A distinction first has to be made between postal photo showing and postal showing. Postal photo showing involves showing photographs of your models by sending them through the post, postal showing involves simply sending in information about your model. Postal showing does not have to be done through the post and is now quite often run through email.
Postal showing is essentially a pot luck style competition although some do run shows which are a little more complex then this. You send in information about your horse and then you receive the results. Your horse needs to physically exist but it doesn't need to have four legs, be good breed standard or be in decent condition. You can quite literally show a head if you want to! Bodies are most definitely welcome. The fun element of photo showing is the randomness, you don't know whether you will win or not! But for those who love a bit more data and statistics there are also more finessed systems out there that use previous results and owner provided information such as form to produce results.
Postal showing is essentially a pot luck style competition although some do run shows which are a little more complex then this. You send in information about your horse and then you receive the results. Your horse needs to physically exist but it doesn't need to have four legs, be good breed standard or be in decent condition. You can quite literally show a head if you want to! Bodies are most definitely welcome. The fun element of photo showing is the randomness, you don't know whether you will win or not! But for those who love a bit more data and statistics there are also more finessed systems out there that use previous results and owner provided information such as form to produce results.
Most postal shows are judged entirely by random
The Random Show
The vast majority of postal shows are judged by random chance. This means that, in theory, every horse has an equal chance of winning. You will send in information about your horse and the results are then produced by some means of random generation.
When entering a random postal show there will be a class list just as with live and photo shows. These can be general with classes for different breeds or colours of horse or more specific, for example a dressage postal show or an eventing postal show. Some shows may have class lists that are more reflective of real horse shows rather than model shows (where we of course attempt to have classes to cover every possible breed).
When submitting your entry you will provide the information about the horse you want to enter into that class. This is normally the horse's name, breed, colour, age, height, sire and dam. Some shows may ask for additional information such as the name of a rider and some may simply ask for your horse's name, it will all depend on the show.
Results are then judged entirely at random. Traditionally this would have been done by putting all the horse's names in a hat and drawing one out. Nowadays it is more likely that a random number generator is used. Although never truly random they can produce what are for an intensive purposes randomised results. Results are then released to the entrants.
In more modern times the most common method for entering a postal show is through email, this is of course free and doesn't create any form of wastage. However, paper postal shows do still exist and can be fun to enter as you await the results to come back to you through the post or be published in a magazine.
Because these shows are entirely random it means that even your worst looking horses can win and have great careers. It is a great way to have some fun with models that may not normally enter the show ring and also engage in a bit of role playing.
When entering a random postal show there will be a class list just as with live and photo shows. These can be general with classes for different breeds or colours of horse or more specific, for example a dressage postal show or an eventing postal show. Some shows may have class lists that are more reflective of real horse shows rather than model shows (where we of course attempt to have classes to cover every possible breed).
When submitting your entry you will provide the information about the horse you want to enter into that class. This is normally the horse's name, breed, colour, age, height, sire and dam. Some shows may ask for additional information such as the name of a rider and some may simply ask for your horse's name, it will all depend on the show.
Results are then judged entirely at random. Traditionally this would have been done by putting all the horse's names in a hat and drawing one out. Nowadays it is more likely that a random number generator is used. Although never truly random they can produce what are for an intensive purposes randomised results. Results are then released to the entrants.
In more modern times the most common method for entering a postal show is through email, this is of course free and doesn't create any form of wastage. However, paper postal shows do still exist and can be fun to enter as you await the results to come back to you through the post or be published in a magazine.
Because these shows are entirely random it means that even your worst looking horses can win and have great careers. It is a great way to have some fun with models that may not normally enter the show ring and also engage in a bit of role playing.
There is no skill involved in entering a random postal show. You just need to submit your horse's information
More Sophisticated Showing
Not all postal shows are entirely random, a huge hobby has grown up around more sophisticated photo shows that take on more of a role playing aspect. They are like a civil war reenactment but through your computer! Or more accurately like a game of Horse Racing Manager but with your model horses (which gives me an idea of how to run a fun new postal show...).
These postal shows will use data in order to generate results. If we take racing as an example the results will be based on an analysis of form, with the horse's breeding, temperament, previous results, the going, the length of the track and numerous other factors effecting the placing. There may even be the chance to acquire jockeys of more or less merit and improve your own stables standings and breeding. Long standing series have led to the development of entirely fictional breeding programs with horse's who have good results becoming sought after sires and dams.
Some of these shows may also have a more randomised element, such as dressage scores or falls at fences. The show may use a combination of previous results and form with random choices, for example the going of the course could be slightly random (although usually suited to the usual track conditions and the time of year) and random generation could be used for more spontaneous events such as falls at fences, or refusal at the starting gates.
These shows are normally based around a real horse event that can easily be replicated in a virtual format. Racing lends itself perfectly to this but dressage, eventing, show jumping and western events have all been used. Those who run these events normally have experience in that particular event and are therefore able to create systems that reflect real life as much as possible.
These postal shows will use data in order to generate results. If we take racing as an example the results will be based on an analysis of form, with the horse's breeding, temperament, previous results, the going, the length of the track and numerous other factors effecting the placing. There may even be the chance to acquire jockeys of more or less merit and improve your own stables standings and breeding. Long standing series have led to the development of entirely fictional breeding programs with horse's who have good results becoming sought after sires and dams.
Some of these shows may also have a more randomised element, such as dressage scores or falls at fences. The show may use a combination of previous results and form with random choices, for example the going of the course could be slightly random (although usually suited to the usual track conditions and the time of year) and random generation could be used for more spontaneous events such as falls at fences, or refusal at the starting gates.
These shows are normally based around a real horse event that can easily be replicated in a virtual format. Racing lends itself perfectly to this but dressage, eventing, show jumping and western events have all been used. Those who run these events normally have experience in that particular event and are therefore able to create systems that reflect real life as much as possible.
The great thing about postal showing is it requires very little skill (with the exception of more sophisticated shows). So even if your photographs look a bit more like this one than a highly realistic shot it doesn't matter, you can still do well