Advice on hosting a dressage show

[warmbloodlover11]

I live in a major city and unfortunately all the big show venues have been sold to developers so any recognized show is now a 2 hour drive. We have venues in the area which can support 1 ring shows so I was considering trying to organize a series of day shows locally so we all don’t have to travel 2 hours, pay for hotel, etc.

My question is do you think anyone would be interested in single day shows which would qualify for regionals?

What about if it is haul in only, no day stall?

I don’t know if we could afford to do a level 3 show so I am also considering doing level 1 or 2.

I just feel like it’s a shame we can’t do something in this area where people don’t have to pay for a hotel, haul two hours, pay for weekend stall, etc

Yes, there are schooling shows in the area but wanting to try to do something recognized.

Appreciate any advice or insight anyone has which has tried to do this or if anyone sees value in this.

[Red_Dust]

maybe reach out to the governing body as to what they require to make your endeavor recognized.
Do you have the volunteers? The funds?

I think you ought to start with a schooling show to get your feet wet (and talk with the organizers in your area, perhaps they are willing to do a joint venture?)
Honestly I have never gotten past volunteer status, manning hospitality and concessions.

I think though you need to figure out the cost of lease of the venue, $$ for insurance, judges, awards, Reach out to local first responders, you ought to have a team of EMTs on hand. A vet. a farrier.
Reach out to vendors. Both equestrian goods and libations.
Ask city hall what permits you need (and cross the st and dot the lower case js )

Also reach out to barns in the area, what classes would they like to see, and would they want to send riders over.

I am sure there are people who know much more about this.
I am just looking at it from the outside in, what do you need at the venue to make it a success.
(I am considering to start a business. ‘What do I need’ )
And yeah, are there toilets or do you have to order port-a-potties?

[Demerara_Stables]

I’m probably not in your area, but if I showed rated shows I’d definitely be interested.

[VodkaRedbullx2]

I would be interested if it saved me from hauling 2+ hours.

[Bogey2]

Bearspot in Concord MA does a great job with recognized shows that have no stabling and they sell out within hours with a wait list. Maybe reach out to them!

[warmbloodlover11]

Thank you for the tip!!

[Alpha_Mare]

We have local farms that host a series of schooling shows and 3-4 rated shows a year. For a one ring show it sells out in a day. The two ring show is also very popular but a little more accessible as far as entries. What is very cool is to be able to show in a schooling show a week or month before the rated show to get your horse used to the venue. Consider also the middle of the week for a one day, ship in show. Doesn’t have to be saturday.

[dotneko]

One of the flies in the ointment is the judge. Unless you are in a judge-rich environment, you will have to fly one in, pay a hotel the night before and their day fee. Figure a minimum of $1000 just for that expense - $500 for the judge, 350 for the flight, 150 for a hotel.
Next, add a TD, emt, ribbons, portapotties, insurance etc.
Now, a 1 day show can run a max of 60 rides (if you have lights, maybe 70). If you go too long, you need to pay overtime. I once did 85 rides and was pretty exhausted after.
60 rides X 70 dollars a ride (thats a high fee) gets you 4200 to play with. Not a huge margin of error. You need advertising, fees to USDF, USEF…
Run the numbers first before you commit.
Most shows need a minimum of 2 days to spread the fixed expenses (travel, advertising, fees) into twice as many rides. Or have two rings to cut costs a bit.
Forgot to add - many judges wont fly in for a one day show - its hard to travel the day before and travel home the next. But sometimes a venue adds a clinic day on the following day to make it more attractive to a judge.
Part of Bear Spots success is there are many judges in New England willing to come for just the day. They own the property, so no rental fees.

[Djones]

I was thinking the same. The fixed costs are what they are with a hard limit on rides per day. Better crunch those numbers hard.

[atr]

When we did this, we worked with another barn and each of us hosted a one day show, one on the Friday, one on the Saturday. That way we could share the judge and TD. We advertised it as a “dressage festival.” It was quite popular.

Another thought is to have the judge stay on for a day or so after and do a clinic.

