We're back with another entry in the Live Show Secrets series! We're looking at documentation a little further in depth this week. I did touch briefly on creating documentation in the Breyer collectability post, but there's more to documentation than just collectability. I've noticed documentation is a frequent question in the model horse Facebook groups - what needs documentation? When is documentation not needed? Where do I start with making documentation?
Well, let's pull the curtain back and examine this! As a reminder, I'm a frequent model horse shower (averaging ten shows per year since 2023) who has received special documentation awards at more than one show for the quality of my documentation. I also am part of the admin team for the Model Horse Documentation Creation Facebook group, so I'm well-versed in giving documentation advice.
What is Documentation?
- Breed documentation: Identifies a breed's particular characteristics, like breed standard, accepted colors, and in some cases location of origin and history
- Collectability documentation: Identifies what a model is, when it was produced, and what makes it collectible
When Do I Need to Have Documentation?
An eternal question: when should I have documentation? As I have mentioned in other blog posts, if you want your horse judged for collectability, they must have collectability documentation. There's no question about it. Breed documentation is a little more fluid, but there are a few rules of thumb to follow if you're confused. Generally, you do not need breed documentation for every horse. As judges, we should know the breed standards for the common breeds, and therefore don't need the breed standard documented in front of us. There is this misconception I've seen that showers need to prove the effort they've put into their show string with documentation for every horse. This just is not true. Model horse showing is not a book report, judges are not placing your horse based on the quality of your documentation - they are judging your horse based on the horse itself. In many cases, documenting a common breed just takes up space on the table, and as a judge, I usually won't even look at documentation for a common breed in a common color.
So, what are my general rules for documentation? Let's break it down:
- Collectability documentation: Yes. A horse must have collectability documentation to be judged on collectability.
- Common breed in a common color: No. Your judge should already know this information.
- Common breed in an uncommon color: Probably. In most cases, you should document an uncommon color in a common breed. There are some less common colors that your judge may be aware of, but it doesn't hurt to document them anyway.
- Uncommon breed: Yes. Judges are expected to know the breed standards for the common breeds, but you can't expect them to know every breed. Less common breeds should have documentation.
The easiest way to make a distinction between a common breed and an uncommon breed is whether or not the breed has a specific class. Things like your Arabians, Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds, etc. have specific classes dedicated to their entries, and therefore they don't need breed documentation unless they're in an uncommon color.
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| I tend to make my uncommon colors on common breeds documentation as bare bones as possible - usually just a photo of a registered horse, including their name, and citing the source where I found it. |
That being said, this information applies only to open/NAN qualifying divisions at shows. If you are showing in youth or novice, it's likely you will have rules requiring breed documentation for everything - in this case, it's a learning experience. The information is not for the judges, it's a learning opportunity for the novice shower.
It is also worth noting that as of 2026, breed documentation for common breeds is not allowed at the BreyerFest Open Show. Personally, having shown at the Open Show since 2023, I find this to be a welcome change - with the amount of entries, this change will save so much space on the table. The breed list citing what breeds are allowed to be documented isn't out yet at the time of this blog post, but I look forward to seeing it!
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| BreyerFest Open Show 2024 - look at how much of this table is JUST documentation. |
What Information Should My Documentation Have?
We've looked at what documentation is, and when we should document. Now it's time to look at what information should be included in our documentation.
Collectability documentation should have:
- The model's name/model number
- The year(s) it was produced
- How it was obtainable (Regular Run, Web Special, BreyerFest Special Run, etc.)
- The run number if known
- Is it a variation? (chalky, pearly, etc.)
- Is there something else that makes it special? (Signature, sample, etc.)
- The source for your information (such as Identify Your Breyer or Breyer Horse Ref)
- Optional additions are the sculptor, mold number, and a photo of the model
Breed documentation should have:
- The physical characteristics of the breed (ideally straight from the breed standard)
- Accepted colors
- A photo of the breed
- The source for your information
- Optional additions are the location of origin for the breed and what the breed was bred for
You want to keep the information brief - especially with breed documentation. I've touched on this in my LSQ blog post, but judges do not have time to read a book's worth of information. Ideally, a judge gets through six classes in an hour to keep on pace - that's a class every ten minutes, including loading times. Keep your documentation to a few bullet points of relevant information - we really don't have time for more than that.
How Do I Find Quality Sources for My Information?
Okay, now we know what should be on our documentation. Now, how do we know what sources are credible? It's a little harder nowadays with the proliferation of AI. But there are ways to ensure your information is credible.
Your first step when creating breed documentation should be searching for the actual registry website of the breed. Usually, the registry will have a breed standard handy, as well as photos of the breed and voila! Your search is complete.
It's not always that easy. Some breeds are more obscure and don't have a website for the registry. Sometimes the registry website isn't in English (or your native language). In this case, your next step should be turning to a breed book. I have three I keep in my collection, and I'd recommend any of the three:
- International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds by Bonnie Hendricks (ISBN: 978-0-8061-3884-8)
- The Official Horse Breeds Standards Guide by Fran Lynghaug (ISBN: 978-0-7603-3804-9)
- Horses of the World by Élise Rousseu (ISBN: 978-0-691-16720-6)
Wikipedia is a good jumping off point in breed research, but it's not a source I'd choose to cite or rely on for my documentation. It can give you an overview, but use the citations on the page to glean where the information came from, and evaluate the source. Often, Wikipedia will directly link you to the breed standard or registry website and you can use that as your primary source.
