As y'all know, I haven't actually shown yet, so this is a collection of tricks I have found, and things I'm finding helpful as I go. This post does assume you have a class in mind, but maybe not a model selected yet.
1. Watch it! Going to real horse shows in person is great for research and getting your own pictures. Sometimes, that simply isn't possible (for instance, I work every weekend, when almost all shows and clinics around here are). If that's the case, YouTube! For a single entry, I've probably watched about an hour of video of horses performing the event.
2. Find a rulebook! Most event have a rulebook (some online) This will tell you about tack, rider apparel, scoring, and usually how to set the event up. A small section can be used right on your documentation, especially if the there's a diagram :)
3. Keep it short and sweet! Judges are busy. As cool as your 8 page report might be, probably a paragraph or so got read. Most folks seem to stick to a half page as normal, and that feels right to me. Table space is also a commodity at shows, and big books or folders of documentation seems a good way to annoy fellow showers.
4. Stay semi-specific. Okay, I know this one is a little weird. For events, make sure you have a line of what your model is doing in your setup, you can use their name if you like. But in the search for pictures, stay a little more general. No need to spend hours trying to match your model precisely to a picture (hot tip, it may not exist). A picture of a horse performing well, in correct tack is best. Or halter classes, a clear shot of a horse in a common color for the breed, with good confirmation. My classic Selle Francais is gray, but bay and chestnut are more common.
5. When in doubt, document! The show I plan to debut in requires documentation in all performance entries. Some shows might not, but I think at least a sentence or so of explanation would always be included in those classes. But other classes may not do so, like halter. If showing something unusual, or outside the standard, I figure better safe than sorry. Models shown as a cross would probably warrant some explanation too, like this pintarabian! In this case I would look for a nicely dished face, like my model :)
6. Organize! I understand this is a very personal thing, but this hobby is probably the most organized thing in my home lol. I have a pocket folder that has information on my herd, breeds, events for performance, ribbons, and MAN cards. A purchased a model that had earned a few already :) My herd information has a card and hang tag for each model.
1. Watch it! Going to real horse shows in person is great for research and getting your own pictures. Sometimes, that simply isn't possible (for instance, I work every weekend, when almost all shows and clinics around here are). If that's the case, YouTube! For a single entry, I've probably watched about an hour of video of horses performing the event.
3. Keep it short and sweet! Judges are busy. As cool as your 8 page report might be, probably a paragraph or so got read. Most folks seem to stick to a half page as normal, and that feels right to me. Table space is also a commodity at shows, and big books or folders of documentation seems a good way to annoy fellow showers.
4. Stay semi-specific. Okay, I know this one is a little weird. For events, make sure you have a line of what your model is doing in your setup, you can use their name if you like. But in the search for pictures, stay a little more general. No need to spend hours trying to match your model precisely to a picture (hot tip, it may not exist). A picture of a horse performing well, in correct tack is best. Or halter classes, a clear shot of a horse in a common color for the breed, with good confirmation. My classic Selle Francais is gray, but bay and chestnut are more common.
5. When in doubt, document! The show I plan to debut in requires documentation in all performance entries. Some shows might not, but I think at least a sentence or so of explanation would always be included in those classes. But other classes may not do so, like halter. If showing something unusual, or outside the standard, I figure better safe than sorry. Models shown as a cross would probably warrant some explanation too, like this pintarabian! In this case I would look for a nicely dished face, like my model :)
6. Organize! I understand this is a very personal thing, but this hobby is probably the most organized thing in my home lol. I have a pocket folder that has information on my herd, breeds, events for performance, ribbons, and MAN cards. A purchased a model that had earned a few already :) My herd information has a card and hang tag for each model.
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