INSPECTION BENEFITS: EDUCATION, MARKETING AND FUN

By Caryn Vesperman

While they take time and a lot of effort to organize, inspections open to the public have benefits that far outweigh the work involved.

“Inspections get your name out there,” said Meg Williams, owner of Oakwood Farms, Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Meg has hosted inspections with the Hanoverian Society for more than 30 years.

In addition to increasing awareness of your business, inspections provide educational opportunities, showcase your horses, promote sales and create camaraderie.

Education is one of the most important factors with inspections. “The part I like best is when the inspection judges discuss conformation,” said Marie Caldwell, owner of the Hanoverian mare, D’Amore (Damsey x Rousseau/ Bordeaux). “I feel it helps train my eye on what to look for, plus how conformation affects movement and usefulness such as saddle position for keeping the saddle in place.”

Inspections also help provide a chance for breeders to share their experiences with each other. “We breeders can talk about what bloodlines are a good nick and what crosses improve certain characteristics,” said Meg. “It’s a great way to help us learn from each other.”

For both the public and breeder education, inspections provide a baseline for evaluating the horses equally, especially with the Mare Performance Test. “I’m impressed with the thought around maintaining the quality, type and longevity of the Hanoverian breed,” said Angela Genin, owner of the Hanoverian mare, Wicked Cute (Widmark x EM Emma/El Bundy), who has attended several inspections. “This is very apparent when the judges talk about what to watch for with certain lines and give feedback about whether a factor in the lines are related to temperament or conformation,” said Meg.

Meg also has sold foals, broodmares and young mares under saddle as a result of awareness of her inspection and breeding operation – some have offered to purchase foals they’ve seen that day. For inspection sites that stand a stallion, it also gives the public a great opportunity to see the stallions and their offspring.

“Sometimes people attend inspections to check out foals to purchase,” said Meg. “I tell them if they come, they can see foals from many different sires out of many different broodmare lines, so they can see what several breeders are producing, all in one place.”

In spite of the work involved in hosting an inspection, Meg said they’re worth it. ”You see the babies all cleaned up and can see the difference between a foal that’s a few weeks old to one that’s a few months,” she said. “You can talk with the judges, which often means talking with a judge from the Hanoverian Verband. Best of all, you feel all of the enthusiasm for the horses. It’s really a lot of fun.”

JOIN US IN CELEBRATING ALL THE WINNERS

JOIN US IN CELEBRATING ALL THE WINNERS