Saddle Pads and Judging

     So I might be a glutton for punishment, it's hard to say. The other day I started working on a bunch of saddle pads. I only got as far as cutting them out, there is still a lot to do if I want them to actually be saddle pads, but there is a possibility that I might have a few saddle pads available at my live sale on Sunday. Only time will tell. 

    A month or so ago I agreed to judge the custom performance division for the MEPSA year end champ show. That was a poor life choice. Not only do I have a ton going on at the moment but we also seem to have one crisis after another these days. But I said I would do it, so I am doing it. Instead of having any free time to myself in the evening, I judge some of the classes. I brought the box of photos with me to the laundromat and judged in my car. I feel when you make a promise, you should keep it unless there is an incredibly good reason not to. 

     I was incredibly pleased to see when I opened the box that not only were the different divisions separated into baggies, but each class was separated into its own baggie. That makes judging, sorting and organizing incredibly easy. Elena Lemm is an excellent champ show coordinator and I appreciate all of her hard work. 

     I have gotten a chance to see some really nice photos and a handful of things that made me scratch my head and wonder how they got missed and made it into the champ show. I found an entry with a doll that had no shoes on! And then several classes later, the same horse and doll, still no shoes. I've seen photos that have that amazing, eye catching "wow" factor on first look. But if you focus on the details you realize that while the photo is lovely, the things that are happening in it are incorrect or even dangerous. On the other hand there are also photos that are a little bit dull on first look but you realize that they are about as flawless as a photo can be. It is definitely an interesting experience judging a photo show. 
    I have my photos entered in the Breyerfest virtual show and I hope that some of them at least place. I set up my live show entries, against a plain backdrop and tried to make sure every detail was correct. Then I tried to add that "wow" factor to my entries. Sometimes it worked. Some entries I know I need to work on a bit. But showing should not be stagnant. Even photo showing. If you find that your pictures don't do well maybe you need to retake them, or tweak something. I have a new horse and I want to take some new photos for Cardshark. I still have time, but right now I don't have time, lol. And I am waiting on some tack. I may also need to make a doll... so many things to do! I should really focus on my live sale. Just 5 days to wait now!