Evention Tv, started by and starring up and coming eventers Jimmie and Dominic Schramm of Atglen, PA, is an award-winning eventing how-to web series that expects 300,000 views in September. The show answers questions on training and horse care ‘people are too afraid to ask’.
Social media and the internet are changing how people live their lives and how they get their information. As for information about horses and riding, one spot where people are looking is Evention TV, produced by Jimmie and Dominic Schramm of Atglen, PA.
Evention TV is a weekly equine "how to" web series, created in September of 2012 by Schramm Equestrian. The episodes are filmed and edited by Right Start Production, a new business launched by another couple, Grace Darnell and Matt Raupplius, who are experienced videographers. The show, which maintains quality production values and strives to present information in a fun and easy to digest way, aims to answer questions that eventing enthusiasts encounter on a daily basis. But it also covers topics that are of interest to the entire equestrian community.
"I used to teach a lot of clinics. I originally had the idea of writing a book but people don't read much in this day and age so I had the thought of doing something on line," Dominic Schramm, 25, said.
Both Schramms are event riders. Originally from Charleville, Australia, Dominic relocated to the United States in 2010. This year he is showing Intermediate eventer Cold Harbor. Dominic's wife Jimmie, 26, is originally from Dallas, Texas. She earned a North American Young Rider Championship team gold medal, and was the nation’s top preliminary rider in 2004 and 2005. She won the CIC* at Redhills in Tallahassee FL last year with her horse Bellamy, and has moved up to advanced level this year.
Too Afraid to Ask
With such a wealth of experience in eventing the Schramms have a lot to share with their audience, but it does not always pertain to just their discipline.
"We do the videos on things that people are too afraid to ask about. We wanted to deliver information in a way that was fresh, but we didn’t want to make fun of people for not knowing something simple. That's where it started. Now we're trying to find more and more stuff to do," Jimmie said.
Some of the topics for Evention TV videos are based on the work the Schramms are doing with their horses at the time, while others are based on audience feedback and questions.
"We get questions from 'how do I teach my horse flying changes', right through to ‘how do I groom my horse’ and everything in between. It's all different genres, and different disciplines," Dominic said. "There's no shortage of ideas that people out there are looking to get help with.
"Every week we get viewers from 186 different countries. Surveys show 85 percent of our audience is female, 30 percent are age 18 to 25 and 30 percent are 25 to 65. It's a younger adult and adult amateur audience. We get on average ten to fifteen questions from viewers a day, the vast majority regarding English disciplines," Dominic said.
People are watching the videos both for their entertainment value and for useful information. "For people that are not really competing, but maybe don't have the time or inclination to go out and take regular lessons, it's the kind of thing where they can get a helping hand," Dominic said.
The episodes are unscripted and being comfortable on camera was more of a challenge for Jimmie, who had no on-camera experience, than for Dominic, who did some acting in high school. “We just have to act like we are actually teaching someone, and that makes it easier,” Jimmie said. The couple tries to keep the episodes interesting to a wide audience and even experienced horse owners can pick up training tips while enjoying the show. "We try to get it a little bit light hearted and conversational," Jimmie said.
Each episode includes “Schrammo’s Shout Out,” which highlights a horse rescue. Some Evention episodes are filmed at Boyd and Silva Martin’s nearby Windurra Farm.
Award Winning Show
Evention recently won the Best Newcomer Award in the Equine Social Media Awards and placed third in Best YouTube Channel category. At the current growth rates the Schramms expect the total number of views in September 2013 to exceed 300,000.
The episodes are available free of charge to reach the widest audience possible. "We made it free because that's the easiest way, and more people were likely to watch it if it was free, and I think that's the way we're going to keep it," Jimmie said.
The Schramms have reached the end of the season and are taking a break from taping new shows, but they plan to be back with more for their followers. "The next season is going to be different. We’re going to have some surprises. It will still be the same sort of funny, light hearted thing," Dominic said. "We'd love to get it on TV but that may be a long way off."
During the break, viewers can catch up with any episodes they may have missed or re-watch favorites by simply going on line. Past and current episodes can be found at www.youtube.com/EventionTv or viewers can follow the program on facebook at www.facebook.com/eventiontv. To learn more about Schramm Equestrian, check out the stable's Web site, schrammequestrian.com.