@flake Wait, the prize money checks bounced for the May Los Angeles Blenheim shows???!! Did I read that right?
Wow.
Thatās good.
Did those shows have the same rescheduling issue as Blenheim ?
@Mardi1 why should it matter? They either have the $ to process refunds and distribute prize money from horse shows scheduled in early May or they donāt.
The Coastkeepers have been an issue since 2015 and we (the collective we of the equestrian community in Southern California but especially equestrian property owners) are all dealing with Coastkeepers.
My barn alone is out thousands of dollars. But we werenāt treating this as a destination horse show since we are in the OC. I know other trainers with clients who were coming from Northern California, Las Vegas and beyond who are out even more $ than us.
I am 100% sympathetic to what the Ridlandās are going through, but I need my $$$ back. This is a business and either one has good business and financials where deposits are put in an account where they are not touched or one does not.
How this is handled is really important IMO.
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I agree. How this is handled is important, and will set the tone for their future horse shows.
Itās also important for USEF to understand how their decision making process for sharing show dates affects the exhibitors.
I understand your frustration about waiting for your money. I never received a pre-show refund from a very large USEF/USDF regional championship in Los Angeles. It wasnāt managed by Blenheim, but by a horse show management company that had done Olympic trials, and other large events. My horse was injured weeks before the show, and we scratched well in advance. I followed all requirements for the refund - vet note, timing of the scratch, proof of payment, etc. I waited more than a month, and up to the show date. The money never came. What happened ? Show management transferred my money to my trainerās barn account, for him to use for other clientsā horses, feed, bedding, tack rooms, etc. No one from the show office told me or the trainer, no one asked if this was ok. And certainly no apology. When pressed, show management said to get my money from my trainer. Period.
That management company wasnāt having any problems like Blenheim may be having. Yet they withheld my refund, and were being jerks, which fit their long standing reputation.
Yes everyone needs their money back. Do you truly believe that Blenheim isnāt working on it, and they have no intent on repaying all their loyal customers ? Does that sound like them ? Blenheim has given immense support to the southern California show community for years. Their shows have an outstanding reputation, and provide you with top competition. As far as I know, they have always done right by the riders, trainers and owners. IMHO, until proven otherwise, they deserve our support.
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@Mardi1 wow your refund experience sounds terrible, sorry that happened to you.
Iāve def never received a show scratch refund BEFORE the show starts but my two previous refunds were processed the week the show was running or at the very latest the week after it ended. In one case I drove down to the Del Mar National horse show office to deal with the problem in person, which was going to be my next step with Blenheim.
Iām not one to repeat unsubstantiated gossip on the internet, but actually I spoke to several older trainer friends re this issue (Iām a professional myself but did not grow up in Orange County) and Blenheim (apparently, according to the three individuals I talked to) actually does have a reputation for NOT honoring show refunds over the last several decades (again, according to the people I talked to ā¦ and I really was hesitant to post this here butā¦ you asked why Iām concerned).
The post above about prize money checks from the May shows bouncing is super concerning.
I had no control over what USEF did with the show dates, but I suppose I can reach out to USEF too as a professional member if this doesnāt get resolved (some barn mates are already talking about lawyers! NOT something I want to be involved withā¦)
I just wish this could all be handled in-house quietly. I feel like these concerns about refunds slash panic Iām hearing from some people could have been avoided if Blenheim had sent out an email June 20 giving us an update, processed the refunds, or if they had just answered their phone, replied to email or honored the Q&A Robert Ridland was supposed to have last Friday afternoon June 28 at the show at Blenheim (screenshot attachedā¦ it was canceled at the last minute).
I run a business outside the horse world. Fiscal integrity and financial responsibility is essential or people will take their business (in this case, show dollars for a luxury sport) elsewhere and that would be a low blow for San Juan Capistrano, the Ridlands, Blenheim and the sport in general.
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Correct
I appreciate your post and youāre right about a businessā fiscal integrity and responsibility.
However Iām not understanding why the Blenheim shows have been consistently well attended for so many years, if they have a rocky financial reputation. It doesnāt seem to affect the trainers and owners, as they have continued to show with them. What is different this time ? Is it the lack of communication ?
In my case, I stopped going to Cornerstone managed (large) horse shows. The poorly handled refund was just the start, and then a few other, non financial, issues came along. Finally I had enough, and told my trainer to find other shows. He did. We soon learned that it was actually more fun to support smaller weekend shows, and their management.
I hope you and others get the answers you deserve, and Blenheim can see itās way clear of this mess.
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I also had a bad refund experience with Cornerstone.
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Ok Iām happy to report good news on this front! My full show scratch refund from the May Blenheim shows has finally been processed (July 3) and hit my bank account. I hope that @flake has a similar experience with the bounced prize money checks.
Phew, Iām so relieved.
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I saw that announcement. Quite an interesting development. Best of luck to them!
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Sorry if this is a silly question, Iām trying to learn more about the players down your way. 
Who was managing these shows before?
Not silly.
It was Robert Ridland, AKA The Ridland Group.
Ali Nilforushan (Nilforushan Equestrian Events) bought them. He recently announced that he was not going to run the winter series at Del Mar this year due to lack of good ratings from USEF. He also just announced that the media group co-named in the FB post had invested in NEE.
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Thanks!!
No Del Mar series? That sucks. But I hear Ali runs great shows - just wish it was right down the road from me.
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