The World Of Online Horse Showing
With the holiday season upon us, there is not a lot of down time. Pair that with the shorter and colder days of winter, there isn’t a lot of time for me to be riding either. But, I do have time to go through my library of photos that I have of my horses over the past year, and enter them in some online horse shows.
I have been participating in online horse shows for the last 6 months. And when I started searching for online horse shows, I couldn’t seem to find very many. There were 2 that I kept going back too, and while I do enjoy those, I have also found several more that have been a lot of fun. So I wanted to share with you all of the online horse shows I have found and been participating in.
What Are Online Horse Shows?
If you are new to my blog, you might not be familiar with online shows. An online horse show is an opportunity for those of us who can’t get to a real live horse show to participate in classes. Some shows have video classes, while others have photo classes. And the photos submitted don’t have to be done by a professional photographer. You simply choose a class, upload the photo, pay the entry fee and you are entered.
The classes are usually run monthly, and after the judging the classes are placed, just like a live horse show. All offer ribbons for the winners of the class, and some offer prize money. Some also have a biannual competition rewarding those who have the most points from the prior 6 months to be awarded a sort of high-point award as well.
So in no particular order, here are some of the online horse shows I am a regular participant of.
The Mane Show
This horse show was my first online show I ever participated in. The Mane Show is based in Great Britain. And out of all of the online shows I have competed in, this one is the largest. They usually have at least 30 classes for you to enter. They have photo classes, as well as video classes. To enter the photo classes, the cost is £3.50 per class, and they will send you an invoice via PayPal. So you do need to have a PayPal account in order to pay for your classes. Actually all of these horse shows accept payment through PayPal, so if you want to participate, make sure you have this set up first.
This is probably the most competitive online show I have participated in. So when I place in a class, I feel very accomplished. I have also limited my entries to the best of the best photos for this show, because it is so competitive.
S&P Online Horse Show
This is one of my new favorites, probably because I have been able to place in the classes! S & P online horse show is only on Facebook. They don’t have a website, but the show is a lot of fun. You simply message the owner, with your photo and information for which class you want to enter, and then she sends you an invoice through PayPal. November was the first month I participated, and I submitted 4 photos, and placed with 3 of them, so not too bad! I am waiting to receive my rosettes, and we will see how beautiful they are when they get here! If you haven’t participated in an online show, but wanted too, this would be a great show to start with.
And for December, they have a LOT of classes with prizes too! So not only do you have a chance to win a really cool ribbon, but you could win a prize too! I consider that a win-win!
Online Horse Showing
Online Horse Showing is such a fun ‘show’ to compete in! They usually have at least 12 photo classes, and entering is very easy. The classes cost £3.00, because this show is based in Great Britain. But they do allow competitors from all over the world. If you do live outside of Great Britain, and win a rosette (ribbon) you will need to pay the international postage.
I have been successful in this show too, but the competition is growing, so I reserve my entries to only very specific photos. But when they ship their rosettes, they also include a nice little sweet treat, very cool in my opinion!
Global Showing
Global Showing is now my most favorite online show to compete in. The website is set up so well, and it is SO easy to enter each class. And not only do they offer rosettes (ribbons) to 10th place, but if you place first in any class, you can also win prize money! How cool is that?!?!?!? So if you place first in several classes, you could pay for the next month’s entries! And they also have an accumulator, meaning you get points for your placings. And then every 6 months they give a high point award and reserve to the winners. This is my latest quest, to achieve a high point award for 6 months of showing online!
They have video and photo classes to enter each month, and this is by far the best run online show I have found. The competition isn’t as big as The Mane Show, yet. This might be a great first show for you, and you just might receive a ribbon for your favorite photo of your horse! The video classes are really fun too, and they even have a dog section. So if you have a super cute dog, you could enter their dog show too! I have a few photos of my dogs, so for December, I think I will be sending in some dog entries too, just to see what happens!
Horse Shows Online
Horse Shows Online is a really fun show to compete in. The owner of the site is very sweet, and great at communicating if she needs anything else for your entries. The competition is pretty stiff, but the rosettes are beautiful.
I have had some success with this show, and there is a lot of competition. So when you place in a class with 30 entries, you did good.
A New Way To Show Your Horse
I absolutely love being able to participate in a horse show from the comfort of my own home. And the money spent is a lot less than actually going to a show. You don’t need a fancy camera, or photo shoot with your horse. If you have a smart phone, you can capture some great photos, with a little practice. Then all you have to do is upload your photos, and wait for the judging to begin.
If you have always wanted to participate in a horse show, but never thought you could, now you have options! I am so grateful to the people who have created these competitions. Because of these shows, I have been able to ‘show’ my horses without leaving home.
I am accumulating a very large collection of ribbons from my online horse shows, and it is so much fun to be able to get the ribbons in the mail. I love that I can capture memories of my horses, and practice my photography skills. And a little bit of competition is a good thing, in my opinion. It motivates me to continue to be better, and it also shows me that there are others, just like me that love competing too!
So if you are looking for something new and fun to do with your horses, especially when you can’t go to a live horse show, maybe consider entering an online show or two. You never know what can happen, until you try!
If you are thinking about entering an online show, and want to take the best photos possible, read my post on photo tips for online horse showing. It might help you to take some really great photos of your horse, and even place in a class or two! Good luck, and I hope to see you in the online horse shows!
I love this idea because I am suffering from an illness that doesn’t let me travel much and I have good and bad days so this would be sweet. Do you know of any western online shows out there Lisa?