Judge training doesn’t end when a judge’s card is issued by APHA. All judges are required to pass an annual judge recertification exam and attend in-person retesting every three years. This helps ensure our judges stay updated with the most current competition rules and standards.
All APHA-carded judges must also pass an annual judge recertification online via horseIQ in place of an open rulebook test. To meet this requirement, a judge must pay their annual APHA judges fee and complete the course online.
Failure to pass will result in suspension of judging status until the test is passed. Any judge that fails to complete the recertification within the timeline provided will be suspended from the judges list until the recertification is complete and passed.
All APHA-carded judges are required to re-test in-person every three years to keep their APHA judging credentials. The proficiency exam must be taken at an approved seminar or at the APHA office.
APHA-carded judges can complete this requirement at the Color Breed Council Seminar. You must attend all three days of the seminar and come to the APHA-carded portion in the evening. If you also have an AQHA judging card, you can recertify at the AQHA seminar, attending all days of the seminar and the APHA-carded portion in the evening.
To determine the the year you’re due to recertify, use the search function of the Online Judge Directory. Each judge profile includes the last year the seminar and recertification were completed. Add three to that year to determine the next time you are due to recertify!