NAMHSA Judging & Showing Clinics
Sponsored by STONE HORSES, A fundraiser event to benefit NAN 2026!
When: Wednesday July 9th, 2025; 6-9pm
Where: Paddock Pavilion, Marriot Griffin Gate, Lexington KY
Pre-registration is highly recommended, but sign up at the door will be available as space allows. Sign up to attend the clinic HERE
Cost: $20 for NAMHSA Members, $30 for non-members. Send a paypal payment to treasurer@namhsa.org
Not a member yet? Register HERE! All new members who sign up for NAMHSA between May 1st and July 14th will be automatically entered into a FREE drawing for a OOAK Stone model generously donated to NAMHSA by Erin & Stone Horses!
Schedule:
Doors will open at 6pm for happy hour with free snacks provided by Stone and a cash bar. Meet some new friends and connect with long time ones as we all relax and get into the vibes of the biggest model horse event of the year!
At 7pm, we’ll start with a quick intro and then each instructor will break off to their respective topics and participants may choose which workshop they’d like to attend at that time. Participants are welcome to split their time by moving between workshops as long as doing so is not disruptive, but we do recommend to stay with a single topic for the duration in order to gain the most benefit.
Our topics this year will be:
- Breed led by Betsy Andrews (focusing on OF Spanish Breeds, CM British Drafts, AR European Ponies)
- Collectibility led by Robin Roberts (focusing on OF Vintage Breyer, Stone DAH/OOAK, OF SR Mini)
- Performance led by Laura Skillern Sailer (focusing on Working Western, Dressage, and Costume)
What’s the format? How will this work?
Each instructor will begin with an introduction of themselves and their background/experience in the hobby, followed by a general explanation of their strategy and priorities in judging their division. Each participant including the instructor will have the chance to quietly judge the class individually, then the group will come back to discuss questions that arose during judging, and differences in priorities. The instructor will share how they placed the class and ask for volunteers to share their placings and strategy as well. We all have things to learn from each other and this should be thought of as a collaborative experience.
Each division will have 3 different classes set up and can repeat the above process for each while discussing the similarities and differences between them. Depending on the number of participants, entries and length of discussions, each workshop may or may not get through the 3rd class by the 9pm cutoff.
Attendees are encouraged to bring volunteer “entries” for any classes, and it’s a great time to hear feedback on those entries in the context of judges describing how and why they place classes as they do. All 9 classes will be set up on individual tables during the happy hour. If one of your models can be elligible for multiple classes, please choose just one – we don’t want to distract the classes with moving horses around. We’re asking no additional entries be added once the workshops begin in order to allow participants to focus fully on the discussions. Entries can be removed once the workshops are over.
FAQ’s:
- Unless specified, all sizes are welcome in each class. Judges will discuss splitting classes as a topic during the workshops
- Performance classes are all sizes/finishes combined
- Description cards are encouraged as they will likely be a discussion topic
- No need to provide leg tags or 3×5 cards, we’re not recording or tracking results. We’ll number all the classes once entries are down with post its jst to make tracking your placings easier
- There are no limits on entries to put down for each class or having to stay in the workshop where you put down entries
- There are NO prizes or official placings being awarded – these are for educational purposes only
- Participants are welcome to take notes during the discussions