And JP60, I’ll try not to read too much into “Bless your heart”. We yankees are a touchy lot, you know :winkgrin:.
I am definitely in the “hardly ever gets a ribbon and is thrilled when I do” category, but the thought of having to wait for for all the scores to come in, then get the horse tacked up again to go back-- it’s probably not worth it, especially this time of year.
[QUOTE=Highflyer;8223661]
I am definitely in the “hardly ever gets a ribbon and is thrilled when I do” category, but the thought of having to wait for for all the scores to come in, then get the horse tacked up again to go back-- it’s probably not worth it, especially this time of year.[/QUOTE]
In theory, the victory gallop is easier to do when things are in the “proper” order. Everyone showjumps in your division pretty quickly and in a row, and then the awards are given. Unless you have a huge division of 40 horses, that doesn’t take long enough that the first horse would really need to be totally stripped and then retacked assuming they were in the top 8.
It’s hard to do with xc last, because it takes forever and you could be 4 hours out from your time when everyone is done, depending on how things are run.
[QUOTE=frugalannie;8223650]
And JP60, I’ll try not to read too much into “Bless your heart”. We yankees are a touchy lot, you know :winkgrin:.[/QUOTE]
:lol: Annie, born an bred from Upper state New York, an ex pat in the deep south who has picked up the nomenclature (with Northern humor)
It is too long to explain, but in short, my oldest mare loves to play a game with me on feeding. This morning she did it so well, giving me a look that was pure “I got you sonny” that I just had to laugh. Never missing a beat, I got a paw for being late in putting breakfast in the bowl on time.
If you understood the financial woes Ive felt the past year and a half then you’d understand why suggesting me for cooking…um…managing the books may not be a good volunteer path 
If I compare you to my eldest Mare, take it as a complement. Have a great weekend.
I attended my “first” event in 1975. A friend from our local western/gaited saddle club invited all of us who had dipped our toes into “that English riding” to a different type of competition. I was immediately hooked along with others in our horse community.
For years I boarded & volunteered at several farms that hosted recognized and un recognized HT/CT/dressage.
The sport and “we” have changed. In the dark ages XC courses often ran through woods so the JJ either carried a chair or sat on the ground, only official vehicles allowed. JJ were provided a clipboard, forms and pencils but we often brought our own because pencils were in short supply. We brought our own food & drink - the organizer would sometimes give us a credit at the food truck, if there was one. But then the only people being fed were the official, PGJ+TD+Dressage&Stadium judges plus the scorer(s). XC & SJ courses were designed and built locally, at that time licensed course designers plus “professional” course builders were few and far between.
Now former volunteer positions are paid such as secretary(s), scorer(s). In addition to PGJ, TD, extra dressage/stadium judges the organizer hires a licensed XC & SJ course designer who sometimes double as the course builders. In the past 15-20 years we have added Safety coordinators, XC control plus stronger requirements for EMT and Vet. Announcers, good ones, are expected now instead being treat as we knew in the dark ages.
Back then the competitions were 95% on privately held property-we were invited to someone’s home to compete. The XC courses were closed on the event opening date, no one was supposed to even ride the track much less school the fences.
Now many are held on some sort of public land which can restrict how much time everyone has to put courses and arenas together. Many are used year-round for schooling and schooling shows so the footing around fences can be questionable.
In the dark ages we received one, count them one, omnibus per year that had ALL of the events in it. The only way to do more than say 10 events a year was to travel to different areas because there just weren’t that many events around. Now there is an event almost every weekend plus the ones held on Wednesdays.
We have gone from a very small community where everyone knew each other and we knew we had to volunteer in order to have competitions. “We” have morphed into a business model in part because of professional organizers, secretaries, scorer’s, starters, timers, course designers and builders. On the flip side a certain number the competitors now look at eventing as JP noted - organizer provides a service to them the competitor. So in IMO there is less do a connection between the organizer and crew to the competitors and coaches.
Not voicing my opinion on this at the moment, just that this is my observation.
