Bérengère Fayt

Judging Arabian horses' conformation takes practice, but anyone who has spent quality time around these beautiful creatures can learn to do it. Judges usually look for a combination of balance, structure, muscling, gait, and breed-specific features. I have had the honour to interview judge Bérengère Fayt from Hour, Namur, Belgium. She is also the proud owner of the Faber Arabians breeding program. The following interview had an aim to throw light on the main aspects of her own professional experience as a judge of Arabian horses. 1. Hello, Bérengère! Thank you very much for accepting our invitation so eagerly. Just to set the scene with our readers, give us some background to you, your family, and your education, please. 1.I have been involved in Arabian horse breeding for more than twenty-five years now. I chose to establish my small stud, called Faber Arabians, in the beautiful area of Rochefort in the south of Belgium on the banks of the river Lesse, satisfying my three lifelong passions: horses, humans, and nature. Together with my job as a breeder of Arabian Horses of Russian bloodlines, focused on the preservation of the versatility of the Arabian Horse, I also run a training company named Humain Avant Tout that specialized in communication skills and other human behaviour targeted seminars, training engineering, team supervision and consulting services in Belgium, France and Luxembourg. I am also in charge of the National judges' course for the French Arabian Horse Association, and I provide training seminars for breeders and horse enthusiasts in France. 2. When did you start getting interested in the purebred Arabian horse? Why are the Straight Russian Arabian bloodlines your favourite ones? 2.My first memory about being interested in the Arabian breed occurred when I was around six years old, reading a book about horse breeds and circling a beautiful grey Arabian horse as my favourite one. I also have kept my most precious toys in my attic: two expressive Arabian toy-horses bought from England by my father. When I was fifteen, I had the opportunity to ride a stallion of a friend of mine: El Alamein, a bay Crabbet stallion born in 1984. I have great memories from my time with him, galloping bareback in the woods. For me, at that time, he was the epitome of beauty, refinement, and the suppleness you can find in horses. Then the second horse I owned was a dark chestnut Arabian part-bred mare called Jessy. She was a dream come true, both under saddle and in our daily interactions; smooth, intelligent, sensitive, friendly, and confident. You know, it's almost impossible to explain how we can fall in love. It's a fact. I will have Arabitis for the rest of my life! I bought my first Arabian purebred mare in 1994, and my first filly was born in 1995. These were out of Russian-related bloodlines. The click came after watching the Russian stallions Dosator and Kubinec at the World Championships in the early nineties. At some point, it became clear that I should only breed Arabian horses out of the Tersk stud bloodlines. I built my breeding program exclusively with what is commonly called "straight Russian" Arabian Horses, which means horses whose pedigrees only mention horses bred by or used by Tersk Stud (outcross imported stallions until the early 1990s), located in Mineralnye Vody, in the Caucasus in Russia. I have chosen them for their specific qualities: charisma and attitude, amazing eyes, classic beauty with a true gender expression, versatility, athletic abilities, soundness, movement, and what is very important to me, their mind. My last import from Tersk Stud is Prize Tersk, born in 2018, a unique horse and the last son of the legendary Moment (1969). 3. When did you become a judge of type and conformation competitions? What specific preparation did you get? 3. Since 1993, when I first went to shows, I got fascinated by the judging system, the meaning of the points and the horses' ranking, and how to use knowledge to improve how the breeders see their horses. Becoming an ECAHO B judge for the shows and an ECAHO sports judge was a great pleasure and honour for me. First, I applied for the Belgian National judge course that I passed in 2013. Then followed the ECAHO courses through which I became a B judge in 2015. While acquiring experience, it became clear that my base as a type and conformation judge would benefit from certification as an ECAHO pleasure judge, a degree I obtained in 2017. In the same spirit of broadening the diversification of my abilities, I studied the specific endurance Arabian Horse judgment, which has become a part of the training of the French National judges I provide, and I was honoured to be invited by the A.C.A. France to judge the final of the Endurance young horse national selection (conformation and functionality) contests! In my opinion, the best preparation and the best guarantee we could offer ourselves to keep our level of knowledge and judging abilities is continuous learning and a daily exercise of our skills through practice and observation. 4. What do you feel has been your most rewarding experience as a judge? 