WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — David Distler is going to the Paris Olympics games to judge equestrian jumping.
He's been part of the horse circuit since the 1970s and has had the opportunity to represent our country on the international stage since 2007. His first experience on an international judge panel was in 2007 at the Pan American Games in Rio.
"I did the games in 2007 in Rio and I was a nervous wreck. And then 2008 was China and I was a nervous wreck. And halfway through China I realized the more nervous you are, the more apt you are to make a mistake. So I go into it now like it’s just another horse show," he told WPTV's Frances Peyton.
Distler says that no matter the level of riding, he wants to do his best to be fair and observant for the rider.
"Girl riding her backyard children’s jumper in $1,000 class, that could be like her Olympics and you don’t want to make a mistake for her either," he said.
Distler is one of a panel of five judges who will be in the Equestrian Academy of Versailles in Paris. Since 2007, he has served as an official at two Olympic games and 11 World Cup finals and several other prestigious international shows: Royal International Show, Spruce Meadows Masters, the Dublin Horse Show, the Olympia Horse Show.
He brings five decades of experience officiating elite horse shows. He still judges about 40 or more shows each year.
In 2020, Distler was inducted in the Show Jumping Hall of Fame for his fairness and leadership roles nationally and internationally. He defines success in Paris as everyone leaving feeling they were dealt with fairly, the judges' panel is still close and the riders still like and respect the panel.
This might be Distler's final Olympics to judge, but you can never say never since L.A. will host in 2028.