Agree with the sentiments above.
I have a friend who has just qualified her two horses for USDF Finals in Chicago (from CA) and she is planning on going (if they even happen). I just don’t understand this line of thinking; what sounds fun about crossing multiple state lines to show when thousands of people are losing their loved ones and lives? sigh
Did the AQHA show have a mask rule that was being ignored? Or no mask rule at all?
The way I understand it, WEC is very clear about wearing a mask. But I believe the people at the show were ignoring it (I got report 2nd hand, so a bit hazy). WEC just came out with another safety statement for next week’s h/j show in light of events in KY. I am paying attention to all this because the Region 13 Arab championships are the week of 8/10. My trainer was afraid they were going to get canceled even before all this KY stuff happened.
https://worldequestriancenter.com/im…82LHzANhZGThwU
As for Pony Finals, if the USEF had gone ahead and had the show, and even one kid or support crew had gotten sick, they would have been beaten to all hell. Just a no-win situation for them no matter what they did.
I really believe people just need to stay in their own regions for now. I am in CA and there has been a lot of control at the shows here and I have not been worried at all. I really think it’s just important that people don’t travel far. Just my two cents.
[B]As for Pony Finals, the “win” would have been to cancel it earlier due to the current pandemic.
USEF put themselves, their membership, and the public health in a “no win” situation because of their failure to listen to public health experts. Kids are already there, and have traveled to Kentucky, where COVID cases have been rising, from states where the rate of infection has been rising.
That this interstate travel in the middle of a pandemic would occur has been known by USEF for some time. The Kentucky health department has been begging people to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Kentucky from high incidence COVID States.
Perhaps a little harm has been prevented by this last minute cancellation, but inviting members to undertake interstate travel with children in the midst of a pandemic to attend a pony show, and cancelling after the virus has inevitably spread and many have already arrived from out of State, is certainly nothing to be proud of.[/B]
It doesn’t matter when they cancelled Pony Finals, it’s clear they would have been raked over the coals for it. If they had done it a month ago, they would have gotten flak too. That’s all I’m saying. Beyond that, all I know is that the Arab folks have squeaked out a couple of big shows while all this has been going on with no reports of any positive tests. A lot of pissed off people because they were being bugged to wear a mask multiple times a day (which, let me state for the record, I have no sympathy with. I think they should be bugged about it until they do it.). But as I mentioned above, Region 13 championships are coming up at WEC week of 8/10 and I think it’s even money whether they will go on, given the recent events in KY.
Last week, the course designer at Traverse City tested positive. Another person tested positive this week. People ignoring the protocols. People being waived through the temperature check. Occasionally, an announcement will be made (in English only) regarding the wearing of masks. I guess “the show must go on” ???
It is being ignored.
Have there been reports of transmission at shows? Any shows being superspreader events?
What I’m getting at (and zipping my flame suit) - the underlying concern here is the transmission of Covid 19. And while I understand that the presence of individuals with Covid 19 is worrisome, and what we are trying to avoid with temperature checks, asking people to stay home if sick, or just cancelling shows altogether, I also think that if you have examples of shows where there were Covid 19 positive individuals present, but no reports of transmission, that is a very good and positive thing.
Clinically, it can take up to 10 (14) days for someone to 1. Get sick and/or 2. Show positive or have enough of the virus to be detected
Which is why contact tracing is important. So just because no “superspreaders” have happened (yet) doesn’t tell us much.
Completely understood and agreed on the lag time - it’s way too soon to know if there was transmission at Kentucky.
But…what I’m getting at is: it’s not just the past two weeks that there have been shows going on. I seem to recall hearing of shows from well over a month ago where someone present tested positive for Covid 19. But haven’t heard of instances of spreading based on those shows.
(obligatory disclaimer - I am not at all disagreeing with the danger of this disease, or the importance of avoiding transmission, or the risks of asymptomatic spreaders)
Every time a judge gets on an airplane, we risk losing them to COVID, even if the show itself is not a source of transmission.
I don’t think there needs to be “super spreading” for there to be a problem.
Even without superspreading you have a huge contact tracing/spreading issue. The problem is NOT ONLY who gets sick “at the show” but who spreads in the process of showing and where that spread goes.
Person A comes to big horse show in KY from far away (let’s say FL). Is asymptomatic or presymptomatic. Stops to use the restroom on the highway. Gives it to someone who is en route to NJ and neither one of them know each other. No contact tracing. Eats dinner at a restaurant in KY and gives it to the waiter and neither one know each other. no contact tracing. Gives it to a barnmate at the show and they know each other.
You may say “well, only one person got sick at a show and they knew and were able to quarantine” but what about the rest stop person and the waiter? They each go to different communities (NJ, KY) and start spreading it there… and before long we have new exponential growth in several different areas.
Contrast that with local showing, and at least the spread is in a confined area (it’s still bad to have spread but you’re not creating new focal points). Staying local and showing is certainly NOT without risks, but it keeps those risks more confined. And with less travel, sleeping over, eating out, etc. there’s just less exposure PERIOD. If I decide to go show from NJ in VA I am going to hit a couple gas stations and a couple places to eat even if I don’t stay over. If I only show in NJ I can get by with one or no stops (in my local area). The overall exposure is just less, setting aside what happens on the actual showgrounds.
The point, from a public heath stand point, is not that it is “clear that they would have been raked over the coals for cancelling it” nor for how much “flak” they would have had to endure if they had done so. USEF is supposed to be the National Governing body for Horse Sport in the United States. Leadership, not self interest and vacillation, is implied and expected.
Many an iconic horse show has been postponed until such a time that the public safety can be assured. Most people are not kicking and screaming and threatening to leave their NGB over those cancelled shows. Most intelligent people and many (obviously not most) Governing bodies understand that during a pandemic it is wise to listen to experts in science and public heath and to act accordingly. We understand that sometimes self interest must be put aside for the common good.
USEF has lagged behind their educated members, their committees, and the USHJA, those that actually seem to understand what is required to keep everyone, not just their members, safe until the pandemic is under control.
I am hopeful that USEF has learned (albeit the hard way which is a shame on them) that their “precautions” were not effective during this pandemic and that sanctioning horse shows that attract entries from all over the U.S. is irresponsible at best.
Why does the USEF leadership behave as if they are completely unable to understand the ramifications of this pandemic and that there really are no precautions that are truly effective when gathering a crowd at this point in time? The advice to keep everyone safe is only what is recommended by public health authorities, which is stay home and travel locally and only when necessary.
Most people in the Equestrian world do understand this, why Mr. Moroney and USEF don’t seem to get it is a mystery to me.
Hopefully the COVID positive cases at their Kentucky shows will bring it home to them that this is a virus that is not predictable and that whatever precautions they take, they cannot claim that the safety of their members is their highest priority blah blah blah… because there are too many unknowns about the virus. This became obvious, unfortunately for those people who were infected, because of the positive COVID cases on the showgrounds despite all the “USEF COVID” rules , precautions etc…
Things are tough all over, for everyone. The leadership of USEF is an embarrassment right now, trying to Govern during a pandemic is apparently above their pay grade.
I hope that they will, after this failure, pay more attention, either to the intelligent people in their midst or to public health experts.
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