Running a postal show can be great fun and doesn't require any skill or knowledge in order to do the judging (if using a basic randomised system). This makes it perfect for the new show host as it will teach you the organisation skills needed to run shows without a huge amount of judging pressure. I would recommend everyone starts by running a postal show before moving onto running photo or live shows. A small free randomised show will take up little of your time and yet still give you an insight into what is needed to run shows.
It will take time to organise the show, file entries and sort out results so make sure you plan your time effectively as you would with any other show. Make sure you have plenty of time to get these things done and keep on top of entries throughout the show to help reduce your workload.
It will take time to organise the show, file entries and sort out results so make sure you plan your time effectively as you would with any other show. Make sure you have plenty of time to get these things done and keep on top of entries throughout the show to help reduce your workload.
Running a postal show can be a great introduction into running a model horse show
The Schedule
The first step to running any show is to put together your schedule. You will need to make important decisions about the type of show you are going to run, when you are going to run it and whether or not you are going to charge for entries. All your decisions will depend on how you want your show to be and are personal to you. Try to put a show together that suits you but is also appealing to entrants.
Time Frame
You need to choose a time to run your show when you have enough free time that you can easily process entries and announce results at the end. Although judging doesn't take as long as with photo shows it does still take time and you will still have to write up results which can be time consuming. I highly recommend organising entries as they come in as this will help you keep on top of things.
Your show needs to be open for enough time for people to get their entries in but not so long that they forget about it! Often a looming deadline can help to prompt people to send in entries, it is a good idea to remind people as the show deadline approaches.
I think a month is a reasonable amount of time, maybe a little longer if you are holding a postal entry show and are expecting international entries.
Entry Fees
Whether you charge or not is going to depend on what prizes you are offering and also whether or not you intend to raise money for charity. You may also need to cover costs of postage of prizes but not want to charge an entry fee so factor this into your rules if it is the case.
There are two ways of charging entry fees:
Per Class
Overall Fee (either one fee or graduated)
Charging per class is good for smaller postal shows with less classes. A charge of around 10p per class for a show with up to 20 classes is perfectly reasonable.
An overall fee is a good option for larger shows and could be done on a graduated scheme (e.g. 10p per class for under 10 entries, £2.00 for unlimited entries). This can help you budget easily as you know exactly how much you'll be getting from each entrant.
The general rule is, the more you charge the better your prizes need to be. People are happy to pay a small fee in order to get prizes but if you are charging a very large fee you need to justify this with very good prizes.
Class List
The next stage is to write your class list. Most postal shows will have a theme, usually based around a real horse event. For example, if you were running a Three Day Eventing postal show you could include classes for the various levels (BE100, BE Novice etc.). You could even base your class list on a local show you attend with your horse or a real equine event (such as Ascot).
You can of course also write a class list that is more generalised, with classes for different breeds and colours as you would a photo or live show. If you are planning to write that kind of schedule I've included my generic schedule writing advice (the same as for live and photo show schedules) below:
For breed classes the classes will be split up by the breed of the horse. You will need to make sure you cover all types of models. When writing a class list it is best to start with the following classes and then add others in afterwards:
Youngstock & Foals (or if you intend to split this class up 'Other Youngstock')
Fantasy & Decorator
Donkey, Mule & Exotic
Other Purebred Horse
Other Purebred Pony
Partbred Horse
Partbred Pony
Note that in the above you could literally show every single breed or type of model, so if you start with that nothing will have been forgotten! Even if you forget to say add Thoroughbred they can always go in Other Purebred so it isn't the end of the world.
If you have photo shown before you should have a decent idea of what classes are full and what aren't. It is an unwritten rule in the UK that sections start with Arabian and that's always a good starting spot. Classes such as Thoroughbred, Warmblood/Sport and the american stock breeds are always quite full so you could think about splitting these down further if time allows.
Most shows will run the same class list for sections of the same size as this helps prevent confusion, that said different sections will have different 'full' classes so you could always adapt this to fit the section. A specialist section such as Animal Artistry should have more finessed classes based around what moulds are actually available.
So what about performance and colour? Well basically start in exactly the same way. For performance I would always start with:
Other Performance
Scene
Other English
Other Western
Those four classes will cover all things so you can then start to put more specific classes in. I think it is always a good idea to have both an English Ridden and a Western Pleasure class but apart from that you are free to put in what you think would work best at your show.
