Sandy Harris
I am so excited to be able to judge the 2023 Nationals . I was very lucky to be able to judge the 2020 National , so getting to judge twice I ’ m just over the top !! It ’ s just such a privilege to judge our talented , exciting horses .
I have had the horse bug since I was a small child and my father brought me home a pony for my 5th birthday .
After traveling up and down the East Coast , following the racetrack , my husband , I , and our three children settled down in Shelbyville , Tennessee ( where he was born and brought up ) in the late ‘ 80s and that ’ s when I got involved with Tennessee Walking Horses . I started showing and got involved with NWHA almost since its inception . My family showed our home growns at the first National in VA .
I ’ ve been judging since 2008 and have been very fortunate to judge all over the county .
I now live on the coast in Alabama and still have one of my home growns left . We still show down here in versatility , ranch hand , and dressage . In addition to riding , I ’ ve become a huge kayaking fanatic , trying to kayak Perdido Bay several times a week .
I would like to wish the best of luck to all exhibitors and horses and hope everyone has a wonderful National horse show this year . Have fun !!!!
Katharina Nowotny-Boles
DRESSAGE JUDGE
Originally from Vienna , Austria where I started my riding career at the age of 9 , I came to the US in 1998 and moved to the Middle Tennessee area in 2003 . I graduated from the USDF “ L ” judges program in 2015 with distinction and soon after started my journey to become a USEF “ R ” Western Dressage judge . In 2018 I received both my judge ’ s card and my USDF Bronze Medal on a horse I bought as a yearling and trained myself . I have judged for over 10 years at both recognized and schooling shows for classical and western dressage , many of which included gaited horses .
Additionally , I have judged dressage at 4H regional competitions and both the International and National Walking Horse shows .
Horses are my lifelong passion and I am still actively competing in Classical Dressage , where I am currently working on my Silver Medal . Additionally , I am the President of the local Central Tennessee Dressage Association ( CTDA ) and active in the Western Dressage Association of America . It is my pleasure to return to the Nationals as Dressage Judge this year .
11 NWHA National Show Program | September 2023