Information & Rules

General Information

If you want the box lunch, we must receive your entry by Oct. 1, 2006.   If you don't mind getting lunch on your own, we will take entries up until the start of the show on Saturday morning, Oct. 7th.

Lori Daniels' seminar "Judging 101" will be held at 7pm on Friday, Oct. 6th.  Everything you wanted to know about model horse judging but were afraid to ask!  Lori's presentation uses images of live horses and teaches us some fundamentals of equine judging  -- not just basic conformation flaws, but how to conduct yourself and how to handle questions and issues than can arise during judging, and why one model may be placed higher than another one.  Admission is free for show entrants -- don't miss this great presentation!   

Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 7 & 8, the show hall will open at 7:30 am, with judging starting promptly at 8:30 am and running until 5:30 pm both days.  A brief (15 minute) non-denominational church service will be held on Sunday morning at 8 am before the show starts.  Our speaker is Rev. Gunnar Carlson, whose inspirational messages are educational and uplifting.

A box lunch (included in the standard model horse show entry fee) will be provided during the lunch break from 12 noon - 1 pm each day. (Special discounted entry fees for Youth Only classes and Dog Show Only classes do not include the box lunch.)  Extra box lunches are available for $10 each.  Box lunch menu choices are included on the entry form -- please indicate your choices and mail with your entry before September 30, 2006.

Saturday classes will include OF Breed/Halter,OF Collectibility, and CM Performance. RESS Challenge* classes for finishwork, sculpture, and combined work will be held Saturday morning.  The  Youth Division, Dog Show, Fantasy Equine, and Other Animal fun classes will also be held on Saturday. 

Sunday classes will include Custom, Artist Resin, Custom Fired, Workmanship, and OF Performance classes.  Fun classes on Sunday will be Tack Workmanship, Raw Beauty, and Vintage Custom. 

No footing material, handlers, or set-ups will be allowed in breed classes.  Well-fitting, breed-appropriate halters are allowed but not required in breed classes. 

Fragile or tippy models may be placed lying down on a small piece of fabric or bubble wrap.  Judges may not pick up or otherwise handle any model except those that are placed lying on their sides.  If you place your model lying down, the judge may pick up the model in order to view both sides.

Do not pick up or handle any models belonging to other exhibitors.

Explanation / documentation / reference material must fit on a 8 ½” x 11” sheet.  Explanation cards are highly recommended for Collectibility classes and for rare or new breeds**. 

Proxy entries are allowed for an entry fee of $3.00 per model. You will need to contact an entrant to show your proxy model  (Proxy entries will not receive table space) 

No smoking or drinking of alcoholic beverages will be allowed in the show hall during show hours.  The Radisson hotel does not allow pets in rooms or in the showhall*.  The Hawthorne Suites Inn (right next door to the Radisson) welcomes pets. 

*By law, certified service dogs are permitted on the premises (service dogs’ certification documents will be required by the hotel).

Class Placements and Identification Cards:

Each class will be placed 1^st through 4^th.   El Paso Equine Art is a NAMHSA member show. All models placing 1st or 2nd will be eligible to compete at the 2007 and 2008 North American Nationals (NAN), date and locations to be announced. 

 NAN Ticket Information

    Show entrants will be responsible for filling out the class/horse information on the fronts of the tickets they win, immediately. You will be solely responsible for keeping track of your tickets/ qualifications. Keep your tickets in a safe place until the time when you fill out your NAN entry forms. There is no replacement available for lost tickets. If a model is sold, you must send any tickets along with the horse to the new owner. New owners must write their name on the back of the tickets. NAMHSA does not need to be notified of a change of ownership. Please visit the NAMHSA web site at www.namhsa.org for more information on NAMHSA and NAN.

Each class entry must have a 2” x 3.5” (business size) card stating breed, gender, and class number on the front; horse’s name and owner’s name on the back.   (Extra cards will be available at the show if you need them).  Required information must be typed or printed clearly – illegible writing may prevent your horse’s wins from being recorded. 

1^st and 2^nd place horses’ cards will be retained for finals; 3^rd  and 4^th place cards will also be collected by the judge.

Class Limits:

Breed/Halter and Collectibility/Workmanship Classes:  There are no limits on the number of horses an exhibitor may enter in each class.  Each model can enter only one Breed/Halter class; each model may also enter one OF Collectibility or CM/AR Workmanship class if desired.    Multiple divisions will be judged simultaneously, and several classes within a division may be called at one time, so listen carefully for class announcements.  Exhibitors will have 5 minutes to bring their models to the table after the class announcement; then the class will be closed to further entries. 

Performance Classes:  All sizes of models will compete together in performance classes.  Exhibitors are limited to 3 performance entries per class.   Exhibitors will have 15 minutes to set up their performance entries after each class has been announced, then the class will be closed.   More than one class may be announced, so listen carefully for class calls.  

Western, English, and Other Performance each have their own divisions (which may be judged simultaneously).  Classes will not be held up for models, tack, props, etc. that are being used in another class.  Set-ups (background, footing, dolls, props, etc.) are allowed but judging will be focused on the horse & tack (see judging criteria, below), not on fancy footing and props.  Best in Show awards will be based on excellence of individual entry, not based on multiple wins with the same horse.