With colour the two classes I would start with are:
Fantasy/Decorator
Other Colour
Again that covers every single colour so you can start to add more unique colours from then onwards. Other Dilute is always a good class to have as well as it takes things like cremellos out of Other Colour. But it really depends on how many entries you think there will be and how much you want to split the classes up.
I personally prefer postal shows that are based on real horse events as I think they are more fun and its a format that allows for this in a way that a live or photo show doesn't (an entire live show with just different races could get a little samey) but choose a format that suits you and you will enjoy.
Prizes
There are four main types of prizes you can offer if you choose to offer rewards:
Certificates (digital or printed)
Rosettes
Trophies
Other Prizes (model horses etc.)
The prizes you choose will depend on how much you are charging for entry fees and what you can afford to give out yourself. Not all shows have to offer prizes and digital certificates that entrants can print themselves are just as nice as real physical prizes. It is also a nice option to think about offering something you've made yourself, such as model horse tack or customs.
If you want people to pay for postage on their prizes make this clear in advance as part of the rules so nobody gets a nice yet not so nice shock at the end of the show.
Rules
Many of the rules for a postal show will be similar to those of photo showing. Below I've listed some common rules that you may want to use but make sure the rules suit your own show and format.
This show is open to all makes, scales and types of models.
The model must physically exist and be owned by the entrant.
Horses entered must be appropriate breed, age and height.
Each horse must have all the information required on the entry form to be accepted.
Entry limits must be followed.
Each horse can only enter one class/section
This will depend on the show, a local show jumping competition may have horses entering multiple different classes but a large event at a higher level will have horses only entering one class.
The results are random and final
Entry fees must be paid before entries are accepted
Bad sportsmanship will not be tolerated
Entry Limits
Most shows will have some form of entry limit. This could be for the whole show or per class. Choose something that is reasonable, you want to encourage as many entries as possible without things being ridiculous. Postal shows can lend themselves to unlimited entries, particularly those with fees, as the fee itself will act as a buffer against anyone entering a large number of horses.
Entry Form
You will need to produce some form of entry form that people can fill in to submit their entries. I feel the best method is an excel spreadsheet as this saves you a lot of time, you can simply copy and paste people's entries over into your master spreadsheet. However, not everyone has access to microsoft excel and you may need to think about a different format.
If people are entering by post they will be hand writing their entry forms. You may then have to manually type these up so be prepared for this.
Your entry form should include spaces for:
Entrant Name
Entrant Contact Details
Payment/Entry Fee Details
Horse Information
What information you ask for for each horse will depend on your show but you may want to ask for:
Horse's Name
Breed
Colour
Age
Height
Sire
Dam
Rider/Jockey
Owner's Name
Training Yard/Breeder/Stables
Don't put entrants off by making your forms too complicated. Try and make them as simple as possible and give people as much information as possible on how to fill them in. Remember not everyone is as computer literate as you are!
Your Contact Details
Finally don't forget to give entrants information on where to send their entries to! Include your email or postal address so that they can submit their entry forms.
Once you have written your schedule and it is ready to go you can start to launch your show.
Time Frame
You need to choose a time to run your show when you have enough free time that you can easily process entries and announce results at the end. Although judging doesn't take as long as with photo shows it does still take time and you will still have to write up results which can be time consuming. I highly recommend organising entries as they come in as this will help you keep on top of things.
Your show needs to be open for enough time for people to get their entries in but not so long that they forget about it! Often a looming deadline can help to prompt people to send in entries, it is a good idea to remind people as the show deadline approaches.
I think a month is a reasonable amount of time, maybe a little longer if you are holding a postal entry show and are expecting international entries.
Entry Fees
Whether you charge or not is going to depend on what prizes you are offering and also whether or not you intend to raise money for charity. You may also need to cover costs of postage of prizes but not want to charge an entry fee so factor this into your rules if it is the case.
There are two ways of charging entry fees:
Per Class
Overall Fee (either one fee or graduated)
Charging per class is good for smaller postal shows with less classes. A charge of around 10p per class for a show with up to 20 classes is perfectly reasonable.
An overall fee is a good option for larger shows and could be done on a graduated scheme (e.g. 10p per class for under 10 entries, £2.00 for unlimited entries). This can help you budget easily as you know exactly how much you'll be getting from each entrant.
The general rule is, the more you charge the better your prizes need to be. People are happy to pay a small fee in order to get prizes but if you are charging a very large fee you need to justify this with very good prizes.