4. Every day is a rewarding experience if we learn a bit more about our life passions: The Arabian Horse, about ourselves, and about how to positively participate towards the future of the breed. The most important thing is to keep on learning and evolving day after day, with humility and motivation. It would be impossible to mention any specific event I enjoyed less or more like every time I judge because every time I learn something more and something new. Each time I spent with a horse, each experience in the show ring, every shared-moment with my fellow judges, disciplinary Commissioners, breeders, instructors, Arabian Horse fans is a rewarding experience. And what's even more exciting is that the best is always yet to come, right? 5. What horse - or horses - have you judged most recently that has left a great impression on you? 5. Sincerely, I could not mention one horse in particular, and it wouldn't be fair for all the numerous horses I judged, who made my heart flying, which I will undoubtedly forget to mention. Each horse is unique, and each time I meet or judge an Arabian horse, the emotion is there. Arabian horses are the passion of my life. I must say that I am oversensitive to beautiful big eyes, a showy, powerful, rhythmic movement, and a clear and typical distinction in gender. I love feminine, refined females and strong, masculine, expressive males. 6. Bérengère, what are the strengths of this breed, and how do you tackle the concepts of beauty and functional correctness? 6. The Arabian horse is unique. Its pure essence has infused all other horse breeds. The breed's assets are beauty, charisma, refinement, versatility, smartness, strength, stamina, dryness, iron constitution, sensitivity, and people-oriented. To me, the concepts of "beauty" and "functional correctness" can never be considered separately in horses: An Arabian horse must be a beautiful, functional horse. For the future of the Arab breed, it is necessary to preserve the balance between these two concepts. To forget to preserve this necessary balance gradually leads to hyper-types leading us further and further away from the original hereditary characteristic and genetic traits of the breed with the risk of definitive loss of some of these essential characteristics and the appearance of conformational or mental causes of suffering. First of all, we should always bear in mind that the perfect horse does not exist. However, before any other consideration, when we are judging or working on our breeding selection program, we should seek a horse that has a healthy and functional conformation (a conformation that allows the horse to function) that fully meets the horse's basic needs: breath, eat and drink, sleep, move, communicate and reproduce (these needs are the foundation of the animal welfare act) and which have to function and to last in the use for which it is dedicated, by nature or by the breeders. You shall assess beauty according to the breed's standard: the closest adequation of an individual to the breed' standards which is the fixed set of details of morphology, coat, and aptitudes (gait, temperament), expressed by individuals belonging to a determined animal breed. The "relative beauties" concerning the standard of the breed are the result of an agreement between the breeders of the given breed as it evolves through the years, but the "absolute beauties"(morphological qualities to stay sound and to perform) should never be modified or lost as they are the guarantee of the soundness of the individuals. After these two sensible and concrete points, which are essential, you can now add a personal taste of the judge/breeder/rider. 7.Which particular skills are necessary to become an accountable judge? 7. First, technical skills: excellent knowledge of general conformation, functionality, biomechanics, and movement of the horse and all the specific characteristics of the Arabian horse breed in particular. Technical skills also include the ability to understand and to use – that means to convert observations in ranking and scores - the different scoring systems according to the different kinds of events to judge. Then, transversal skills, as continuous willingness to learn, the correct use of the English language, organization capacity, sense of responsibility. Last but not least, personal and relational skills, amongst many others: a good and fast eye, adaptability, fairness, integrity, respect of the horse and interest for the others, stress-management, self-esteem including self-confidence and self-knowledge of our strongest and weakest points and communication abilities. These skills shall be acquired, exercised, and assessed through the high-quality standard of training from the National level to A international level, various experiences of practice, and a continuous learning process. 8. You are also a Pleasure Classes Judge. Tell us a bit more about it. 8. As aforementioned, it was essential to complete my type and conformation judge assessment skills with the specific knowledge related to the Arabian horse use under the saddle in different disciplines. The Arabian horse is a versatile horse by definition, and this versatility has to be promoted and demonstrated through all the in-hand (halter and trail) and ridden classes. Being an "all-around" judge enables me to build and keep a knowledgeable, balanced, and open-minded way to assess a horse, especially regarding the functionality and the biomechanics assessment, and support the organizers of the small show, allowing them to invite only one judge for both the halter and the pleasure classes. For personal reasons, I have chosen to put my pleasure judge duty on hold for the time being, but for sure, as soon as better times come, I will come back in that arena again! 