[QUOTE=JP60;8222901]
kaybee and others talk about volunteers and their importance for a show. I cannot agree more and though not quite germane to this threads topic, I’ll repeat that if a venue is struggling to get help then it might be possible they are
<snip>
If a organizer complains about lack of volunteers the first thing I’d be wondering is how far and how hard did you cast the net. Did you think outside the box for in today’s world, that may be needed.[/QUOTE]
Speaking only for ourselves/our event, hell yes we tried spreading the widest possible net. Everyone who knew anyone in an organization or group that might need to fulfill a volunteerism requirement or just come help for kicks was approached. The feedback we received is that, across the board, there’s more work to be done than volunteers to do it. Most people, even kids, have busy lives and their time is booked solid. So, again, it came back to a bunch of people who’d rather have been riding in the event working it, instead.
Also, the boy scouts have a new set of rules (I don’t recall the details, but it’s child-safety related) whereby scouts can now only volunteer for things that meet a very strict set of criteria.
regarding volunteers. I just finished stepping in as a secretary for a local association schooling dressage show. The series attracts so many volunteer requests that we have to turn people away. The other events/shows struggle to fill.
Why do people want to volunteer at this particular show?
-
It is a ton of fun in a small area. There is food, drink, lots of laughing and people know each other. It is far different from sitting out under an umbrella jump judging with your iPhone and bug spray. So the more you can put volunteers together, the better.
-
The atmosphere of this series is, for lack of a better word, jolly. There are lots of younger volunteers who come in pairs and trios.
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As for myself, I do not tolerate any rudeness from anyone toward or among volunteers. I nipped that in the bud from the get go when parents or competitors complained about the show (we ended up running over an hour behind due to very VERY slow Intro dressage tests)… I think I can be very sweet but I can turn into a stoned face, affect-less, one-eyebrow-raised stepmother if anyone (and that means anyone) is unreasonable.
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Organizers MUST have incentives for volunteering. And it cannot just be a free xc schooling pass. It has to be something tangible. It can be fun time, good food, volunteer party, and a ton of smiles and appreciation. Volunteers also need to be given respect and a voice in what and how things are done. Example from this past show: I went to a young ring steward and asked for her input on how she might keep competitors moving into the ring more quickly and she came up with some good ways to do so. This was in contrast to simply telling her how to do this.
I volunteered several years ago for an organization and no one ever thanked me and all of the volunteers got frowns and shouts from the organizers. It was not pleasant and I withdrew from supporting that organization for many years. The only real thanks or praise I got was from the TD who told me that I ran the xc control better than any event he had done for years and suggested that I become an announcer. Before withdrawing, I asked to do that same job again and was told ‘no’ with no real reason behind the ‘no’. I did find out later that a board member wanted that job - if I had known that, it would not have been nearly as off-putting.
So, what did I learn from this very successful volunteer-run show series?
Treat your volunteers with respect
ask for and value their opinions and suggestions
make their experience fun throughout - smile, engage, converse, when you have a chance.
provide a common area where they can socialize and/or see themselves as part of a team
give tangible incentives for their hard work
give them real food and drink throughout the day
thank them profusely throughout and at the end of the day.
^^^^^^^^
I am going to copy and print that, excellent!!!
retreadeventer, I have been to events where they had one area for volunteers - with food, refreshments, etc. Also taking pictures of volunteers and posting these on social media is a great way to give recognition. At our last show, one of the volunteers had a group picture taken and I am planning to put that on the organization’s facebook page, if the administrator will allow it.
[QUOTE=Winding Down;8224064]
I nipped that in the bud from the get go when parents or competitors complained about the show (we ended up running over an hour behind due to very VERY slow Intro dressage tests)… [/QUOTE]
Wait, unless I’m reading this wrong, you legitimately got pissed at competitors who were upset that despite issuing dressage times, you were just letting people ride whenever and take as long as they wanted until you ended up an hour late? That makes for a really long day for everybody else.
Why is the competitor in the wrong there? That is the point of dressage times.
