It’s disappointing to me that people wouldn’t follow the protocols. If people get sick because of this horse show, it will definitely impact future shows - this virus is so so contagious that it truly only takes one. I do agree with the OP on that front. Hopefully people are smarter.
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Completely agree with you. I also think people should be taking all precautions if they want to go to a gathering like this.
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How would they enforce any requirement that Suzy Trainer must contact show management a week after the show to report an illness? Once Suzy Trainer leaves the show grounds, show management has no authority over her. I believe it is up to public health officials to do contact tracing of COVID patients. If public health officials get in touch with show management due to contact tracing, then management should share names and contact information of all attendees.
Just because some people would not comply does not mean a) other/all people won’t; b) you don’t put such policies in place.
This kind of reduction to zero thinking is no good. I’m not from or near TX, but the horse shows I grew up with had a strong community and repeat players. People on a whole really wanted to follow rules that kept the community safe and the shows going. Sure, there were the odd folks who didn’t and everyone knew who they were. But good people (of whom there are many, I am sure, in the TX show circuit) who read in a form they signed that they are requested/obligated to inform the show management if they or a family/barn member tested positive w/i 14 days of the show would, I believe, do that. I guess I don’t have as bad an opinion of the majority of the attendees. Also, someone who knows Susie Trainer and was at the show and knows she tested positive could also call themselves as someone exposed to Susie Trainer. NOT ratting out non-compliant Susie Trainer, mind. Saying, “I was exposed to a person at the show who tested positive w/i 14 days so I want to report that I am now self isolating, etc.”
If people are brought into the situation with the understanding that this is a community and if we want to keep having things like having horse shows, we all have to be part of the solution, I believe you can get a lot of compliance. The issue is not what authority the show management has after the show. The issue is what integrity the show attendees have and how much the whole community wants to re-start and maintain horse showing.
Public health officials will become involved as well. But if we ask zero of the individuals and of these organizations who make money holding these events - that’s just crap. So people who want to show and people who attend and work those shows and the organizations that run them should have nothing expected of them and all the burden should shift to public health employees and tracing volunteers? Nonsense! Time for everyone to adult and if there are a few Susie Trainers who don’t or won’t, don’t use them as a shield to expect nothing of anyone. Let them stand out among the folks who are good and honest and willing to do whatever it takes to keep horse shows alive.
Someone on anther thread (maybe the one about what would make you feel comfortable showing) asked if we want to see the tradition/culture/sport of horse events die out. Well, expecting something of the attendees is part of how we keep it from dying out. Not throwing up our hands and saying there’s nothing we do b/c of some bad actors like Susie Trainer.
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We will just have to disagree. I don’t think trying to make show management become responsible for public health and contact tracing AFTER their show is over, is a practical solution. Show management is not trained on public health issues. Let public health officials do their job.
Yes, they should 100% comply with all local and state guidelines for their event. But, it is not their responsibility to try to keep track and do contact tracing for all show participants. There are people trained in public health issues and they are better equipped to handle contact tracing.
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The show is small, people are doing a good job of wearing masks and social distancing. My chances of being exposed to Covid at this show are significantly lower than at HEB, Kroger, Academy, Best Buy… I place my relative risk about the same as walking about Herman or Memorial Park.
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Fair enough on the disagreeing bit. But you mistake my point: it’s not to “make show management become responsible for public health.” It’s to have show management and all event organizers PLAY A PART in the communication with and engagement of the whole community that is necessary to get this under control. I don’t think they should be the only actors; I think they should do their bit. To expect nothing from them and attendees seems unfair especially to those public health officials doing their jobs (many of whom will be volunteer tracers). I don’t think it’s right that those people bear all the burden for other people’s voluntary gatherings and events. We all have to play our part at every level. That’s my point.
The only way to beat this thing anywhere is to beat it everywhere. We are all in it together. We cannot simply leave it all up to public servants.
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It’s good to hear you feel confident attending. I hope it’s a successful show for all!
The unfortunate reality is that “Susie trainer” (why is it always Susie? ;)) is not likely or required to broadcast her Covid positive status to anyone, until she is hospitalized, if then. If Susie doesn’t tell you then you will have to rely on contact tracing which is pretty much in it’s infancy at this point in time, and there’s the rub. Until contact tracing and testing is in full swing you are depending on strangers to be diligent and honest.
