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The Showcard
In order to show your paperponies, you need a "Showcard." This represents your horse to the judge. Remember - where scores leave off, your horse's showcard takes over!
At the moment, online entries to the shows is how we're doing things. However eventually we will expand to offline, and will be using actual cards. In either case the key is to remember to be as complete as possible with as few words as possible!
If you are showing the same horse in both halter and performance (when we get that going) classes, you will need separate sets of cards for each, since some of the information that is needed will be different for each. For now, while online, it is acceptable to put the different information CLEARLY MARKED onto one entry, however.
As important as the information on the card is that it be legible! Remember that judges will be looking at many cards during a show, and while it is understood that there is a lot of information to be included, it also needs to be understood that the poor judges need to have their eyesight at the end of a show! It also helps your horse if things are marked clearly and are easy to find. This means don't include borders, pictures, fancy or tiny font, etc.
There are a few things that are required to be a certain place on the card, but other than those, you should feel free to experiment with the layout.
What you need on your card:
classes entered -- these should be at the top of the card and very visible . IF THIS IS NOT ON THE CARD, YOUR HORSE CANNOT BE ENTERED. Even if it's in your e-mail, it MUST be with the actual entry
horse's name -- it is important to follow breed naming rules and traditions.
SHSA registration number -- as gotten from the registrar this lets judges know that the scores are official. If you are showing a horse that does not yet have it's registration number, put "pending" IF you have sent the horse in to be registered, not if you simply haven't gotten around to it yet! Do not show for very long without getting that number though!
year of birth -- this is important because it gives the judge an idea of what physical shape/stage your horse is in. And since the age will change over time, it's simply easiest to give the year instead of having to change the age every year.
breed -- This simply gives the judge more information, and is particularly important for the judge to be sure that if going into a breed class they are where they should be.
height -- how tall is she/he? remember to keep within breed guidelines. Some breeds, especially for ponies and miniatures have height requirements. Foal heights don't have to be listed.
color/markings -- describe your horse! What is his/her color? Markings? Color rules for each breed must be followed. If you have an unusual color, it would be a good idea to include a note about where the information is that the color is possible in that breed. Two ways to do this...list basic color with year/gender/breed and go into more detail on another spot, or simply make Color/markings a separate "section"
scores -- Listing your horse's scores is utterly important. This is one of the primary things a judge will look at. Format can be like this:
HALTER:
H - 15, B - 14, L - 18, M - 16, T - 14, TOT - 77 C - 18
PERF: S - 16, A - 14, E - 15, R - 12, U - 18, F - 12, M - 16, CoM -
15.67
pedigree -- Sire (sire x dam) and Dam (sire x dam). Mark real horses with (r). Notes about any show record of these horses or other progeny can be included here. Again, be brief, summarize, aim for one or two lines for the sire and the same for the dam max. Don't go into records of greatgrandparents, etc. those horses don't really have a lot to do with *your* horse today. You can mention "from winning family of...." but judges will be looking at *immediate* family.
breeder and breeder's notes -- This section lets you expand upon the family notes a bit more. These are the comments that the breeder would make about your horse. Sometimes, the actual breeder will "sell" you a horse, and will include Breeder's Notes. Other times, you will not get them, and you may have to write them yourself. BNs can include things like: Ancestral show records (all must be true, and not made up!); Notes on other horses closely related to your horse; Traits that are common in horses of your horse's breeding; etc. Breeder's Notes are going to be the things that are "fact." Things about your horse that will never change. Good Breeder's Notes can really make your entry! Don't repeat information in Pedigree section, but you can supply additional information. Is the sire's family known for their great legs, and that's reflected in this horse? Things of that nature.
horse's grooming and turnout /tack-- You will probably want to include a few details on how you've groomed your horse. Many breeds have all sorts of things they do to make their horses look their best, and what's legal to do in one breed may be illegal in another (hoof length is something to watch for)! Many judges may also award a couple extra points for an accurate grooming description, or including little "extras" like mentioning you're using show sheen. Also here describe the tack that the horse will be wearing. Be sure that it's appropriate to the breed, age, and class (a foal wouldn't be wearing a bit, and a jumper would certainly be wearing a saddle in jumping class!).
exhibitor and his/her attire -- This is the "person" showing your horse. Since many of us will enter more than one horse in a class, we obviously cannot be showing two horses at once. This is where fictional exhibitors come in. These should be the only thing on your showcard that is "made up!" You'll want to give your exhibitors names, ages (most rules require an exhibitor to be a certain age to show a stallion) and descriptions of their attire. When describing your exhibitor's attire, you want to keep these things in mind: the class you're entering, the gender of your exhibitor, the color of your horse, the current show fashion trends, and for some classes, the time of day.
trainer's notes -- These are the things that you, as the current owner/trainer, are doing with the horse to prepare him for this class. They should include things like how long he's been being trained for the event, exercised, what other training he has, personality traits, etc. They can also offer comments on why he did as well or poorly as he did the last time he was shown, and what you've done to help him either improve or maintain his training.
show record -- the show record you list must be true show records from SHSA-sanctioned shows. You many NOT list the records from other shows or races. (You may *mention* if he's shown and how he's done in the trainer's notes, but as other systems have NO effect here, you shouldn't go into detail). This is where, once your horse starts showing a lot, judges may appreciate having two different entries for halter and performance...as halter results have no bearing on performance classes and vice versa. So while mentioning a halter record (such as 6(2-2-1) on a performance card, you should only list out the relavant classes). At times you may send your horse out again before you get results back. Put "pending" where you would put the placing and number. And don't forget to update the card when you get the results! You will need to list:
your name -- This is another MUST. Having your name somewhere in the e-mail is not enough. It's not a good thing to have to scroll through 5 long entries to remember how to spell someone's name, or to remember who a horse belongs to should logging a set of entries get inturrupted.
here is an example of a showcard
9/22/02