Class List
The next stage is to write your class list. Most postal shows will have a theme, usually based around a real horse event. For example, if you were running a Three Day Eventing postal show you could include classes for the various levels (BE100, BE Novice etc.). You could even base your class list on a local show you attend with your horse or a real equine event (such as Ascot).
You can of course also write a class list that is more generalised, with classes for different breeds and colours as you would a photo or live show. If you are planning to write that kind of schedule I've included my generic schedule writing advice (the same as for live and photo show schedules) below:
For breed classes the classes will be split up by the breed of the horse. You will need to make sure you cover all types of models. When writing a class list it is best to start with the following classes and then add others in afterwards:
Youngstock & Foals (or if you intend to split this class up 'Other Youngstock')
Fantasy & Decorator
Donkey, Mule & Exotic
Other Purebred Horse
Other Purebred Pony
Partbred Horse
Partbred Pony
Note that in the above you could literally show every single breed or type of model, so if you start with that nothing will have been forgotten! Even if you forget to say add Thoroughbred they can always go in Other Purebred so it isn't the end of the world.
If you have photo shown before you should have a decent idea of what classes are full and what aren't. It is an unwritten rule in the UK that sections start with Arabian and that's always a good starting spot. Classes such as Thoroughbred, Warmblood/Sport and the american stock breeds are always quite full so you could think about splitting these down further if time allows.
Most shows will run the same class list for sections of the same size as this helps prevent confusion, that said different sections will have different 'full' classes so you could always adapt this to fit the section. A specialist section such as Animal Artistry should have more finessed classes based around what moulds are actually available.
So what about performance and colour? Well basically start in exactly the same way. For performance I would always start with:
Other Performance
Scene
Other English
Other Western
Those four classes will cover all things so you can then start to put more specific classes in. I think it is always a good idea to have both an English Ridden and a Western Pleasure class but apart from that you are free to put in what you think would work best at your show.
With colour the two classes I would start with are:
Fantasy/Decorator
Other Colour
Again that covers every single colour so you can start to add more unique colours from then onwards. Other Dilute is always a good class to have as well as it takes things like cremellos out of Other Colour. But it really depends on how many entries you think there will be and how much you want to split the classes up.
I personally prefer postal shows that are based on real horse events as I think they are more fun and its a format that allows for this in a way that a live or photo show doesn't (an entire live show with just different races could get a little samey) but choose a format that suits you and you will enjoy.
Prizes
There are four main types of prizes you can offer if you choose to offer rewards:
Certificates (digital or printed)
Rosettes
Trophies
Other Prizes (model horses etc.)
The prizes you choose will depend on how much you are charging for entry fees and what you can afford to give out yourself. Not all shows have to offer prizes and digital certificates that entrants can print themselves are just as nice as real physical prizes. It is also a nice option to think about offering something you've made yourself, such as model horse tack or customs.
If you want people to pay for postage on their prizes make this clear in advance as part of the rules so nobody gets a nice yet not so nice shock at the end of the show.
Rules
Many of the rules for a postal show will be similar to those of photo showing. Below I've listed some common rules that you may want to use but make sure the rules suit your own show and format.
This show is open to all makes, scales and types of models.
The model must physically exist and be owned by the entrant.
Horses entered must be appropriate breed, age and height.
Each horse must have all the information required on the entry form to be accepted.
Entry limits must be followed.
Each horse can only enter one class/section
This will depend on the show, a local show jumping competition may have horses entering multiple different classes but a large event at a higher level will have horses only entering one class.
The results are random and final
Entry fees must be paid before entries are accepted
Bad sportsmanship will not be tolerated
Entry Limits
Most shows will have some form of entry limit. This could be for the whole show or per class. Choose something that is reasonable, you want to encourage as many entries as possible without things being ridiculous. Postal shows can lend themselves to unlimited entries, particularly those with fees, as the fee itself will act as a buffer against anyone entering a large number of horses.
Entry Form
You will need to produce some form of entry form that people can fill in to submit their entries. I feel the best method is an excel spreadsheet as this saves you a lot of time, you can simply copy and paste people's entries over into your master spreadsheet. However, not everyone has access to microsoft excel and you may need to think about a different format.
If people are entering by post they will be hand writing their entry forms. You may then have to manually type these up so be prepared for this.