Model Sizes:

Traditional  - (Adults: 8-9", foals: 6") 
Classic - (Adults: 6-7", foals: 4")
Paddock Pals / Pebbles - (Adults: 5", foals 3”)
Stablemates / Chips -  (Adults: 3", foals: 1"-2")

Models smaller than Classic size may enter only in miniature divisions.  Models larger than Traditional size will show in the Traditional classes. (All sizes of models will compete together in Performance and China/Resin classes)

Model Finishes:

OF classes are for Original Factory finished models.  OF Plastic models are manufactured by Breyer, Peter Stone, Hartland, and others.  Damaged OF models may be restored to original condition as long as the restoration does not change the original “look” of the piece (broken legs may be glued; eartips/rubs may be touched up, etc.).   Models that have been altered in any other way (i.e. repainted eyes, markings added or removed, gloss finish added, etc.) must be shown in a Custom class.

Traditional size Stone Co. Factory Custom and Extreme Makeover models must be shown only in the Factory Custom/Extreme Makeover breed/halter classes.  For this show, any changes from the original molds are considered Factory Customs  -- so horses with twitched ears, swished tails, or removed bobs, for example, will be shown in the Factory Custom classes.  Mini Factory Customs/Extreme Makeover models will show with the regular run models in the mini classes.

OF China/Resin classes are for Original Factory finished earthenware ceramic, bone china, porcelain, or resin models. 

CM (Custom) classes are for one-of-a-kind, repainted or resculpted plastic or factory resin models.  Cold painted chinas that have not had the finish fired on in a kiln must show in the CM classes. 

AR classes are for limited-production Artist Resin models that have been painted by either the sculpting artist or by any other artist.  Animal Artistry resins will show in the Artist Resin classes.

CM Fired classes are for custom one-of-a-kind, artist-decorated earthenware ceramic, bone china, or porcelain models that have been fired in a kiln.   Ceramic, china, or porcelain models that have been painted with oil paints, acrylics, pastels, or other non-fired media must show in the CM classes.

Judging Criteria

Breed/Halter classes will be judged on: 1) Correct structural anatomy and conformation; 2) Breed type & Correct breed assignment;  3) Condition/Finish.  Rarity or collectibility will not be considered.

Collectibility classes will be judged mainly on 1) Age, 2) Rarity, and 3) Desirability.  Other criteria such as condition, conformation, anatomy, and breed type are secondary in importance. 

Workmanship classes will be judged mainly on finishwork:  1) Quality of paint job – Realistic colors and blending; correct detailing, realistic finish;  2) Prepwork and/or sculpting – Smooth seams and/or appropriate sculpture work.  Anatomy / Conformation / Breed Type / Breed Assignment of secondary importance.

Performance classes will be judged on:  1) Correctly structured horse with proper breed assignment; 2) Suitability of horse to the task it is performing 3) Proper tack and equipment, correctly used; 4) Condition/Finish. 

In Overall Finals & Best in Show, Reserve Champions may not be placed higher than any Champions that have already defeated those same Reserve Champions.

Judges may not judge their own work nor may they judge a model that they have owned within the past six months of the show date.  Judges are allowed to show in any division that they are not judging.  Neither the showholders nor any member of the showholders’ family may enter any classes at this show.

Awards

1^st through 4^th place in each class will receive a custom flat ribbon; all Champions and Reserve Champions will receive rosettes.  Rosettes and prizes for Grand Championship and Best in Show awards.

*RESS Challenge Classes:

Will be held on Saturday, October 7, 2006 beginning at 8:30 am.  All artists are invited to enter the RESS challenge in Finish Work Only, Sculpture Only, or Combined Finish & Sculpture classes.  Further information and entry forms for these classes are posted here.

**Youth Division is for exhibitors 17 years of age and under.  

***Notes on breed assignment:

For this show, if there is a registry for a type of horse, it may show as a "Purebred", even if the registry is not closed.  If you prefer, you may choose to show your open-registry horse in Mixed Breed, stating your "breed" with the mixture given also.  For example, you may show your Azteca in Mixed Spanish Breeds, stating the mix as "Andalusian x Quarter Horse" (or whatever mixture is allowed by the Azteca registry you are using for reference).  

If your horse's mix of breeds is not known, "Grade" is a valid and acceptable description for horses in the Mixed Breed classes. 

Feral Mustangs of unknown ancestry go in the Mixed Breed class in the breed group that most represents the type of the Mustang you are showing.   (Spanish Mustangs go in Spanish Group.) 

Hackney horses will show in the Carriage Breed classes.  Lipizzaners will show in Other Pure Spanish Breeds.  Akhal Tekes may show in Other Light or Other Sport.  Nez Perce horses may show in Other Light, Other Sport, or Other Stock, depending on the phenotype of your particular horse (for example, if your Nez Perce resembles the Appaloosa side of the family, you may show him in Other Purebred Stock or Other Mixed Stock -- if he looks more like an Akhal Teke, you may enter him in Other Light, Other Sport, or the Mixed Breed classes of these groups).

Any other breed questions should be directed to the showholder ( springtime@zianet.com ) 

Reference material will be available for judges to use at the show, and documentation / explanation sheets (no larger that 8.5" x 11") are welcome and highly recommended for any rare or new breeds. 

Run For the Border!