9. What advice would you give to a young person who wishes to pursue a career as a judge in this sector? 9. Being in charge of the training for the French National judges and the French Arabian Horse breeders, I regularly have the opportunity to welcome, teach, and support breeders and Arabian Horse fans who want to engage in this exciting training path. My advice to them: Be proactive: study a lot, supply the motivation of a constantly evolving, look for the most experiences you can. Be brave: build your skills and your personal opinion with fairness, open-mindedness, and self-confidence, learn from your failures or weaknesses and stay honest whatever may happen. Be fair: stand for honesty, preserve your reputation, resist temptations and attempts to influence, whatever they are. Be hopeful: trust in our common purpose, always look further, to the perspective of the future, keep on hoping in the Human willing. Be respectful: listen to the other officials and breeders, express your viewpoint with objectivity, say thank you. Never forget that we are working altogether for the idealistic purpose of the best future for the Arabian Horse breed! It's an incredible adventure and a lifetime commitment! Good luck! 10. To what extent has the current global health crisis been affecting the industry? Has it affected your job? 10. Unfortunately, many shows got cancelled last year. For the rest, traveling was quite a big deal and, regarding the shows, I judged from the beginning of the health crisis; the show organizers have provided us perfect management of the situation and the risk. I also have noticed that leisure riding interest is increasing: many people come back to outdoor activities in contact with nature and want to share quality time with their horse, taking distance from the current stressing atmosphere. My job has been affected by Covid-19 restrictions. I could focus on the allowed/possible ones thanks to the diversity of my professional activities. Luckily enough for me! I am looking forward to enjoying many other events together with all the Arabian horse fans throughout the world! 11. If you could effect change in the Arabian World, how would you go about it? 11. I firmly believe that a better education always leads to a deeper understanding and a smoother open-mindedness in any field. In my opinion, this is the smartest and the softest way to implement necessary changes and help our beloved breed last through the years and the centuries. To reach that goal, I would implement more opportunities for everybody in the Arabian World to increase their knowledge and skills in the many available fields. I would also create more concrete opportunities for each participant of the " Arabian Horse Scene" to interact with their peers, to personally meet them, and to share their experiences, to prevent the prejudice, the bias, the criticism, and the stereotypes which, I think, jeopardize the actions for the future of the breed. 12. What else would you like to achieve at this stage of your professional career? 12. My motto is 'one step further every day.' I have always been looking for a smooth balance between the search for the ideal of a peaceful and healthy life, my dynamism, proactivity and creativity, and a continuous hunger to learn. But at the same time, I try to evolve and improve my practice. I am lucky to have professionalized my two passions: The Arabian horse and teaching/training. I will go on that way through the development of many new projects in these fields. Keep you posted! 13. What do you do when not judging? Have you got any hobbies? 13. First of all, my horses are my lifelong hobby: grooming, riding, just simply spending time with them makes me the happiest woman in the world. Then, I like the spectacular natural sites, historical heritage buildings, and decorative art: sculptures, paintings, particularly those from the 11th to the 15th century. Old cities hold a special place in my heart. Being an Epicurean, I also love to discover the local cultures of the countries I visit and, of course, their delicious local kitchens from all around the world. For these reasons, I often enjoy city trips, alone or with friends. 14. Bérengère, do you feel like leaving a message to the readers of this interview? 14. Dear Readers, thank you very much for your attention. Keep on enjoying the other exciting articles of this edition of Arabian Horse Magazine and those in the following ones! I would conclude by warmly thanking Arabian Horse Magazine for the great opportunity they offer to the judges to express themselves, to be read by the industry members and the public, allowing them to share their thoughts and their opinions and to reinforce trust in our judgments and understanding our motivations. Thank you, Bérengère. We enjoyed your interview very much. It was what we were looking for and wanted to hear in these times. You make everything tick, keeping us all on track. You deserve all your success, and we are glad for you!