[QUOTE=GoForAGallop;8219674]
It’s not just the judges and the cost for that one single day. (And you forgot things like the $$$ it costs to have medical staff on hand, the HUGELY expensive insurance you need to actually host an event of that size, etc)
It’s the cost to keep the farm running all year round to keep it ready for those one/two/three/four days a year. It’s the special equipment that needs to be purchased to maintain the courses that wouldn’t have been needed if it were just pasture or hayfield, and to fix the giant tire tracks everywhere when it’s rained and people still need to park their rigs. It’s the $500 worth of gravel to refoot the water jump at the end of every season, it’s the $$ that goes into marketing and printing up materials, the time and energy it takes to maintain jumps that have disintegrated over the winter, etc.
Maybe it’s because I own and maintain my own farm, but I don’t begrudge anyone their event fees. If you think $200 for a day of fun is expensive, I suggest you trot on over to hunter world for some real heart-stopping bills. 
That being said…what do you want INSTEAD of the ribbons? Cash prizes is ridiculous, the money is not there to support it, and people who didn’t win first would still want some ribbons. You can’t complain without having some good suggestions.
Personally, I can’t think of anything that is reasonable that would make me feel like I had “something to show for it”, because I am one of those who just enjoys the experience and the photos and training I get from it and frequently loses my ribbon by the time I get home, so clearly we’re looking at the situation from different hilltops.[/QUOTE]
Goforagallop! I HEART you!!
OP- I’ve worked at a farm that ran events, and was involved in the financial aspect of it (thank goodness, not my money lol) and I concur, it’s’ expensive, time consuming and did I mention…EXPENSIVE. You have to factor in the the overhead to get a real idea of the cost. No one gets rich from running events, if so, we wouldn’t have lost so many venues in my region, AREA 1, which is jam packed with eventers. If you’re in it for the ribbons, and prizes, it’s probably not the right discipline for
[QUOTE=soloudinhere;8224907]
Wait, unless I’m reading this wrong, you legitimately got pissed at competitors who were upset that despite issuing dressage times, you were just letting people ride whenever and take as long as they wanted until you ended up an hour late? That makes for a really long day for everybody else.
Why is the competitor in the wrong there? That is the point of dressage times.[/QUOTE]
I think she meant that the intro tests went much longer than scheduled, not that they let people ride whenever. If you have ever judged intro dressage (and I have), it can go VERY slowly, tiny ponies creeping around the ring, etc. iIf the scheduler didn’t allow for extra time at the level they could have gotten out of whack pretty easily.
It can happen in SJ too - the Elementary folks often trot the course and use the whole ring…
[QUOTE=soloudinhere;8224907]
Wait, unless I’m reading this wrong, you legitimately got pissed at competitors who were upset that despite issuing dressage times, you were just letting people ride whenever and take as long as they wanted until you ended up an hour late? That makes for a really long day for everybody else.
Why is the competitor in the wrong there? That is the point of dressage times.[/QUOTE]
Where did I say that I was
despite issuing dressage times, you were just letting people ride whenever and take as long as they wanted until you ended up an hour late?
And were did I say I got
pissed
?
Geeze oh Pete.
[QUOTE=asterix;8224973]
I think she meant that the intro tests went much longer than scheduled, not that they let people ride whenever. If you have ever judged intro dressage (and I have), it can go VERY slowly, tiny ponies creeping around the ring, etc. iIf the scheduler didn’t allow for extra time at the level they could have gotten out of whack pretty easily.
It can happen in SJ too - the Elementary folks often trot the course and use the whole ring…[/QUOTE]
Phew! Thank you! I did not add in the time for a pony who would slow w…a…a…a… y down throughout, and I was not about to go out and demand that they go faster!
Sounds like Bronte Creek HT just ran a beautiful event this past weekend. VIP Tents, and lovely little prizes from their sponsor Saucy Piaffe. Sounds like they tried hard to put themselves on the map, I’ll go there next year to support them. Its a rather far drive for me, but now that I’ve seen their courses and how well it was put together I definitely would love to support.
Different strokes for different folks. The idea of VIP tents in eventing is annoying to me and not what I know of the best of eventing. It is more of other disciplines creeping into our world. It is interesting to me that that was the first thing on your list of reasons why you would choose that venue.