You are betting your life and the lives of those around you, that these people, whom you don’t know from Adam are one of these, that
a. understand the very contagious nature of the virus, how little is still known about it, have access to and know how to properly use PPE, have educated themselves about the virus, and are very, very diligent.
b. have not educated themselves and are ignorant regarding the transmission and other important facts and unknowns about the virus and are not familiar with proper protocol to prevent virus transmission. Not because they are stupid, but because they haven’t bothered to educate themselves.
or
c. they just don’t give a damn about other peoples lives. That might change if someone actually died in their presence but I wouldn’t bet on it.
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To me, this is actually the most terrifying part. Outdoor venue with limited contact I’m honestly not too worried about. Groups of friends having dinner without any regard to social distancing, that’s virus spread waiting to happen.
There’s probably a higher chance than not that there will be a series of cases due to this show, which is scary and sad. How bad that is remains to be seen.
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Yes, people on horses should be at least six feet apart at all times, regardless of the virus. That’s less likely when they’re sitting around the dinner table.
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@skydy I do hear you. I understand a lot of people don’t know better, don’t care to do better, and/or just don’t give a toss. And that’s super unfortunate. No way to beat a thing that requires everyone to play their part if many people won’t play their part. I guess I’m just trying to brainstorm a new way forward. We cannot fall back on what we used to do. We need to set up new expectations for a new normal. Just like safety changes have occurred slowly (helmets for example) there have been mandated changes that many people were against but they eventually had to get on board or not participate. i hope we can do that and not stop short at “that’s not management’s job” and “Susie won’t do it so let’s not bother doing anything.” We have to be more creative and forward-looking than that.
As far as Susie being secretive (and she sounds like a real jerk so I bet she would be :lol:) what I meant was, riding communities being very small, my thought was someone close to Susie could call IDing themselves as having been exposed to her. But that would be relying on Susie’s inner circle to self-report so I do get the limitation there, for sure.
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Just a question, but what is the responsibility relative to a horse popping hot with strangles or herpes virus after they attended a show venue? Do they tell the show public, horse X with trainer B came down with XYZ and was stabled in barn 8 while showing in classes 1, 2, 3, and 4, along with notifying officials? Would it not be the same for a person testing positive after a show?
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As I say in my job, you have to start somewhere. Its a small show. It was a great way to see what would work and would not work. Its a data point.
People socializing after hours at restaurants have nothing to do with how a show can run with the new guidelines. Besides, we are still at the 25% capacity rule.
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Very curious to hear from people that competed at this show.
How was the experience?
Did it seem not so bad once you got used to the new procedures and restrictions?
Or did it end up not really being worth it?
Are you ready to go back to showing a full schedule with this “new normal”?
Also curious to hear from the OP since they were SO SURE that this show was going to get shut down. What happened on this front?
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I just want to make a statement, from a different view. My complete means of income is working an ingate at horse shows. To those of us that make a living that way (example: Ingates, Judges, Jump Crew, Braiders, Course Designers etc) It is just as imperative that we try to get back to work as everyone else in America. That is how we pay our bills and feed our families etc. Horse Showing is not only about having an extracurricular activity like many of the exhibitors. So, while I can see the concern from those who dont necessarily see the importance of showing again, for a lot of us its a job. I, personally believe, that if we can find a way (and it takes hours, days, weeks of meetings, thinking and planning the proper way to do this safely) to horse show, it will continue to help people and stimulate the economy again. Yes, this virus is extremely serious, but its not going anywhere for awhile. There is a way to safely compete and run a great horse show. There is not a management company I know in our world, that would not put the safety of the staff and exhibitors first.
This is solely the opinion of a poor Ingate girl that needs employment just like everyone else in the country. I have faith in our industry and in our management and our facilities to only do the best to keep our industry going as well as keeping everyone safe and healthy.
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Yep. I have had a horse at the same show a horse left with strangles and at the same show a horse left with EHV-1. Was never notified about the strangles but was notified about the EHV-1.
So instead of posting an update here, the OP has sent me a PM.
Since she started this thread, it would seem appropriate to provide the update here.
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It’s my understanding that strangles is not a reportable disease in Texas. Ethically I think a trainer has a responsibility to report it to show management, but I guess they aren’t required to. I know that during Winter Series in Katy this year, there was a barn that had EHV-1 and a different barn that had a horse with strangles. Both were reported to show management and my trainer was informed by management of both diseases being present at the show. My question is how sick or infectious horses were allowed to travel and enter the show grounds.
