Well I am having trouble as I think a good miniature horse show should have all of the above......
To me in picking which shows to attend each year it is a combination of things........I for one Want a great facility, I don't want to have to show on the pavement while Breyerfest is in the indoor arena (had that happen at the horse park and we were showing in the rain), I don't want to have to be in stalls that have red clay for flooring, I don't really want to hike a mile from stalls to arena, indoor wash racks, seating for spectators, is the facility safe for the horses as far as stalls......ext......
Judges, it is their opinion on that day, but good horses are good horses, I am a person that if my horse goes out and does what I ask of it then I am happy with them, win or not. I do remember judges and what they like though.
Distance I have to travel to get to my shows so ............I really don't want a 15 hr trip, but I have went to several shows 10 hrs away, my "norm" is 6-7.
Cost - plain and simple showing horses is expensive, $10 more for a nice stall is so worth it to me.........the diffence in cost is "usually" minimal so not a huge thing. People have to think - is going to a show with less than avg facilities - and trashy stalls saving money?? when you have to put 4 bags of shavings in each stall to keep the horse clean??
It just depends on how I would rank them........I would go to a better facility with good judges that is far away than a close show held in a hole in the wall. I would pay more for a nice facility, friendly show staff, good manager, timely staff, good judges then others too.........