[Snow_Mass]

We’re located in a remote area and host both USEF/USDF and just GMO licensed shows. A lot of what has been written is on point. I strongly suggest you reach out to your USDF GMO because they will have guidelines in place (and in writing) that reviews the requirements and resources needed to host a USEF level 1or 2 show. Then start here: https://www.usef.org/compete/resources-forms/competition-management/competition-licensing
Finding an open show date can sometimes be a challenge. 2 hrs isn’t that far between shows - it’s 100 radical miles and even if that includes a roadless, impassable mountain range, the USEF will require a presidential modification. (ask me how I know )
Judges generally book a year or 2 out. Try to find a “S” in your drive market to save on airfare. You can get away with a “R” through 4th but that won’t serve your FEI competitors)
TD’s are harder to book because there are so fewer of them. (I already have a TD booked for 2026.)
Show officials, their transportation and accommodation, and facility rental will be your biggest expenses. Does your group own a dressage court? You may have to rent one.
Look at show premiums in your GMO and see what is being charged and then ask if your group can do it for a similar budget. Shows with stabling generally get a significant amount of profit off of stalls. Our group can offer stabling but we net $0 from it and have to pay for the facility rental, including the set up day before. Most of competitors at our 1 day show haul in and out. Don’t forget contracts for each of your show officials, insurance, an on-site EMT, farrier and vet on call, and a strong volunteer base to enable the show to run smoothly.
Remote locations can successfully host USEF/USDF/GMO licensed shows! We’ve been doing it for 37 yrs!
Use your resources! Good Luck!!

[joiedevie99]

If you are looking for a model, check out Sperry View Farm in CT and Kirby Hill Farm in NY. They are both boarding barns that run wonderful, organized small shows with limited to no stabling offered. That have been very successful and are well attended across the levels - with healthy FEI turnout.

[dotneko]

Sperry View is a one day that draws from driveable judges usually if memory serves. I judged there when I lived in MA.

Kirby Hill is a two day, two ring show. Its a lovely show and Ive judged there several times including two weeks from now lol.

[lorilu]

Just a note. Not all GMOs host recognized shows. I know mine doesnt, and would not know where to start. The Regional Director might be a better place to start. There is also a wealth of info on the USDF website - Member and Horse services -> Competitor and competition services -> Show Management

[warmbloodlover11]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I am actually already working with a local GMO who has hosted shows before. I just feel like it’s a lot to trailer, stall, get hotel, etc so was trying to get creative or see how others have done with one ring or day shows to make things more accessible.

No local R or S judges so that will definitely be a fixed cost that is unavoidable. Appreciate the ideas: clinic 2nd day or just do two haul in shows to spread fixed costs!

[NJRider]

There has been a nice series of two day/one judge recognized shows in Oklahoma for years. https://www.horseshowconsulting.com/cpds-recognized-shows
They have a clinic the day after, the prize list might provide some helpful information. There are a few hotels in nearby which is nice. Although they do have stalls, Oklahoma isn’t exactly the hotbed of dressage yet they are consistently successful.

[emeraldcity]

My local GMO runs a one-day, trailer in only, rated show and it seems to do well- just one data point, FWIW. For context, we have only a couple of rated shows nearby (2-3 in the whole season?), otherwise would be a couple of hours driving at least.

[Knubbsy]

Another potential contact for modeling after is Dressage, By Chance?/First Chance, By Chance/Last Chance, By Chand in Maryland, a level 2 show. They have 4 shows a year - two one-day mid-week shows, one in the late spring and one in early September, and one weekend with two shows at the end of July. There was temporary stabling at one point, but it’s been a couple of years since they had that. In this part of the country, we’re fortunate in that we have a number of local-ish show venues (Loch Moy, Morven, etc) but By Chance is nice because we have a healthy community really centralized in Union Bridge/Libertytown so it’s a 10-15 mn drive for many of us instead of 45-60 mn and it’s a lot less of a stressful outing. Depending on your prep you could be in and out in under and hour and a half.

[teatime0714]

Seconding this. Bear Spot runs an incredible day show with no stabling that draws everyone from training 1 through Grand Prix. It’s so popular in fact that if you don’t sign up at midnight when entries open you’re probably not going to get in, unless enough people scratch to open up the wait list.

I know they do a great job with sponsors and getting volunteers from the area which helps quite a bit. They also invest in nice ribbons and do high point horse/rider ribbons as well. The ring routinely starts at 8 or 8:30 am and frequently goes until 5-6.

They run it in spring and summer with a Saturday being one show and Sunday being a second show. Some people go both days others just do one of the two, but both days always fill.