December 2020/January 2021 Issue

Page 10 December 2020/January 2021 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN Virtual Showing Earns a Blue Ribbon During COVID Any camera will do. And here is what virtual ECRRA showing looks like: Go to the Facebook page ECRRA Virtual Show Series and join. (https://www.facebook.com/ groups/ECRRA) There is no wait to be approved. Remember, both nonmembers and members can compete. Another advantage is that no one has to be in a partic- ular region. Below is a quick and easy rundown. • Sign up via email • Pay with PayPal • Patterns online the first day of the show • Post your own video for each class or picture for halter • Post the video as a comment • Must upload • Prizes will be cash back with PayPal The season has far exceeded the founders’ expectations. There were many unexpected advan- tages: 1. Higher quality judges 2. Exhibitors could pay extra for critiques 3. Also, entries could do a comparison by viewing other Riders’ scores and their rides 4. More entries beyond regions, global 5. More members 6. The club does not have the expenses such as grounds, or travel expenses for judges or selves The organization even held a virtual championship and the results can be found on the Facebook page. This year the highest booty for championship was $400 won by Ian McBride. The association made more in the first two weeks of showing than previous years. There were minimal disad- vantages. An unexpected major one was that the management team thought jitters would ease because of showing alone with no audience, however just the oppo- site happened—entrants reached for perfection, creating anxiety, sometimes re-filming numerous times. Every rider seemed to share this expectation and the ability to re-ride until they were content. Terry believes the advantag- es far outweigh the disadvantag- es. Actually, Gina said, the virtual showing enhanced the goals of the club by collectively raising the bar. And as for the future of virtual showing, the ECRRA association recently sent out a survey. By maintaining some virtual showing, every- one around the world would have access. The association is projecting and preparing to address a mix of physical and virtual. If there is some glimmer of light in the pandemic, ECRRA’s transformation has led to a learning experiment with a promising outcome. Terry says for example, an entrant from England where no Ranch Horse Shows are available in her location was able to be very competitive with her quality quarter horses. Now, she will tell her friends. Terry was also impressed with the ease of Gina’s design. Social media for this reason has been very positive, making connections to reach people never able to be involved in the program. This has made COVID-19 an unlikely positive. The virtu- al showing has helped reduce anxiety for some during this devastating pandemic. Judges and entries have been engaging and enthusiastic, as projected. And judges can sit in their PJs if they choose! The goal to help riders of any caliber improve has been fulfilled in virtual showing. This made a believer out of Terry. Another sliver of good news for 2020: Virtual entry numbers exceeded 1900. Alicia Stephens Martin is a businesswoman and writer from South Central Pennsylvania, author of two novels Spurred to Justice and Private Mom, she has written many articles for salon and equestrian publica- tions. Her third novel, Spurred to Jump, should leap onto shelves in 2021. (Continued from page 8) Tell our advertisers you found them in East Coast Equestrian.