The View From the Judges Stand

I have had the opportunity to judge a bunch of shows this winter and thought since the show season is getting ready to really gear up in our area, that it might be a good time to give exhibitors some insight as to what I and other judges are thinking when you come in to the show ring.

# 1 – Remember the ‘show’ in horse show.  Too many times (particularly in the winter) I see horses that have dirty white parts and long manes. Even worse, I see riders with dirty boots and hair falling out of their hats.  Part of showing is to present the best picture of you and your horse so why would you come in the ring that way?  It’s like going to the prom with dirty jeans and a date who hasn’t bathed or brushed his teeth in a week.

# 2 – Make sure you are ready for whatever classes you choose to go in.  A horse show is not the time to try something new.  Whatever skill level you and your horse are performing at should be something that you have practiced and mastered at home and/or in lessons with your trainer.  Your goal should be success, not attempt.  Showing is a stressful event for both rider and horse. Don’t push yourself past your comfort level or more importantly the comfort level of your horse.  This is not about winning blue ribbons necessarily (although that is a nice reward for your hard work) but about realizing that the work you have put in at home allows you to compete successfully, confidently, and safely.

#3- Going along with #2 is: if you have a green or young horse, let someone more experienced do some of the riding for you.  As a judge, I have never understood when I watch a novice rider and novice horse or pony try to show above their heads.  9 times out of 10, the experience is not good for anyone (including the judge).  There is nothing wrong with having someone else, either a professional or more experienced rider, introduce your horse to new things at the show. Many times, after a more experienced rider navigates a course with a green animal, the owner can do another class and be successful, even at the same show.  Don’t let your pride get in the way. The goal is to help your horse and ultimately yourself improve. It is not proof how tough you are because you can do it by yourself.

#4 – Remember that the judge is pulling for you. I don’t think that exhibitors realize that the judge is on your side. Even though we are tasked with penalizing mistakes and awarding ribbons to those who commit the fewest or have the horse in that class who performs the best, we want everyone who comes in the ring to do well.  In fact, I like nothing better than to watch someone improve as the day goes on and be able to reward them with a good ribbon for that achievement. Most of us are coaches (retired in my case) and riders ourselves. We understand the pressure of showing and the things that can go wrong no matter how well prepared you and your horse are when you walk in the ring. So don’t look at the judge as someone to be feared. If things don’t go as planned, handle it calmly and professionally with compassion for your horse. We will notice and respect you and your horsemanship for it.

#5- Make sure that you make showing a pleasant and happy occasion for you and your horse. Showing should be fun. If you are miserable after the day or your horse is completely stressed out the entire time, you need to re-evaluate. Am I asking too much of my horse? Is he properly prepared before he goes in the ring?  Am I properly prepared or pushing myself to do more than I am comfortable with?  Remember, showing is about spending time with your horse and other people who enjoy their horses as much as you do and about personal improvement goals for you and your animal with or without help of a trainer. If the negatives out way the positives, you are doing too much. Even if you manage to get a blue ribbon, if it’s a miserable event for everyone, is it really worth it?

Hope these thoughts help you as you start your show season. I will try to offer some more specific showing tips from the judges stand as the year goes on. And remember, if I see you in the ring, I’m on your side, so relax, have fun, and do the best you can!

In spite of the snow…Spring is on the way. Is it time for you to sell your farm?

Well, we finally got a taste of winter here in Fredericksburg. A few inches of snow… just enough to be pretty for a day or so and then hopefully to be gone.  The snow, ironically, has inspired me to think of the coming spring and those horse people out there who may be thinking, is this the year that I should sell my horse farm?  Here are a few points to consider when making that decision.

Is it time to sell my farm?  The answer is maybe. There are hopeful signs that our economy and the real estate market is picking up. Mortgage rates are still ridiculously low, the job market is improving, Quantico and other bases are in the midst of their BRAC move. My E-mails and calls from people looking for horse properties has picked up the last few weeks and what I am finding at the moment is that I don’t have a lot of properties to offer them (whether my own or those of other agents).  This is not surprising. Overall in our area, the listing inventory is down and the inventory of ‘ready to go’ horse farms is even lower.  So yes, a well priced ‘ready made’ horse property may very well may sell this year. The question for most sellers then becomes, can I sell my farm and get what I think it is worth or get back what I have put in to it with equine improvements?  That question is harder to answer and the truth may be a bit more hard to swallow. There is no doubt that the market for higher end properties is still dismal at best.  In Spotsylvania, for example, there were no sales in January 2012 above $500,000, horse farm or otherwise.  So, expensive properties are still a hard sell due to lender requirements and the virtual extinction of jumbo loans. However, for a seller willing and able to list their farm in the $300s or $400s I think things  look pretty rosy.  If you are a seller looking to downsize, retire, or just get rid of the upkeep of a farm that you built for children who rode and now long gone, it may very well be worth it to you to sell now and not wait for your property to be worth $500+ as it was 4 years ago.  It is going to take a long time to gain back the market value lost when the housing bubble burst and sellers should weigh that  loss in value against the upkeep of a farm and the time they may be losing moving on to other endeavors or places in life.  Of course, some sellers feel they can’t sell.  The second they took out to build that barn or put up fencing has now made them upside down and they feel they are stuck.  Even for those sellers who are looking to move on to greener pastures, there are options.  Short sales have become significantly easier in the past year and a good list agent/negotiator can usually get the job done. Many banks are forgiving the seller’s debt entirely and I have heard stories of people buying again right away (rare) and definitely within a few years.  Is it worth a short-term credit hit and a few years of renting to get out from under a farm that may be under water for a long time?  There is also another option for owners of horse farms that many don’t consider but that I deal with every day.  Without a doubt, the most enquiries I get are people moving to the area looking for rental farms and those properties are always few and far between. Many owners are surprised to find that their farm property will bring in significantly more rent then they anticipated and done correctly, by trying to place well qualified, responsible tenants in the property, this can be a good option. 

The most important thing  is for sellers who are desiring to sell, is to look at all the options and run all the numbers to see what may work now in the world and real estate market we live in.  Sometimes the answer may still be no, it’s not yet the time for me to sell, but unless one looks at the full picture, they may miss the opportunity to sell once the snow from our little weekend storm melts and spring has sprung.

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