I remember many years ago ending up at a venue where a H/J show was going on. 2 weeks previously, a horse trials was held. The covered area where scores were posted and we ALL congregate to catch up with each othe had been turned into a VIP tent, with a guarded entrance. YUCK!!
Sevendogs, I understand from whence you’re coming, but if an event can get strong patron/ sponsor support (and giving them a special viewing area etc is part of that) then it has more funds to do good stuff for competitors.
[QUOTE=SevenDogs;8225842]
Different strokes for different folks. The idea of VIP tents in eventing is annoying to me and not what I know of the best of eventing. It is more of other disciplines creeping into our world. It is interesting to me that that was the first thing on your list of reasons why you would choose that venue.
I remember many years ago ending up at a venue where a H/J show was going on. 2 weeks previously, a horse trials was held. The covered area where scores were posted and we ALL congregate to catch up with each othe had been turned into a VIP tent, with a guarded entrance. YUCK!![/QUOTE]
Do you only skim through posts?
Its not what lured me in. The fact that they worked to get an awesome sponsor is what made me interested, the fact they had a super nice looking cross country course, nice clean jumps, looked like a true testament of the levels. It was their first event ever, so people were skeptical of going, no one wants to be a tester at a new event lol. Now that I see the caliber of the event, thats why I want to go. I want to support an event that pulls all possible things out of their hat to make it work.
Saucy Piaffe being a sponsor was amazing, they put the work in to find a good sponsor! It just looked like an elite event which we are missing in Ontario.
I didn’t want to go to some sketch place that was 2+ hours away either. I wanted to see what will be of the event.
[QUOTE=JP60;8222929]
So to put this in practical terms, I can just call up Lellie Ward and say, Lellie, Paradise needs bigger ribbons and I will be happy to help you order them. See, I volunteered my time there. She says “that’s fine JP, but oh, since you’re helping so much, you pay for the difference otherwise I’ll stick with what I got”. Without her approving a budget for $5 ribbons vs $2 ribbons, my “helping” means little.[/QUOTE]
I am trying to figure out if you are being snarky in this post or if you are so missing the point that you think this response makes sense.
[QUOTE=LadyB;8219690]
What happened to seeking sponsors. 10% discount to a tack shop or something along those lines. It doesn’t have to be something huge. [/QUOTE]
I will apologize & admit that I’ve only read the first page…but that’s b/c you just heard a head explode.
I’ve been involved in core volunteer staff at HT’s & 3DEs since ~2007-2008. Last year was my first year as sponsorship coordinator an event.
O.M.F.G.
I work full-time. I’d love to, ya know, have a FEW hours when I can ride my own horses & maybe even eat. We start planning next year’s event…the week after this year’s event ends (we have to detox first).
The amount of correspondence, coordination, planning, marketing & media alerts JUST to recruit & maintain prize sponsors (& yes, we’re talking down to horse treats here, we give prizes to 8ths place AND special awards, i.e. for Sportsmanship & Conditioning)…if I added up the time, I’d probably pass out. Or cry. Or both. Everything from filling out enormous applications for large companies to emailing blogging friends who have started small businesses with hand-made products. During the event itself, well, it was pretty much an extended nervous breakdown of trying to be in three places at once with a computer in one hand while driving a golf cart & hoping maybe a dog would hold a phone in its mouth?
I also make our event program (which is dang pretty, TYVM ;P) and that was four months of work because I had to start from almost-scratch.
I know interwebz tone is difficult, so I’m not trying to be nasty at all when I say, this is eventing. I have all my multi-coloured ribbons too (b/c there’s not very many, LOL), but much larger & more valuable are the experiences, pictures, memories, & lessons learned with my partner.
So please. Pretty pretty please. And I’m saying this very very nicely – don’t offer up a complaint until you’ve given back & worked on the “other side.” There is no profit at most events. They are put on by people who mostly get paid nothing, do it for love of the sport, & work four 13-14 hour days (b/c we are insane & somehow that’s our vacation?) to make it happen (obvs. not counting that whole yr beforehand).
Now I think I have to go lie down, LOL. Perhaps no one will notice me on my office floor behind my desk.
