Lesson 1.8 — Your Starting Point

In this lesson

A private self-assessment worksheet — where you are now, where you are going, your realistic constraints, and one concrete commitment for the next two weeks — that lets your mentor support you properly from day one.

Worksheet — Your Starting Point

Instructions: This is for you, not for a grade. Answer honestly — a self-assessment you flatter is useless. Submit it so your mentor can support you properly; it will not be shared with other participants.

Time: 20–30 minutes.

Part 1 — Where you are now

1. Describe your background with horses. Disciplines, years, current involvement.
2. Your experience with Working Equitation specifically. Competed? At what levels? Volunteered? Spectated?
3. Credentials or training from other disciplines that may transfer — USDF L graduate, r judge, USEF or other affiliations, coaching or teaching credentials.
4. Show roles you have already filled, and roughly how many times:
   • Scribe — how many? ____
   • Scorer — ____
   • Gate / ring steward — ____
   • Timer — ____
   • Announcer — ____
   • Course crew — ____
   • Show secretary — ____
   • Show management — ____
   • Shadow judging — ____
   • None yet
5. Comfort with the USAWE Rulebook right now, before the scavenger hunt: never opened it / skimmed it / consult it occasionally / know it reasonably well.

Part 2 — Where you are going

6. Which direction pulls at you: judge-leaning, TD-leaning, show management, still exploring? There is no wrong answer and it can change.
7. What do you want to be able to do twelve months from now? One sentence, concrete.
8. And in three years?
9. What made you sign up? The real reason.

Part 3 — Realities

10. Roughly how many hours a month can you give this? Be honest — under-promising is fine.
11. How many show days can you realistically get to in the next six months?
12. Constraints we should know about — travel distance, work schedule, physical limitations, family obligations, budget.
13. What worries you about this? What are you least confident about?

Part 4 — Commitments

14. Name one show-day role you will commit to filling in the next six months.
15. Name one thing you will do in the next two weeks. Small and specific — “email a show manager about scribing,” not “get more involved.”
16. What do you need from WEFL to make this work?

Summary

• This worksheet is a private starting-point record for you and your mentor, not a graded exercise.
• Part 1 captures your background, experience, transferable credentials, and current comfort with the rulebook.
• Part 2 captures direction and motivation — judge-leaning, TD-leaning, show management, or still exploring are all legitimate.
• Part 3 captures realistic time, availability, and constraints, honestly stated.
• Part 4 turns intention into one concrete, small commitment for the next two weeks.

Behind the Bell™ is a program of Working Equitation Florida. WEFL does not license or certify officials. USA Working Equitation is the licensing body. USAWE membership and Licensed Officials Program fees are separate from this program.