system. The Show Rules Committee will review the rule amendment during the June 2007 Committee Meeting.