Your entry form should include spaces for:
Entrant Name
Entrant Contact Details
Payment/Entry Fee Details
Horse Information
What information you ask for for each horse will depend on your show but you may want to ask for:
Horse's Name
Breed
Colour
Age
Height
Sire
Dam
Rider/Jockey
Owner's Name
Training Yard/Breeder/Stables
Don't put entrants off by making your forms too complicated. Try and make them as simple as possible and give people as much information as possible on how to fill them in. Remember not everyone is as computer literate as you are!
Your Contact Details
Finally don't forget to give entrants information on where to send their entries to! Include your email or postal address so that they can submit their entry forms.
Once you have written your schedule and it is ready to go you can start to launch your show.
Postal shows are great because even the strangest of models can enter - like this little gold thing!
Advertising Your Show
Once you've written your schedule it is time to open and advertise your show. You want to try and get as many entries as possible so think about advertising your show in lots of different places to encourage entries. When advertising your show you need to do this a little way before entries but not too far in advance. You want people to become excited about it and enter, not to forget about it and then not bother.
Below are some suggestions as to places you could advertise your show:
Facebook Groups
These have the advantage that you can upload a file into the files section and therefore people can download your schedule and entry form immediately.
Facebook Page
Model Horse Forums (Blab, MHL etc.)
Model Horse Sales Pages
Printed Publications/Newsletters
Your Own Mailing List
Instagram
YouTube
When advertising your show you need to give people all the information needed in order to enter. This includes how to enter, the entry dates and any fees. Also make it clear if you are offering any prizes and any charities that you may be trying to raise money for.
Below are some suggestions as to places you could advertise your show:
Facebook Groups
These have the advantage that you can upload a file into the files section and therefore people can download your schedule and entry form immediately.
Facebook Page
Model Horse Forums (Blab, MHL etc.)
Model Horse Sales Pages
Printed Publications/Newsletters
Your Own Mailing List
YouTube
When advertising your show you need to give people all the information needed in order to enter. This includes how to enter, the entry dates and any fees. Also make it clear if you are offering any prizes and any charities that you may be trying to raise money for.
Advertise your show in lots of different places to encourage as many entrants as possible
During the Show
Prior to the show postal show opening make sure you have got yourself organised. Create a spreadsheet in which you can enter all the entry information so that when it comes to judging this is quick and easy to do. Include headings for all the horse information you've asked for as well as one for the entrants name.
Create a second spreadsheet to keep track of entrant information, in particular the cash flow. I recommend headings for:
Entrant Name
Entry Form Received?
Entry Fees Paid
Email Address
Of course make sure to get their agreement to keep hold of their information in line with the new GDPR requirements.
As entrants send in their entry forms fill the information into your spreadsheets. If necessary create an in/out tray so you can keep track of what forms still need doing and do a few each day. Doing this throughout the show will save you time when it comes to judging and won't take up much of your time each day. Staying organised is really important.
Make sure to remind possible entrants about the show and nudge people to send their entries in. People often require reminding and most will leave it to the last minute so last minute nudges are often greatly appreciated.
Create a second spreadsheet to keep track of entrant information, in particular the cash flow. I recommend headings for:
Entrant Name
Entry Form Received?
Entry Fees Paid
Email Address
Of course make sure to get their agreement to keep hold of their information in line with the new GDPR requirements.
As entrants send in their entry forms fill the information into your spreadsheets. If necessary create an in/out tray so you can keep track of what forms still need doing and do a few each day. Doing this throughout the show will save you time when it comes to judging and won't take up much of your time each day. Staying organised is really important.
Make sure to remind possible entrants about the show and nudge people to send their entries in. People often require reminding and most will leave it to the last minute so last minute nudges are often greatly appreciated.
Remember to remind entrants throughout the show to send their entries in
Results and Prizes
Once the show has closed you will need to do the results as promptly as possible. If you have stayed organised throughout the show you should only have a few last minute forms to process before you can do the results.
There are three ways in which you can generate random results:
Random Number/List Generator
Names Out of a Hat
Random Scores
Random Number Generator
This is the easiest and most obvious way. You can either use a number generator, assigning each entry a number (if you have put them all in a spreadsheet they will already have this) and then using a random number generator to generate six numbers. These will be your placings 1st - 6th.
The other option is to use a random list generator. Write all of the horse's names into the generator and then ask it to randomise them. The top six names will be your placings 1st-6th.
