Thoughts if they will run or not?
I don’t see how they will cancel without being forced to from the state of KY. USEF and USEA are for them.
I am local and I am very torn on this. Part of me wants it to run because I love the organizer and I want to see my friends get the chance to compete. It was awesome last year. But the other part thinks its irresponsible to bring that many people from all over the country (including the 18 states that were just told to take a step back) to an area with relatively low case counts. I don’t see how they are going to monitor that many people to ensure SD and mask wearing. Plus it doesn’t seem right from a horse and rider welfare stance to run horses at a championship level when some areas haven’t had events in months.
I feel the same way about PF and other national championships.
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I filled out my entry forms but haven’t paid yet.
as I always work Labor Day, and I’m local, this is perhaps the only chance I’ll ever have.
I think getting shut down is entirely possible.
So… I’m just not sure. I think at a venue the size of the horse park it is possible to be safe. But people will have to stay in hotels, eat, etc.
Labor day (9/7) is the week after AECs this year, unless I have my AEC dates wrong.
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I think they will run. Unless there’s a huge push from the state. But organizations need to make $$ now.
I think turnout will be low. Not even sure how you’d qualify now but I assume they changed qualifications. Personally I wouldn’t go. I’m Uber cautious right now. I’d be coming from the west coast anyway, but even if I were closer - I wouldn’t go.
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KHP did a great job monitoring at Champagne Run. We got yelled at for any congregating at stalls, and told we would be kicked out of park if we didn’t comply. I even got a talking to for my mask not on all the way while sitting in my car (tailgating) parked by XC course. Also got reprimanded at jump ring for mask not up high enough to cover nose. They were stern; they really want to have AEC’s. I’ve been at 2 other USEA events this year, and KHP was more strict than the others, but all are doing a great job, with disinfectant all over the place, and it is very easy to social distance; they taped off bleachers for SD at one, and yelled over loudspeaker for noncompliance, and KHP moved all tables at jump ring far apart. I did not feel at risk at any time at the events. However, I am very leery of hotels and on the road. Did Airbnb and camping so far, and very minimal stops on the road.
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I was there and I saw plenty without masks/wearing them incorrectly. Better than expected but not nearly full compliance-I’d say maybe 80%? I was in one of the further barns so maybe that was part of it.I think it was the event organizers that monitor the mask wearing as they don’t want to be shut down by USEF. They did a great job announcing it constantly and trying to enforce it but there will always be the anti-maskers. The KHP employees (Including police officers) at both shows I’ve been to in July have not said anything. I felt fine with things but CRHT draws mostly regional competitors. AECs and PFs draw national.
We’ve been lucky in KY to have low case counts and slow increases, my biggest worry in the influx of people from high infection rate states screwing that up-not because of being a the KHP, but because of being in hotels, restaurants and stores with shared airspace. I feel like our reopening is a fragile state and any spike can result in things like daycare and businesses being shut down again.
Beshear announced yesterday that he wants people who have traveled to/come here from the states with over 15% (Florida, Texas, Alabama, SC, etc) to quarantine for 14d, but I don’t see how that would happen with these events.
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Of course its an easy trip from most of the hotbed states to come on in to KY…I cant imagine what Kentuckys numbers will look like after Pony Finals, AECs and the TB Championships.I know a lot of people from SC that are headed that way and staying for more than one of those events.
RRP has been cancelled for 2020.
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I think unless KY shuts them down…they will happen. I know if they were happening up here In PA…they would get shut down. Too many from out of state. The events that have been running (and running well) in this region are day trip events. People are going and coming home without stabling. I personally would not go and am not sending any horses but I know others who are planning on going.
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As someone who lives very close to the KHP, I wish desperately that AECs and Pony Finals would not run. I have emailed and called the KY governors office (Andy Beshear) multiple times expressing my concerns.
Yesterday, he put a social gathering limit in place – under 10 people. There are 2,847 riders qualified for 2020 AEC. Obviously most will not attend due to desire and logistics, but 925 attended in 2019. That would be thousands of people staying in Lexington hotels, restaurants, etc.
Yesterday he also put a recommendation (or requirement, I’d have to re-read) that individuals from states that have more than a 15% positive testing rate quarantine for 14 days upon arriving to KY. I guarantee that competitors from highly infected states will not be doing this before AECs.
I think it’s shortsighted and risky to allow AECs and Pony Finals to run in 2020. Would it be disappointing? Sure! But what a privilege to have a horse show cancelled as a big life frustration.
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My son is qualified and for now we are planning on going, but I have not entered him yet. We were at Champagne run and I was very impressed with how well they handled it and was also impressed with how compliant the competitors were. It was hot and the masks were definitely uncomfortable, but almost everyone wore them any way. I saw a few here and there, but mostly just people that were no where near others. We also had the benefit of being able to camp so we had our own bathroom, bedrooms and kitchen. We rarely had to use the port-a-potties and didn’t have to eat out or stay in a hotel. And we have a campsite reserved for AEC’s as well.However, this only helps me and my family, not everyone else. I am very torn as to how I feel about it. But I do agree with the others, AEC’s will happen unless the state or other higher ups shut it down.
Yes RRP has been cancelled but the TIP Championships are still happening at the KHP.
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Not looking great! All those poor ponies and kids that hauled across the country to settle in and prepare and have it canceled. I totally get it but the numbers have been bad for awhile! This decision could have been made earlier to save a lot of money and angst. Not sure if letting the AECs run after canceling these will be a great look.
USHJA (the discipline affiliate) recommended cancelling pony finals several weeks ago, but USEF forged ahead anyway.
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On the note about TIP - I just withdrew yesterday due to my own personal concern which seems pretty valid with pony finals being cancelled. The management for TIP is forging ahead with the show and has a few hundred entries as of yesterday.
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The NBA, NFL and MLB are trying to keep their seasons going by keeping players in a “bubble”, with frequent testing. Their protocols before training camp are intended to start the season with a group of players/coaches/staff that have been quarantined, tested, and are therefore covid-free.
Things are staggering along, at best. A few things are being learned -
- one member breaking the rules and bringing covid to the group can create an outbreak on that team within a few short days
- asymptomatic carriers are a key issue - they are being discovered in greater numbers than expected - without frequent universal testing, they can’t be identified and isolated
This link recounts the sad tale of how one positive player, inside the bubble, led to the infection of 20 team members within 2 weeks, leading to the cancellation of numerous games, exposure to other teams that they played before the positive result came back, and the disruption of the entire MLB 2020 game schedule …
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/m…es-among-team/https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/m…es-among-team/
With less control over the attendees of the AEC’s, and without frequent universal testing, what can we expect of new infections emerging afterward? It can be two weeks before symptoms emerge, although the person may be contagious before that.
What about the asymptomatic carriers that must be unknowingly salted in among any large group of people?
Whatever is decided about the rules to run the AEC’s safely, statistically it isn’t realistic that some degree of spread does not emerge from the AEC’s.
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I highly doubt it will happen. But could be surprised.
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Better question is: Should it happen? Bullshit having folks driving half way across the USA when we have a raging pandemic. Sometimes the horse world can be pretty selfish morons. 1,000 plus dying a day and I just gotta show my horse. Many have no empathy at what the hell is happening in our country.
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Look at the sleep away YMCA camp in Georgia. There were over 260 positive tests last I heard, among campers and staff, out of about 400 people. The camp claimed they were doing distancing, and other precautions, but only a few days after opening, the camp is an example of a massive spread.
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