When it comes to photos, I implore you to check and double check the photo. Pinterest is not a reliable source if you can't find the original image - much like Wikipedia, anyone can say anything about the image. For photos, like with my information, I look on the registry's website or Facebook page first. If I can't find something suitable, I move on to the websites and Facebook pages for farms that breed/show that breed. Ideally, I find the name and gender of the horse in question and I make sure to add that to my documentation. If I still can't find a photo (which is common in some of the more feral breeds) I go to photographers or government travel websites - anything official is good! My last resort are Facebook groups and online sales pages, but beware here, as it's easy for crossbreed and color misinformation to be spread as horses change hands. Always aim for your photo to be of a registered horse when possible.
Lesli Kathman wrote a blog post on accuracy in documentation which implores showers to check the accuracy of the information they put in their documentation. I highly recommend reading it, as it shows just how easy it can be to be led astray in research. Lesli also keeps a page on her blog with references for painting, but they work well as reliable sources for photos and information.
AI is not a reliable source, and often makes things up (it's called hallucinations). An easy way to filter out AI in your search is simply to add a -ai at the end of your search query.
The most important thing to remember is if you make a mistake in your research, don't take it personally. Accept the mistake, learn from it, and change it for next time. Your entries will be better for it.
How Do I Create Documentation?
Documentation seems intimidating to make, especially when you're just starting out. The good news is you don't need to make it complicated! Handwritten documentation is perfectly acceptable, especially for collectability. I've also used it as breed documentation in a pinch when adding a horse to my show string last minute, although personally I don't like to use it for breed (I prefer having an easily referenced photo, but that's just my preference.)
For those comfortable using a computer, my friend Sarah has a wonderful webinar on creating documentation. She's also the main admin behind the documentation Facebook grouped linked at the beginning of this post. Both the webinar and the Facebook group are excellent places to get advice on actually making documentation. Sarah's webinar walks you through making documentation step by step in a few different programs. I highly recommend watching it if you're new to making documentation, or even if you want to upgrade the documentation you already have.
One thing I'd like to touch on is to be mindful of the size of your documentation. As we know, space can be a premium in classes, and your documentation should only have a few bullet points of relevant information anyways. With that in mind, I'd recommend your documentation be no more than 4"x6" at most in order to be considerate to your fellow showers. Additionally, if the class is especially large, consider setting your horse on top of its documentation to make room for the other entries.
If documentation is especially intimidating to you, there are people in the hobby who create templates you can purchase. Personally, I don't do this, as my eye often finds these templates waste a lot of space, but I'm never going to knock someone who chooses to use them. If that is what makes the process easiest for you, by all means use a template.
It has at times been encouraged for showers to bring a breed book to use as documentation. Fortunately, more shows are moving away from that and explicitly disallow breed books being used as documentation. It goes back to the same table space issue - breed books take up a lot of it. You're better off using your breed book as a reference and rewriting the information in a separate documentation. In a pinch, I do keep a pocket sized breed book in my show tote for quick reference, but I rarely need to use it at a show.
I've also noticed people pulling their documentation up on their phones and leaving their phones on the table. As a judge, I'd like to politely ask showers not to do this. Phones go everywhere with us, and carry a plethora of germs - I don't want to touch a phone to see your documentation, be it through scrolling to read it or waking the phone back up because it went to sleep in the time between the entry being put on the table and me judging the class. Not to mention the privacy concerns, if a personal notification were to pop up on the screen while I was looking at the phone. If the choice is between documentation on a phone or handwritten documentation, I'd much rather see the handwritten version.
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| My pocket-sized breed book I keep in my show tote. For those looking for a copy, the ISBN is 978-1-58017-650-7 |
One final thing - use the resources you have at your disposal! Consider checking out your local library. It's likely their computers will have Microsoft Office installed, and if not they definitely have access to the internet so you can use Google Docs or Canva instead. Not to mention, they should have public printing, either for free or low cost (at my own library the first ten pages a day print for free). You don't necessarily have to spend money on fancy software.
Can I Buy Documentation?
Short answer: No, you cannot buy documentation.
Long answer: No, do not buy pre-made documentation. It is highly unlikely that the person selling documentation has the rights to use the images and information on them for profit. If you remember my post about plagiarism in the hobby, that's copyright infringement. It's not worth it, and you'll retain the information better if you create the cards yourself. That's why you did homework in school. If creating documentation is hard for you, there are options, as I've listed above. You'll feel more pride when your horses win with documentation you've created yourself.
In summary, documentation doesn't have to be scary. You don't need breed documentation on every horse you bring. Your breed documentation doesn't need to be long - a few brief and relevant bullet points will suffice! If using a computer is hard, handwritten documentation is perfectly fine. Make sure to double and triple check the citations you use, but don't sweat it if you make a mistake - just fix it for next time! This hobby is meant to be for fun, and you'll learn most by doing. If you need help, there are plenty of resources for you to use to make your documentation, as long as you aren't afraid to ask. My blog comments are always open, and you can find me in the Documentation Facebook group as well.
I also focused more heavily on the creation and finding sources for breed documentation in this post. If you have questions on collectability documentation, I highly recommend you check out my post on collectability entries linked at the beginning of this post.
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