Names Out of a Hat
The second way to do this is to literally pull names out of a hat (or a pot, or a tub or whatever is to hand). Write all the horse's names for the class on pieces of paper, fold them up and place them in a hat. Pull them out one by one and these will be your placings 1st-6th. You could even film yourself doing this as a live reveal of results!
Random Scores
Some equine events, such as dressage, have scores. You can use this to help generate results with horse's getting randomised scores. Use a random number generator to generate the score (for example for dressage generate a number between 1-100 with one decimal point this will be their score e.g. 72.3). Sort the entrants by scores to create your results. This has the advantage of being more 'realistic' and also means every single horse will get a placing.
Once you have your results you can write these up and publish them. If you have advertised your show online it is a good idea to publish your results online as well (use entrant initials rather than full names to maintain anonymity). You may also want to email/post results to entrants so they have a copy of them. Make it clear on your schedule how you will advertise your results so people know where to look.
If you have offered prizes you need to send these out relatively promptly. If entrants need to pay for postage on their prizes contact them as soon as possible to let them know how much it is going to cost. Once you have payment you can send everything out.
There are three ways in which you can generate random results:
Random Number/List Generator
Names Out of a Hat
Random Scores
Random Number Generator
This is the easiest and most obvious way. You can either use a number generator, assigning each entry a number (if you have put them all in a spreadsheet they will already have this) and then using a random number generator to generate six numbers. These will be your placings 1st - 6th.
The other option is to use a random list generator. Write all of the horse's names into the generator and then ask it to randomise them. The top six names will be your placings 1st-6th.
Names Out of a Hat
The second way to do this is to literally pull names out of a hat (or a pot, or a tub or whatever is to hand). Write all the horse's names for the class on pieces of paper, fold them up and place them in a hat. Pull them out one by one and these will be your placings 1st-6th. You could even film yourself doing this as a live reveal of results!
Random Scores
Some equine events, such as dressage, have scores. You can use this to help generate results with horse's getting randomised scores. Use a random number generator to generate the score (for example for dressage generate a number between 1-100 with one decimal point this will be their score e.g. 72.3). Sort the entrants by scores to create your results. This has the advantage of being more 'realistic' and also means every single horse will get a placing.
Once you have your results you can write these up and publish them. If you have advertised your show online it is a good idea to publish your results online as well (use entrant initials rather than full names to maintain anonymity). You may also want to email/post results to entrants so they have a copy of them. Make it clear on your schedule how you will advertise your results so people know where to look.
If you have offered prizes you need to send these out relatively promptly. If entrants need to pay for postage on their prizes contact them as soon as possible to let them know how much it is going to cost. Once you have payment you can send everything out.
Doing a live film of you producing results can be great fun for entrants to watch
Taking it to the Next Level
Not all postal shows are entirely random, you have probably come across more sophisticated systems during your time in the hobby. Running one of these shows takes a lot more time and organisation but can be great fun to do. Many may still have a random element and it may take time to finesse a system that works for that discipline and show.
If you are going to run a show that is more intricate than simply pulling names out of a hat then make sure to fully research the discipline first. It is best you choose something you are familiar with but also that lends itself to a virtual role play aspect.
You may still want to introduce a random element into your scoring. Many shows are a bit of a halfway house between random and more data based shows. They often need to start off random in order to generate results and form for future shows and competitions.
A show like this can be great fun both for entrants and show holders but there is a fine line between something realistic and something over complicated. A show that is too complicated and confusing for entrants can be off putting so try to strike the right balance. Some form of role playing element through a forum or group can also be a fun element to add.
If you are going to run a show that is more intricate than simply pulling names out of a hat then make sure to fully research the discipline first. It is best you choose something you are familiar with but also that lends itself to a virtual role play aspect.
You may still want to introduce a random element into your scoring. Many shows are a bit of a halfway house between random and more data based shows. They often need to start off random in order to generate results and form for future shows and competitions.
A show like this can be great fun both for entrants and show holders but there is a fine line between something realistic and something over complicated. A show that is too complicated and confusing for entrants can be off putting so try to strike the right balance. Some form of role playing element through a forum or group can also be a fun element to add.
Adding a role playing element can make a show really fun for entrants
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Postal Show Schedule
This schedule is based on classes seen at a real horse show. It has in hand and ridden classes as well as a small fun section. A small show with entry fees and prizes, includes an entry form at the bottom. | ||